DirtFish Women in Motorsport driver Aoife Raftery doesn’t have time for jet-lag. Not when there’s another rally to be started.
In the last three weeks, it’s safe to say nobody has travelled further around the world to compete than the 25-year-old Irishwoman. She’s gone from the British Rally Championship opener in Wales to last week’s Olympus Rally in Washington, America. And now she’s in Yunnan, China to drive a Proton GEN2 on the Rally of Mille.
“I’m taking every opportunity I can get,” Raftery said. “I’ve never competed in China before, but it’s going to be a real adventure. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since Wales, but when you’ve the chance to be driving a rally car, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“The first two rallies in Wales and Olympus were fairly similar in terms of terrain and roads and, of course, I was in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 both times. This weekend I don’t know so much about what to expect from the event or the Proton or the team – let’s see what comes.
“I have a Malaysian co-driver, Sing The, who speaks fluent English. I know I’m very, very fortunate to get this opportunity – I can’t wait to see what it’s like.”
Raftery will compete in her third rally in as many weeks this weekend, driving this Proton
After scoring a five-minute class win and top-10 result overall on the Severn Valley Stages, Raftery turned in a similarly impressive performance at the Olympus Rally, running as high as fifth overall and posting fifth fastest time on the powerstage.
Her speed, with co-driver Hannah McKillop alongside, once again caught the eye of her L4WD rival, six-time American champion Travis Pastrana.
“When Aoife came over to America for the first time in Olympus last year, I could definitely see some genius in her driving,” said the Subaru driver. “And some of the stages now, I’m like, ‘wow, that was so fast!’ She’s so committed, she’s right there. When we have a great stage, she’s half a second per mile behind and I have a lot of experience on these roads – but this is her first full-time year in the series.
“She’s a phenomenal talent and I honestly think she should be driving a Rally2 car – if she was she’d definitely be battling for the overall wins.”
Talking about her progression over the last 12 months, Raftery added: “It’s been incredible over the last year. To have the support of Josie [Rimmer] and the whole DirtFish Women in Motorsport Program has been so, so important to me. And I can really feel how things are developing – every stage I’m coming off, I’m learning more and understanding more about where there’s more pace and how to unlock it.
“The roads at Olympus are so fast, but so technical, it really forces you to tidy things up and carry more speed. We’ve learned a lot in the last couple of weeks and now we’re ready for another adventure in China.”
