Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Aoife Raftery secures two top-five stage times at Rali Ceredigion
Two days of drama at the FIA European Rally Championship’s newest event
Highest-placed all-female crew on the 183km rally
Aberystwyth, Wales
September 2, 2024 - Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Aoife Raftery continued her impressive form on the Hankook Tires Junior FIA European Rally Championship at Rali Ceredigion, securing two top-five stage times in the event.
This outstanding performance serves as a strong warm-up for her upcoming participation in the Beyond Rally Women's Driver Development Programme training camp in Poland.
Raftery, partnered with Hannah McKillop, navigated their Peugeot 208 Rally4 to a brace of top-five stage times, showcasing her growing talent and skill in the Welsh round of the European Rally Championship.
Her fourth-placed time in the class marked her best performance on a European Rally Championship stage, highlighting the significant progress she has made in two years of European rallying.
Having faced handling challenges on Saturday morning, Raftery and McKillop’s team made significant improvements to the car during the midday service break.
This allowed them to increase their pace dramatically in the afternoon, resulting in a strong finish for the opening day.
On Sunday, the Irish duo maintained their position and delivered two particularly impressive performances on the wet final stages.
With this strong result, Raftery heads into the Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme training camp with confidence.
Crew Notes: Aoife Raftery/ Hannah McKillop (#25 Peugeot 208 Rally4)
Fifth top ten finish for the crew in 2024 Junior European Rally Championship
Strong pace proves promising for remainder of season
Raftery said: “It has been fantastic, and we wouldn’t be here without theMotorsport Ireland Rally Academy and our other supporters. The European Rally Championship is at such a high level of competition and has brought me on so much in the last couple of years. We really enjoyed the two stages in the afternoon, and we made a very good step in the right direction. It's nice to have a good end to the rally. We did struggle a lot on Saturday, but we improved the confidence on Sunday.”
Aoife Raftery is supported by Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy | Des Lyons Plant | Kenny's Dealership Galway | O’Neill O’Malley Architects and Project Managers | Loughrea Auto Parts | Quinn Hardware | KG Motorsport | Kerry Motorsport News
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Picture Credits:
Top two pics: Action shots from Rali Ceredigion by Tom Bank Photography
Middle pic: Rali Ceredigion ceremonial start by Tom Banks Photography
Bottom pic: Aoife Raftery and Hannah McKillop by Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
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