Aoife Raftery hopes Irish return of WRC will inspire next generation of rally drivers

Ireland last hosted the WRC in 2009 and, earlier this year, it was revealed that the WRC are in positive talks to bring a round of the rally championship season back to the Island in 2026.

Kerry, Limerick and the south-east region are expected to host the service park for what Motorsport Ireland hopes will be a full event of the World Rally Championship held in Ireland.

"To compete in a round like that would be a dream of mine. To see it coming to Ireland would be very special," said Raftery, who recently became the first female Irish driver the enter the European Championship since Rosemary Smith's exploits in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Hosting the WRC could be worth more than €100million to the local economy while it would also bring Kerry's famous scenery and hospitality to an estimated worldwide audience of 100 million people.

"I think if it comes to Ireland, it would be a great step for motorsport and I think it would really bring a lot of benefit to the local villages and towns, and probably the country is a whole, it will bring great business to restaurants, hotels, pubs and shops," she said.

Raftery, 23, grew up like most young sports people, playing camogie and soccer but her passion soon switched to motorsports.

"All my family is into motorsport and into rallying so, I used to go and watch my brother, and then I had a couple of surgeries, and I had stopped playing sports but I knew I wanted to do something," she said.

"I actually sat in the co-driver seat first. And once I did that, I really wanted to make the switch to the driver's seat, and giving me that opportunity to see how a rally is run from inside the car was kind of my starting point."

Aoife started competitive rallying in 2021 in the British Junior Rally Championship due to Covid-19 putting a stop to races in Ireland.

"We came runner-up in that. And then it led on to being selected for the Motorsport Ireland rally academy, as the only female driver so far in it," she said.

Raftery believes the sport is growing and is hoping to inspire a generation of females to get involved in rallying.

"It's great that they're slowly building up numbers in rallying and females in rallying. I was doing the junior European Rally Championship this year, and I was the only female driver in the whole championship," she said.

"But it's just important to try and promote myself and others that are getting into rallying, promote them and encourage them.

"That will allow for the next generation to see what's being done and what's possible for them as well and that will get more people in at a base level. If we have more people at base level, we can build it up to competing at higher levels in the future."

In September, Raftery was one of 15 females selected to participate in the WRC's first ever women's development program.

"It was really cool initiative. And they brought us to Poland where we were tested on fitness, mechanical, driving both gravel and tarmac, your driving ability, and our media skills," she said.

"The top-level organizations, they're trying to push the females in motorsport. So now I think everyone just needs to try and get behind us."

Raftery was not one of the three selected for a fully supported Junior World Rally Championship entry in 2025, but she is delighted for the experience so early in her career.

"Everyone's asking where I'm going, what I'm doing next year, and the main part of rallying is trying to get the support, to be able to get financial support, will help your career develop in a beneficial way.

"I'm working with brands and partners to try and get them on board for next year to get funding that will help in a big way.

"In terms of goals, I'm definitely aiming to continue at an international level, and trying to get experience in new countries as well would be a big benefit for me."

Last month, Raftery achieved a third-place finish in the Junior British Rally Championship element of the Visit Conwy Cambrian Rally.

Off the tracks as the Motorsport Ireland road safety ambassador, Raftery is trying to spread the message of keeping the race in its place, encouraging the public to drive safely on the roads.