Galway-based rally driver Aoife Raftery is set to make her long-awaited return to Irish gravel rallying at this weekend's Clare Forestry Rally.
The event marks exactly 12 months since Raftery last contested a domestic gravel event and the first time she worked with co-driver Hannah McKillop.
One year on they have formed a formidable partnership in the Junior FIA European Rally Championship.
Their impressive performance in the series includes a fourth-place finish in Hungary, narrowly missing out on becoming the first female crew to finish on the podium of a Junior European Championship event.
The Clare Forest Rally will provide Raftery with an opportunity to showcase her skills against a competitive field of Irish drivers.
She will be competing against five other Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members, and some of these drivers are in contention for championship titles in either Ireland or Britain.
“It will be great to apply what we have learned on international events and see how good our pace is against the guys here, especially as they will be fighting for major championships,” said the Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver.
“It is a new event for everyone which makes it even more exciting. I am going to enjoy it all. It is going to be a lot of fun and the plan is to push and see where we are.”
Despite her preference for gravel surfaces, Raftery has also proven to be a serious competitor on tarmac.
Her victory in Class 4 at the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship-counting Ulster Rally was another 2024 season highlight.
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.
