Aoife Raftery has added two more major titles to her cabinet after securing a double championship victory at the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Michigan.
The Craughwell rally driver has now added the American LN4 Drivers’ Championship and the Pirelli Drivers’ Privateer Cup to the British Rally Championship title she secured earlier this year. Those victories capped off an outstanding rally season on both sides of the Atlantic.
Competing alongside co-driver Hannah McKillop in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, Raftery was contesting the second-tier category of the American Rally Championship. Heading into the eighth and final round of the series, which spans eight events across America over a 10-month period, she knew she needed to win her class to secure the LN4 Drivers’ Championship.
Raftery delivered when it mattered most, producing a dominant performance to win all 16 stages and take the LN4 class victory by almost five minutes. The result secured the championship by just two points after a thrilling title battle that went down to the final round.
Her success did not end there. Raftery also claimed the Pirelli Drivers’ Privateer Cup, awarded to the top privateer team overall in the championship.
The Irish crew finished an impressive fifth overall at the Lake Superior Performance Rally, with Raftery further strengthening her bid for the Privateer Cup by recording the third-fastest time on the final Power Stage. The performance earned an additional three championship points, helping secure her second American title.
