Racing for the Girls Watching: Aoife Raftery on Rally, STEM, and Building a Sport Worth Joining
Be Differential
Racing for the Girls Watching: Aoife Raftery on Rally, STEM, and Building a Sport Worth Joining
Be Differential · Jul 21, 2026
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Term
co-driver and driver relationship
Rally is a two-person job: the co-driver talks to the driver during the run. The driver has to trust those calls, because they guide what to do next at high speed.
Term
pace notes
Pace notes are like a detailed “road map” for the next turns. A co-driver reads them out so the driver knows what’s coming and can react quickly.
Term
snow
Snow is one of the toughest rally surfaces because tires have much less grip. Drivers have to slow down and steer/brake carefully to avoid losing control.
Term
tarmac
Tarmac just means a paved road surface. In rallying, paved roads grip differently than gravel, so the car setup and driving style have to change.
Term
gravel
Gravel is loose, rocky road surface. It’s usually harder to grip than pavement, so drivers have to be more careful and the car setup matters a lot.
Term
rally care
This sounds like the co-driver’s job in rallying. While the driver focuses on steering and throttle, the co-driver reads the pace notes so the driver knows what’s coming next.
Term
test with the team
This is an early practice session with the crew. The idea is to make sure the car feels right and is set up for the roads before the timed racing starts.
Term
stages
Stages are the separate timed parts of a rally. Each one can feel different, so the team may change how the car is set up for better grip and control.
Term
rally weekend
A rally weekend is the whole event where the car competes on multiple timed sections. It’s not just one race run—it’s several stages across a few days.
Term
recce
Recce is the pre-race “walkthrough” of the route. It helps the driver and co-driver write the notes that describe what the road will do during the actual timed runs.
Term
tire changes
A tire change is when the team swaps the rally tires during the event. Rally tires can get beat up quickly, so teams practice doing it fast between stages to avoid losing time.
Term
service
Service is the rally team’s scheduled pit area where they can do bigger fixes and adjustments. It’s the place you go when the car needs more than quick help between stages.
Term
left foot braking
It means you press the brake with your left foot instead of your right. Rally drivers do this because it can help them control the car more precisely on slippery surfaces while still being able to manage the gas smoothly.
Term
weight transfer
Weight transfer is when the car’s weight shifts to different wheels when you brake or turn. That changes how much grip each tire has, which is a big deal in rally driving.
Term
four wheel drive
Four wheel drive sends power to all four wheels. That usually helps the car grip better on slippery rally roads, but it can feel very different to drive than a two-wheel-drive car.
Topic
Olympus Rally
Olympus rally is the rally event they’re talking about. It’s used to explain what it felt like to make a big jump into four-wheel drive for the first time.
Term
all wheel
“All wheel” is a common shorthand for all-wheel drive behavior, where traction is managed across multiple wheels rather than just one axle. In rally context, it’s part of the shift from two-wheel drive to a system that can better handle changing grip.
Term
front wheel drive
Front wheel drive means the front wheels do the work of moving the car. Switching from that to four-wheel drive can feel very different, especially on slippery rally surfaces.
Term
FIA modulated rally three
This is a specific kind of rally car class that’s governed by FIA rules. The guest is saying that in Europe/Ireland, they’re more used to certain 4WD rally car types than they were in the US event.
Term
flat
In rally pace-note language, “flat” means taking a corner at full throttle with minimal lift or braking. It’s a speed/commitment call that depends on traction and how the car’s weight and grip behave through the turn.
Term
line develops
The “line develops” means the best route through the turns gets better as more cars drive the stage. On gravel, that can make the second run feel grippier and more predictable.
Concept
rallying
Rallying is a type of racing where cars drive through a course made of timed sections. The roads can be different surfaces, and the team has to work together to get through each section quickly and safely.
Concept
co-driving the route
Rally has two people in the car: the driver and the co-driver. The co-driver helps by reading instructions about turns and timing so the driver knows what’s coming next.
Term
Road Safety Ambassador
A “Road Safety Ambassador” is a public-facing role focused on promoting safer driving behavior and awareness. In this context, the guest says she took the role from motor sport Ireland to connect motorsport culture with responsibility on public roads.
LIVE
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to this week's episode of the Be Differential podcast.
I'm your host, Ava Gregory, and this week we are joined by Dirtfish, women in motorsport
driver, Itha Raftery.
Welcome to this week's episode.
Hi, Ava, how's it going?
Thank you so much for having me on.
It's incredible to be here.
I'm so excited to have this conversation.
I was able to listen to you speak a little bit at the Dirtfish Women in Motorsports
Summit last year, so I'm really looking forward to dive in a bit deeper.
