European Rally Championship competitor Aoife Raftery had the honour of driving Craig Breen’s 2015 Circuit of Ireland Rally-winning Peugeot 208 T16 R5 at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrates the wonderful history of motorsport across all disciplines and the entry list reads like a who-is-who of automotive culture.
“The festival overall was an incredible experience,” said the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy member. “It was my first time there. To be there as a driver was quite special.”
From current to former Formula 1 World Champions to Isle of Man TT record breakers, the festival had it all. Rallying takes up a significant portion of the event and the 51-year history of the World Rally Championship was celebrated at the festival.
Invited drivers get to drive cars of significant historical importance on Goodwood’s Forest Rally Stage, which was designed by 1981 World Rally Champion Hannu Mikkola, the stage was first used during the 2005 Festival of Speed. It’s tight, challenging, and entertaining for both drivers and spectators.
The Galway-based driver is currently contesting the Hankook Tires-backed Junior FIA European Rally Championship in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 and was invited to participate in the iconic event for the first time.
She drove the recently restored Peugeot 208 T16 R5 that the late Breen, one of her all-time rallying heroes, drove to victory on the 2015 Circuit of Ireland over the four days.
“I had the honour of driving the T16 R5 Craig won the Circuit of Ireland in 2015. To drive a car with his name on the side, that meant a lot to me,” Aoife added.
“It was my first time driving in a four-wheel-drive car. It was spectacular. I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. It is quite different to the front wheel Rally4 car I’m used to.”
She also got the opportunity to co-drive for some of the biggest names in the sport.
Throughout the festival, she co-drove for Hyundai Motorsport’s Dani Sordo in a Hyundai i20 Coupe World Rally Car and Toyota Gazoo Racing’s team principal Jari-Matti Latvala in a Toyota Yaris Rally2.
“To meet so many people at the highest level of the sport and sit alongside Jari-Matti and Dani was something I couldn’t never have imagined, It was incredible,” said the Craughwell native.
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy colleague and M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver Jon Armstrong also attended the festival where he was on PR duties for Ford and Codemasters.
Aoife Raftery is supported by: Motorsport Ireland | MI Rally Academy | Women in Motorsport Ireland | Des Lyons Plant | Kenny (Peugeot) Galway | O’Neill O’Malley Architects and Project Managers | Loughrea Auto Parts | Craughwell Tyre Centre | Sean Fleming Motors | Quinn Hardware | Kerry Motorsport News
Additional support for the Goodwood Festival of Speed by Broderick Motorsport, KG Motorsport Ltd, MTEC Graphics and All Weather Covers.
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