Aoife Raftery made Irish rally history when she became the first Irish driver to compete in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.
Supported by Opel Ireland, the Craughwell-based driver tackled the ADAC Saarland-Pfalz Rally in Germany on August 15–16, partnered by regular co-driver Hannah McKillop from Antrim.
Raftery, who also competes in the Junior FIA European Rally Championship with McKillop, contested the fourth round of the all-electric Opel Corsa-e Rally Car on Friday and Saturday.
It was only her second rally in the championship and her first time competing on former World Rally Championship stages.
Despite limited experience in both the car and the series, Raftery impressed with eighth place overall, sixth in the junior category, and ahead of women rivals Thrysa Eertmans and Justine Demeestere from Belgium, who finished 12th.
Reflecting on the result, Raftery said the support of Opel Ireland made the achievement possible:
“I was delighted to have Opel Ireland on board with me for this event. The Opel Corsa-e Rally Car is fantastic. I really enjoyed getting the feel of it again. We did a test before the rally, built up more experience, and carried that into the weekend. The grip levels are incredible, and the car feels really planted to the ground, which lets you carry so much speed into the corners. It’s very different compared to the combustion-engine cars I usually drive, but still just as competitive.”
Raftery explained that competing in the Cup felt like being part of something bigger:
“It’s a great championship. The rest of the competitors are very fast and experienced, so we really had to push to see where we stood against them. Everything is well organised, and everyone has the same car, which makes it very fair. It was fantastic to work with Opel at this level.”
The ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, launched in 2021, is the world’s first electric one-make rally series. Using the near-standard 100 kW (136 hp) Corsa Rally Electric, the championship has grown steadily, attracting drivers from across Europe.