Why don't, before we do that, will you just give the listeners a little high level about who you are?
Yeah, of course.
So my name is Itha Raftery.
I'm from the west coast of Ireland in a place called Galway.
I'm 25 years old, and I currently compete in the American Rally Championship, and it's my
first full season to do so over in the US.
And then previous to that, I was rallying in the European Rally Championship.
I've competed in the British Championship and as well in both gravel and tarmac events in Ireland.
So over the past few years, I've built up experience in many different places and
have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
Well, learning about your resume has been truly inspiring and incredible.
And I'm like, oh my god, I should have done so much more by the time I was 25.
But that said, growing up in Galway, what was the spark that really got you interested in rallying?
Maybe this is naive, but I don't imagine that was a very, very prominent rally area.
So how did you get introduced to the space?
Yeah, I suppose I was very lucky that I came from a motorsport background.
My dad used to rally and then I never really like it was when my brother was competing,
I used to go to all of his events and I used to watch him.
They both used to just compete in Ireland and my brother did some events in the UK, but
it was all quite local and I suppose rallying is a very, very rich country in terms of like
the passion for motorsports and we've a lot of people that are invested in the sport that compete.
So especially tarmac rallying in Ireland is very, very popular.
But yeah, it's always been kind of, this was part of my growing up, let's say.
Even though when I was younger, it's not that I didn't have any interest.
I just didn't think that it was something that I would do.
So I used to play soccer and I used to play another Irish sport called Kamogi
all the way up till I was 18.
And then I actually co-drove in a rally first and that's kind of how
I got more involved in actually competing in the sport and after a few events, co-driving.
I was watching what the driver was doing and I was looking thinking,
I could definitely give that a go.
So that's how I initially got into rallying myself.
And then we just bought a cheap rally car to start off with, see how I liked it
and to see how it got on and developed.
And yeah, ever since that, it's just escalated thankfully.
And yeah, now we're competing over in the US with Dirtfish.
It's incredible. It really is.
And I'm going to ask you a question that maybe you just shared or answered a little bit,
but you mentioned previously in some other responses that you never initially saw rallying
as an actual career path for you.
So was it joining as a co-driver?
Was that the moment that there was a shift that you decided to explore that as something more
seriously or was there a different moment when that passion to pursuit actually came to fruition?
No, it didn't come when I was co-driving.
That was just kind of, I think, something, I'm a very competitive person.
And the reason I stopped my other sports was due to injuries.
So I got on the co-driver seat.
And no, I didn't see it as something that I was going to pursue.
I just did it because I didn't know it was to try something new and give it a go when I really enjoyed it.
But when I got into the driver seat, like I'm naturally such a competitive person
that from the very first rally I ever did,
I tried to prepare as best as I could.
I tried to do as much homework and to have the best result that I could.
Like I've learned so much over the years that my preparation now today would be a lot more than it was then.
But for all I knew, I tried to give it my best shot.
And I think every rally I've done, I could say that I've really tried my best in terms of
preparation and the effort that goes in now.
I know that can always improve every rally.
So that's still, you know, it's always working on that.
But yeah, I don't know.
I think it's not something I considered at the beginning.
I was just doing it for fun and I enjoyed it.
But I suppose when you kind of get more experience and you get more opportunities and
I think, you know, in 2022, I got selected as the first Irish driver into the Motorsport
Ireland Rally Academy.
And that was probably a big stepping stone into let's see how far I can take rallying.
And, you know, now definitely it's, you know, my only goal is to be rallying.
But yeah, I think at the beginning it was, I just didn't see it like that.
Probably just took me a bit of time.
And as I said, the more events I did, the more and more I got involved in it.
No, I love that.
I mean, definitely the more exposure you have, the more skin in the game you get,
the more committed you are to it.
So I want to dive into some of the technicalities of rallying in a moment.
But first, I really, I think that rally driving requires like almost an irrational level of
commitment to uncertainty, right?
Like you are constantly, you don't necessarily know what's next.
The notes that you have could be very limited.
How do you make peace with that mentally?
Especially when you were starting out and it was something where there already was a level
of uncertainty coming into it.
Yeah, it's probably quite difficult, especially a sport to understand when you're not involved
and then you're looking from the outside because as you said, it looks like there's a lot of uncertainty.
But as a driver and with my co-driver, especially Hannah, who suits with me a lot,
we've done so much work on our pace notes.
So our pace notes is what guides us through the stage from the start to the finish
in to try and do it as fast as we can.
So before the rally starts in the recce, the process is that I will describe the road
to Hannah, my co-driver in as little words as possible.
