Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Aoife Raftery will be a special guest speaker at the Munster Technological University in Tralee on Monday, November 4.
The event is timed to coincide with the Rose Hotel Kerry Winter Rally which takes place on Sunday and the rally 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 and 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 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.
The Craughwell, Co 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 of 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. The star driver will also visit the University’s virtual reality suite where she will be introduced to the school’s road safety demonstrator.
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.
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