The reigning Northern Ireland champion, who runs his burgeoning KPL utilities business from nearby Dungiven, won his home round of the series for a fifth year in a row on Saturday, finishing more than a minute in front in his Ford Focus.

But, for once, Lynch didn't pick up championship points, his attention now on the international Tarmac series after taking the NI title three times in a row.

Even so, he returned to his local forests to dominate the event from start to finish, cruising in with a minute and seven seconds to spare over the Subaru Impreza of runner-up Sean Devine.

But the big battle of the day involved the current top two in the championship, Glenn Allen and Stephen Moore.

Allen, runner-up to Lynch for the past two years, has dominated the first half of the season but he was beaten by Moore this time, the Pomeroy driver finishing third in his Ford Focus.

He and Allen were level with two stages remaining but Moore was fastest on both of them to edge out Allen, who was driving a borrowed Toyota Corolla while his own is being repaired in Holland.

However, the Cookstown man remains six points in front with four rounds remaining.

Former Dogleap winner Richard Hogg was fifth in his Skoda with Seamus Devine rounding out the top six in his Subaru.

Cathal Rogers won the production category in his Mitsubishi after early leader Errol Clarke crashed out and series leader Neil McCance's Lancer suffered fuel feed trouble.

Dogleap Rally: 1 Kevin Lynch/Martin McNicholl (Ford Focus) 50 mins 21 secs; 2 Sean Devine/Damien Duffin (Subaru Impreza) 51-28; 3 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus) 51-33; 4. Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Toyota Corolla) 51-43; 5 Richard Hogg/Mark Hanna (Skoda Octavia) 53-44; 6 Seamus Devine/Steven Casey (Subaru Impreza) 53-45. Group N: Cathal Rogers/John McCafferty (Mitsubishi Lancer); Ford Fiestas: Alistair Fisher/Barry McNulty.

THE top runners in the British Sprint Championship turned up at Kirkistown yesterday for Round 13 of the National Championship, looking forward to a repeat of the UAC's successful Friday event which had opened the Club's annual Speed Weekend. But it was not to be.

Heavy rain overnight left the track waterlogged, and with no prospect of a rapid improvement in the weather, Clerk of the Course Chris Beck had no option but to officially abandon the event and allow the leading competitors to head for the ferry ports and home.

Friday had been all about the powerful single seaters of Stewart Robb and Matt Oliver who fought hard for both class and run-off victories.

Aberdonian Robb took the honours in the qualifying runs with his ex-John Leinster Pilbeam-Judd, but in the Championship run-offs it was the similarly-powered Gould of Matt Oliver from Maidstone which set the fastest time and took maximum points.

SATURDAY'S Craigantlet Hill Climb saw British Championship leader Scott Moran from Ludlow take the honours, setting fastest time in both qualifying runs before repeating the exercise in both the points run-offs to further extend his lead at the top of the table.

Craigantlet was also a round of the ANICC Northern Ireland Championship which was clinched by Galway's Frank Byrnes who set 10th fastest time in his Rover-powered Pilbeam.

Best saloon performance was that of Rudi Gage from Ballymoney whose lightweight Mini just beat the Escort Cosworth of Donaghadee's David Francis.