And she'll write that down, we'll check them.
And then that's what we use in the rally.
So she calls them back to me and I'm listening to that.
And it creates like a movie in my head that I'm able to respond to and react using the care.
So in terms of uncertainty, yes, maybe a rock is pulled out from a corner that we can't see
or maybe there's a lot of elements that we can't control involved in rallying,
but that's what makes it so exciting.
And that's also what makes the teamwork so important is the co-driver and driver relationship
that I can trust what my co-driver is going to call to me.
And she trusts me as well, of course, and to be able to drive to it and keep it on the road.
So, yeah, it's a big challenge.
I don't think many people realize the importance of the relationship within the car
and how much we trust each other.
But yeah, it's a very unique sport that you're always driving.
Like it's such a fine line, I suppose, from trying to be committed and have a good stage times to,
you know, having an accident.
Yeah, I can only imagine.
I love that in that response, you mentioned the importance of pace notes
and just kind of in some of my research leading into this,
you've pinpointed pace notes and specifically left foot braking as key areas of improvement
early in your career.
For those listening who maybe are not as familiar with rally or what goes into becoming a rally
driver, can you maybe break down what the craft actually looks like day to day?
Yeah, so the elements that make up rallying would be your pace notes as one you're driving.
Rallying is mixed into, we have three different types of surfaces that you can rally on,
which is gravel, tarmac, and snow.
Now, I haven't done much snow rallying, but between gravel and tarmac I've done quite a bit.
And so, yeah, the elements that make that up pace notes being one of the most important ones
is something that I can practice in my own head every day when I'm driving the roads.
I can describe the road.
And that's just practice and it just comes because it comes so natural when you do it so much.
But that's the most important role in the rally care is the more accurate you have your notes
and the more you can trust them, the quicker you can drive to it.
As well as that rally weekends, so to describe a rally week, let's say for example,
I'll fly myself and Hanoi both from Ireland, so we'll fly over to the U.S.
and we might land on a Monday or Tuesday.
And the first thing we normally do is we do a test with the team.
So we're running with elements rally sports and they go to the test with the rally care
that will drive in the event and we'll do a test because every area we go to has different
style of roads and we need to set up the car in preparation for the style of roads in that
certain area. So some roads might have better grip, some roads might have a lot more jumps,
some might be a lot more technical. So there's a lot of changes that we'll do with the team
to the car to make it perform better in those particular style of stages.
So that's what we do normally in the first day and then as I said, we go and we do the
recce and that's where I describe the notes and Hanoi takes him down and then we then get
into the rally weekend. But because it's such a long week, your fitness both physically and
mentally is a very, very strong and important role within the sport. And maybe sometimes
overlooked, but I think now it's becoming a lot more, I suppose, important to everybody that's
now competing in the sport. They see it. So in rallying, of course, within any motor sport, if
you drop your concentration for even half a second, that means, you know, you're either lucky,
even if you just lost some time or else it's going to lead to an accident. So both of those
elements is things we train every day as well, just to be as fit as we can on the car. Because
as well as that, you know, we've got quite intense heat in the car, the focus, it's a long weekend
of very high concentration in, I suppose, challenging conditions. So it's all important.
And then what else do we need to practice? So we'll also be able to do practice tire changes.
We need to be able to work on the car in cases, any problems in between the stages.
So we have a basic mechanical knowledge as well of the car, which all these things,
if you're having difficulties makes, helps you get through it and maybe back to service
then where the team can do the full repairs on the car. Yeah, no, absolutely. I think that there are
a lot of unique parts of rally that are not relatable to other disciplines of motorsport.
And coming in to have some of that mechanical understanding, other disciplines, some folks
are able to just arrive and drive, which is incredible, right? Like they may not be familiar
with the car, they just leave that up to the team and then to get in and do it. And then to have the
familiarity that you do and that you train for, I can only imagine that intimacy with the car
itself improves your performance also. And I just, I want to go back really quick to this left foot
braking that was mentioned a moment ago because I did the dirt fish rally school for the first
time last year. And having, I am someone that drives manual cars, I've done asphalt, you know,
car track days, whatever it is, and getting on gravel and then using left foot braking is
insane. Like at what point is this just at this point, like, okay, we've had enough practice that
it's just muscle memory or was that something that you really, really had to like dive in and
improve skill set? Because that was a huge adjustment for my short experience with rally.
