Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Aoife Raftery will be a special guest at Munster Technological University (MTU) in Tralee on Monday, November 4.
The event is timed to coincide with The Rose Hotel Kerry Winter Rally which takes place on Sunday. The event’s service park is based at MTU for the first time. Earlier this year MTU’s North Campus in Tralee was selected as one of three locations to host the potential return of the World Rally Championship to Ireland.
Sunday’s rally and Monday’s guest lectures are all part of an extended collaboration between Kerry Motor Club and MTU management as efforts continue to potentially bring the WRC to Tralee.
Raftery, the first and only female driver in the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, will share her experiences in the Junior FIA European Rally Championship – a series just one step below the World Rally Championship (WRC).
The Craughwell, County Galway-based driver’s recent third-place finish on the Junior British Rally Championship element of the Cambrian Rally in Wales underscores her growing international reputation as a driver to watch.
The visit to MTU offers a unique opportunity for students to learn from a top-level athlete as Raftery’s skills align with the university’s three schools.
“I’m really excited to be talking to the students at the MTU about rallying and what’s involved mechanically and technically behind the scenes,” she said.
“A lot of work goes into the engineering side rallying and I’m looking forward to being able to give an insight to the students what’s involved.”
Students from the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will hear about Raftery’s understanding of engineering, data analysis, and how mechanical knowledge is crucial to her success.
On events, she works closely with teams of engineers from PCRS Rallysport and Broderick Motorsport to optimise her Peugeot 208 Rally4’s performance.
The logistical challenges of international rallying, including event management and business acumen will be of special interest to students from the School of Business, Computing and Humanities.
Sports science, fitness, and nutrition are integral to Raftery’s daily routine, making her an ideal role model for students in the School of Health and Social Sciences.
Anne Looney, External Services Manager at MTU said: “We are delighted to welcome Aoife to MTU and appreciate her time in delivering this guest lecture. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear from a professional driver on all the aspects involved in motorsport, from data analytics to engineering and event management, and physical fitness and sports psychology, all of which closely align with our course provision.”
On the day, Raftery will engage with students through a series of lunchtime talks and she will also participate in a photo opportunity at the Kerry Sports Academy in the mid-afternoon.
Raftery will also visit the University’s virtual reality suite where she will be introduced to the school’s road safety demonstrator.
Raftery serves as a road safety ambassador for Motorsport Ireland and the Road Safety Authority and is a champion of the sport’s “Keep the Race In Its Place’ slogan.
Her 2024 season has been marked by impressive performances, including a fourth-place finish in Rally Hungary and strong showings in the Rally Islas Canarias, Rally Latvia, and the Royal Rally of Scandinavia in Sweden. On the home front, she enjoyed a class win on the Ulster Rally in August.
Ahead of Sunday’s rally, clerk of the course Sean Hegarty said he was looking forward to bringing a new element to the already popular end-of-season event.
He said: “I’m just delighted to be welcoming Aoife to Tralee for The Rose Hotel Kerry Winter Stages Rally. And we’re looking forward to hearing about her journey with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, and her experiences in the Junior FIA European Rally Championship.”
Aoife Raftery is supported by Broderick Motorsport | Des Lyons Plant | Kenny (Peugeot) Galway | O’Neill O’Malley Architects and Project Managers | Loughrea Auto Parts | Quinn Hardware | KG Motorsport | Lateralus B | Kerry Motorsport News.