There was heartbreak for Aoife Raftery Rally Terra Sarda in Italy on Sunday morning.
The Sardinian Rally was the fifth and penultimate event of the 2024 Tour European Rally championship and marked Raftery’s debut at the wheel of a Renault Clio Rally5.
The Galway-based driver received a last-minute invite to contest the event last week.
Driving a Renault Clio Rally5 alongside Swedish co-driver Ida Lidebjer-Granberg, Raftery held second place in the Rally5 class after the first day of competition.
Raftery, a member of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, set the fastest time in the Rally5 class on the penultimate stage of Saturday's action. This put her in a strong position heading into Sunday's final six stages.
Despite the cancellation of the final stage on Saturday, Raftery held provisional second position in the Rally5 class and was just 9.6 seconds behind Croatian driver Karlo Pelicar.
However, Raftery and Lidebjer-Granberg were left bitterly disappointed when their car failed the start in Parc Ferme on Sunday morning and they were left on the sidelines.
“I am very thankful for the experience and a massive thank you to the organisers for having me,” she said.
“Sardegna was a lovely place and we enjoyed this event and the stages. We had a strong first day learning the Renault Clio Rally5, and it was unfortunate not to get out on Sunday to push. We felt like we were really getting to grips with the car. Thanks to Ida on the notes and Baldon Rally team for service.”
Aoife Raftery is supported by Des Lyons Plant | Kenny (Peugeot) Galway | O’Neill O’Malley Architects and Project Managers | Loughrea Auto Parts | Quinn Hardware | KG Motorsport | Kerry Motorsport News.