Yeah, I can see how would be a big adjustment. And I forget about it because it's now so natural
for me when I'm driving that I don't even consider it. But yes, left foot braking,
I suppose, when I first started, when I was driving like my road cars, I used to brake with
my right foot, I was driving a manual car. So it took, to be honest with you, I think it took
like one test session where at the very beginning of my rallying where I just focused on left foot
braking. And that was, I think that was after my first rally. So going into my second one, I had
us, you know, was doing it from there on. And yeah, made a massive difference. It's, you know,
it's a big challenge at the beginning. And it's quite different because you're not used to the
feel and the pressure in your left foot. But yeah, it makes driving, it makes your life a lot
easier when you're able to do it. You're able to control the car a lot better.
You can stabilize the car with it, you can get it to turn in better if it's not on tight corners.
And then of course, you're not having to take your foot off the throttle as well,
which always helps. So yeah, it's a technique that if practiced well, it's really, really useful,
especially on the gravel. No, understandable. Yeah, experiencing the weight transfer with left
foot braking was such a different feeling than what I had had before. So I can imagine
where the benefit is to that. So, okay, we've talked about preparation a little bit. I would
love to talk about some of your racing experience. And they're just for the listener, there may be
some inaccuracies here because my prep is all what's online. But from what I understand,
the Olympus rally was your first ever time competing in a four wheel drive car on a rally.
What does it feel like when you're doing something for the very first time at that scale? I mean,
Olympus rally is no joke. And to go from two wheel to all wheel, that's an incredible switch.
Was that something that was very exciting or was that just like, hey, we kind of have to manage
a little bit of fear here? It was funny about the Olympus rally and our first time in four wheel
drive was that we came straight off a European rally event straight over to the US. So we came
from front wheel drive on tarmac in Spain the weekend before to Olympus rally, first time ever
in four wheel drive on gravel. And not only was it just switching to four wheel drive, but we
were switching to a Subaru. And in Europe and Ireland, we don't really beat them cars anymore.
We'd be more, there'd be more, a lot more FIA modulated rally three, rally two cars,
which are four wheel drive. So not only was it the switch to four wheel drive, but the weight
of the car was something that I was not used to. And I think that surprised me more than the
four wheel drive. It was definitely big. It was a lovely change to go to four wheel drive because
it was a lot more fun, of course. But I wasn't expecting how fast it was going to be, nor was
I expecting the weight of the car. So when I would come out of corners on throttle, I was arriving
to the next corner so much quicker than I had expected to. And this also then had an effect
on my pace notes because I was calling certain notes flat that I would have previously experienced
that would have been flat. But with the Subaru having the speed built up so much quicker and the
weight of the car in the corners, you couldn't take them flat. So that was probably the biggest
challenge. But that was, yeah, that was an incredible experience. It was first rally in the US,
first rally with dirtfish. It was a new team, new co-driver. It was a really big challenge, but
it kind of, I think, was the launch into now what we're doing in terms of competing in the US.
And it was very, very exciting for me to come to a new country and face a lot of new challenges.
Well, face new challenges and just start dominating, can I say? I mean,
Ifa, in the space of a year, you went from never having competed in the US to scoring three podiums
in four starts. And this included third overall in rally three. So I mean, talk to us. You had some
European experiences leading into this. How do American stages feel different? And kind of,
is there a clear comparison between US and European rallies?
And in terms of the stages, the US stages are incredibly smooth gravel stages.
The roads are incredible, and they don't get rough like they do in Europe. So the line
develops in it with all the cars that go through and you get better grip on the second pass over
the stage, because as I said, you have better grip. But in Europe, when I would come around
the second pass, a lot of the stages would be so cut up and so rough, like so physically
hard on a car compared to the US. So that's probably the main difference. But then again,
also in Europe, we have tarmac as well. So that wouldn't be any relevance to the US.
In terms of, I suppose, the, how would you describe it, like the people, the organization,
you have your differences. But it's not that one is better than the other, it's just as different.
