Michael Malone, 3 Nov
Rising Irish rally star Aoife Raftery will switch disciplines to make her
rallycross debut in the final round of the RX150 Rallycross Championship
at the weekend at Lydden Hill in Kent.
The 22-year-old Craughwell native will step into the TSL-backed
single-specification RX150 machine just days after competing in the
Cambrian Rally in Wales, the final round of the British Rally
Championship.
Raftery made her rally debut on the Nicky Grist Stages in 2021 and became
the first female to be selected to join the Motorsport Ireland Rally
Academy which she has been part of since 2022.
She has since driven a range of front-wheel-drive machinery in rallying
across Ireland, the UK, and further afield, having contested the Junior
European Rally Championship this year.
Driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 in the Czech Republic-based Barum Rally
recently, Raftery battled back from early time loss to overhaul many of
her competitors and finish as the leading female in a two-wheel-drive
machine.
She will add a new string to her bow while posing a threat to both the
regular RX150 contenders and other new drivers to the category in the
final weekend for the Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5
Nations Trophy support category.
This includes a heat race taking place after dark under floodlights on
Saturday evening, as she makes her competitive rallycross and
rear-wheel-drive debut.
“I can’t wait to compete in my first RX150 race at Lydden Hill. I’ve been
rallying over the last two years, but this will be completely new for me,”
said Raftery.
“There are a lot of new challenges but I’m ready to take them on and I’m
really looking forward to it.
“This is a great place for me to both have fun and to also work on my car
control in something that is very different to what I’m used to,
especially at a historic rallycross track like Lydden Hill.”