Galway Rally driver Aoife Raftery has been named as one of two Motorsport Ireland Road Safety Ambassadors for 2024.
The sport’s governing body, Motorsport Ireland, re-launched its “Keep the Race in its Place,” road safety campaign on Saturday evening in Ballina, County Mayo.
The opening round of the Motorsport Ireland Triton Showers National Rally Championship is being held in the Mayo town this weekend.
Craughwell-native Raftery was announced as a Motorsport Ireland Road Safety Ambassador in front of a large crowd at the Mayo Rally’s ceremonial start in Ballina town centre, on Saturday evening.
Motorsport Ireland has a long-standing history of promoting road safety, with the ‘Keep the Race in its Place’, campaign being one of the most recognisable road safety messages in Ireland over the last 15 years.
Not used since pre-pandemic times, when the late and great Craig Breen was the sport's road safety ambassador, the governing body felt it was time to re-energise the campaign by announcing the only female rally driver to be included in Motorsport Ireland’s Rally Academy as the 2024 representative.
“I am honoured to take on this Road Safety Ambassador role for Motorsport Ireland. The main objective of this initiative is to educate people about what it means to ‘Keep the Race in its Place’,” said Raftery.
"I want to use my passion for motorsport, my own experience within rallying and as a driver in the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to get this safety message out to all drivers and encourage those who have an interest in our sport that there are rules we as rally drivers must obey strictly, and the same respect should be shown to the rules of the road.”
Current Junior World Rally Champion William Creighton has been named as the second road safety ambassador.
Raftery (23) and Creighton (26) are both members of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and have amassed over 160 rally starts between them across Ireland and Europe.
“I was delighted when the opportunity arose to become a Motorsport Ireland Road Safety Ambassador,” said the County Down-based driver.
“’ Keep the Race in its Place’ has never been as important as it is today. As a Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Driver, it is important to remind people that we compete in a safe and controlled environment. We all have a responsibility to drive safely and look out for each other on the public roads.”
Motorsport Ireland President, Aiden Harper, announced the two new ambassadorial roles on Saturday evening in Ballina.
“Road Safety and the education of road safety awareness is a priority for Motorsport Ireland. There is a place to race, and that is in a controlled, safe environment, whether that be a race circuit or closed road, where people can compete with proper safety systems in place,” said Mr Harper.
“Our road safety ambassadors, Aoife and William are a testimony to young people who strive to foster road safety awareness. Saturday was a great day for Motorsport Ireland as we launched these two new Ambassadors and we hope working with local authorities and civic bodies, the message ‘Keep the Race in its Place’ is promoted as we travel around the country.”
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