Michael Dunlop hopes to lay the foundations for 𓄧a successful defence of his Southern 100 titles with a victorious return to national road racing at this weekend's 67th Skerries 100 near Dublin.

D🥃unlop hasn't raced since the Isle of Man TT, opting𝔉 to sit out the Mid-Antrim 150 and Bush meetings in Northern Ireland in June.

But he returns ไto action with a vengeance this month, kicking off a busy period at the popular Skerries race before next week's Southern 100 on the Billown circuit on the Isle of Man, where the 23-year-old claimed a magnificent treble in 2011.

Dunlop and his brother William top t🌠he entry list at Skerries along with KMR Kawasaki's Ryan Far🎀quhar, who heads to the first national event in southern Ireland this year in a rich vein of form after notching consecutive five-timers at the Mid-Antrim and Bush.

All three plan to use their superbike machines ✨in the Open ⭕and Grand Final races at Skerries and Dunlop - who secured his third TT win with a terrific Supersport success last month - expects a hard day at the office tomorrow.

"You could always ride the superstock bike and it would be a🧸n easier option around the wee roads at Skerries, but I enjoy riding the big 🐭superbike.

"It'll be a handful, but it'll be a bit of craic as well and it's a challenge," he told theᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤𒁃⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Belfast News Letter.

"I rode a Honda Superbike at Skerries before when I rode Gareth Robinson's Fireblade for the first🦹 time a few years ✨back and I enjoyed it.

"It'll give us a chance as well to see how the bike i🦄s going before we head over to the Southern 100 on Sunday."

Farquhar was absent at Skerries lꦺast summer as he took a break from the national scene but aims to underline his standing as the country🌺's number one national road racer this weekend.

The 36-year-old intends to ride his Kawasaki ZX-10R superbike, with William Dunlop also superbike-mounted on Wilson Craig's
Fireblade.

Practice takes place t👍oday with a nine-race programme getting underway at around 9.30am tomorrow.