Raftery Targets Junior ERC Campaign

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Driver Aoife Raftery Prepares for ERC Junior Campaign in Hungary

At just 23 years old, Aoife Raftery, a promising talent from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, is gearing up for the opening round of her second season in the European Rally Championship (ERC) Junior category.

For Raftery, the upcoming ERC campaign represents an opportunity to build on the experience gained during her debut season and further establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in the Junior category. With a year of competition under her belt, she approaches the new season with a deeper understanding of the challenges and demands of rallying at the international level.

The Hungarian rally presents a unique set of challenges, with its mix of fast gravel roads, tight twists, and technical sections testing the abilities of even the most seasoned competitors. Raftery embraces the opportunity to tackle these challenges head-on, drawing on her determination and resilience to push herself to the limit.

Raftery: “We aim to bring everything that we learned in 2023 into this season and keep improving from last year. There is only one event that carries into this year – Sweden. I think that is going to be really exciting and a good thing that all drivers will be starting off on a clean sheet in the juniors.”

This season’s FIA Junior ERC champion will get a gilt-edged opportunity to showcase their talent at global level following confirmation of the championship’s standout prize drive for 2025. Whoever comes out on top of the Hankook-equipped category for Rally4 or Rally5 category cars in 2024 will secure a season in the FIA Junior WRC Championship next year.

Iain Campbell, the ERC championship manager, said: “Junior ERC is not just about giving young talents, in their first or second season of international competition, the opportunity to learn and develop in a highly competitive environment. But it’s also about providing a clear incentive to choose Junior ERC in the first place and the Junior WRC prize drive is that and more. We are very pleased to be partnering with the FIA, M-Sport Poland and Hankook in providing this fantastic career boost.”

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