Galway’s Aoife Raftery is among a record-breaking 21-car entry in the opening round of the Hankook Tyres FIA Junior European Rally Championship, which gets underway in Spain this weekend.
Raftery, entering her third season in the Junior ERC – a breeding ground for future rally stars – will drive for the Hungarian Rally Team HRT Racing for 2025, where she will pilot a Peugeot 208 Rally4.
The 42nd Rally Sierra Morena – Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad, hosted in the picturesque city of Córdoba, marks the beginning of her 2025 season.
The Junior ERC championship, designed for drivers under 26, is a crucial stepping stone from national rallying to the international stage.
Raftery will also contest a programme of American rallies at the wheel of a DirtFish Subaru WRX STI. Having tested the car for the first time last month, Aoife starts her competitive Stateside journey at next month’s Olympus Rally, presented by DirtFish.
The Washington-based event marks the first outing for a DirtFish Women in Motorsport Driver as well as Aoife’s debut in as four-wheel-drive rally car.
In addition to Olympus, Aoife will contest the following ARA round (Oregon Trail Rally) as well as Regional events Tour de Forest and the Mike Nagle Rally.
