One week on from his stunning Senior TT victory for Suzuki, Michael Dunlop is back in motorsport action from today (Friday), with a switch of discipline to rallying.

The 28-year-old Ballamoney star will be joined by regular co-driver Rob Fagg from Kirk Michael for another tilt at the Joule Donegal International Rally in Michael’s own DenSport-run MkII Ford Escort.

Competing in the ’modified’ section in the National category, their first aim will be to finish, as Dunlop’s previous attempts at what is regarded as the ’crown jewel’ event of Irish rallying have ended in retirement in both 2014 and 2015.

Since the latter of those disappointments, however, they have scored a superb podium finish on the National section of the Ulster Rally and fourth overall on a first appearance on the Manx stages at the 2015 Rally Isle of Man, proving the 15-times TT winner is no slouch no matter what he’s steering.

Their most recent event together was last November’s PokerStars Rally, unfortunately crashing out on the opening night at Andreas. However, such is Michael’s enthusiasm for the car, it was repaired within weeks and he scored a top-10 finish at Christmas on the Turkey Run Rally at Shackelton Airfield in Co. Derry.

The pair are seeded at number 53 for the three-day event that begins at midday from Letterkenny, a sign of the strength of the 170-car entry.

The opening day features six stages, covering 72 kilometres. Saturday has eight further tests in store over 125km’s including classics Garygort and Knockalla, before Sunday heads to the traditional peninsular finale on Fanad Head and Atlantic Drive, covering a further 91km’s. The finish is due back in Letterkenny at around 6pm.

The event can be followed at donegalrally.ie

Fagg travelled directly to the Donegal recce after last weekend’s Carlisle Stages where he was defending his lead in the Ravenol BTRDA Championship with north Wales driver Hugh Hunter.

The pair, driving the same Ford Fiesta R5 in which they won last month’s Manx National Rally, struggled with a misted windscreen in the early stages in wet conditions, finding themselves outside of the top 10.

With the matter resolved at service they climbed to seventh and were chasing further places and crucial Championship points when they slid off the Kielder forest track in the final Kershope test. They were fortunate to re-join but the incident dropped them to a final result of ninth, slashing Fagg’s series lead to just one point.