Which is also a really nice part of the sport. I found, you know, competing in,
in the European Championship, I was competing in for the past couple of years. It was the highest
level of rally drivers, young rally drivers in the world, because there was a stepping stone into
the Junior World Rally Championship. And because I cost so much money, there was such a volume of
fast-paced drivers in the European Championship that I was competing with. So it really brought me
on as a driver, forced me to be quicker, forced me to carry the speed. So there. But then, you
meet so many fantastic people, great stages, great competition, the organization of any rally
I've been to so far has been, you know, top level. So it's got its own differences, but it's still
fantastic, both whether it's in the US or Europe. It's cool to be able to have those experiences
across different communities, different physical locations, and kind of experiencing just the
organizations as a whole. I think even in different disciplines of mid-air sport,
there are clear distinctions between US and other countries anywhere else. So it's just
really cool to be able to carry that with you. As we're, you know, kind of introducing, you're a
dirtfish woman in mid-air sport, and you were one of only two drivers selected globally for this
dirtfish inaugural women in mid-air sport driver program. What does it mean to be a part of something
that is, one, genuinely historic? And what do you think it does to help open up things for other
people? Yeah, it's, I can't emphasize enough how incredible the work that Josie Rimmer and the
dirtfish women in motor sport program has had not only on the, like impacting me and what I'm doing
and rallying, but I can already see the, I suppose, progression and what it stands for
within the US and back at home in Ireland across Europe. It's recognition and the way it's showing
to young kids, especially in the US when you've got a park expose, and you have young girls coming
up and asking, you know, how do I get into rallying? How do I start in motor sports? You know, and
it's just incredible that to see that firsthand, the experience and impact it's having on young
kids. But yeah, as I said, Josie's belief in me from the very beginning has been, has made such a
difference to, I suppose, the confidence that I've had coming over to the US, coming, driving in new
teams, and she's had the faith, the confidence to meet, and that's made a massive difference.
The program, you know, has been, began in 2025 with myself and Michelle Abadi. And to be, I suppose,
yeah, as you said, one of the first drivers selected is incredible. And it's a massive
opportunity that we as a team are trying to make the very most of and trying to progress.
And not only are we just going to rallies to compete, but to show to everyone that, yes,
we can be on the podium. Yes, we're competitive. And that's so important as well. I think not
just to be there, but to show that we can win, we can fight for it. So, yeah, it's been so impactful.
And this year again, we're there last year at the Dirtfest Women in Motor Sports Summit.
And it's such an incredible event. You know, the amount of people that tuned in online and
attended the event in person last year was absolutely incredible. With some amazing speakers
like Claire Williams and Lea Block, it was like, you know, to get their stories and hear about their,
how they got involved in the sport and to hear their history is so inspiring. And I think,
you know, even this year now is going to be more exciting having multiple workshops and
getting young girls hands on. And that's what it's all about is trying to get more and more into the
sports. Now, absolutely, the visibility that you guys are creating is one incredible in itself.
The summit is making waves in so many ways, you know, having attended last year and just being
witness to the clear energy, the community, it's definitely making an impact. And I love,
you made a call out of not only are we here and competing, but we're making podiums. We're
able to show up and prove that we're competitive. And I think that that's a really important call
out because for a lot of motor sport or broader automotive kind of conversation and discord
around women entering the space, we do want to see increased visibility, but we also want to show
that it's because we deserve to be here and we're competitive in that space. It's not just
an inclusion thing. It's no, like this is, you want to see best of the best. That's across
everyone. So I think that that's important. And I'll also just take a moment to call out tangent.
You know, you shared Josie Rimmer and she's been on the podcast before. She is such a clear
advocate and champion for so many underrepresented groups coming into motorsport and specifically
rally. And I just, there are not enough good words to say about Josie and what she's doing for
this space. So I appreciate that. No, as we're looking at some of the other kind of accolades
that you've been able to add to your belt, you were selected into the top 15 of the FIA Beyond
Rally Women's talent spotting program, which is a very long name, but that's such a huge
accomplishment. What did you, what did going through that process really teach you about
yourself as a competitor? Yeah, it was really cool to be selected as that to represent Ireland.
Um, I suppose at a world level, which was my first, I've been representing Ireland in the
European Rally Championship before that and, um, yeah, supposed to be recognized with it. It was,
first of all, an achievement. And then to go to Poland and we went through, um, multiple processes,
which was really interesting to learn. And it was my first experience of anything like that.
So, you know, we worked on, um, fitness, we worked on media interviews. That was a big one.
And we worked on mechanics of the care. And then, of course, our driving as well. So
it was, um, really, really interesting to see how a selection process like that is run. Um,
it was an incredible opportunity that we, that 15 women from across the world, uh, got the
opportunity to all meet together in Poland and go through this. It was, um, fantastic. And, um,
yeah, I suppose, as I said, nothing I'd done before, but I learned so much from it and talked
so much from it that, um, I was able to, I suppose, implement into my events, my planning, my preparation
going forward. Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, you know, through that experience, I can only imagine
the kind of pathway that you've created for other people to see. And having just talked about some
advocacy leading into this, I think that you're really out of crux of bridging two worlds, right?
You're an elite athlete, athlete, and you're also an advocate for bringing more people into
the space and for STEM programs specifically. Do you think that those two identities ever feel
kind of tension with each other? Or do you think that they really are reinforcing the message that
you represent? Yeah, I think it's, they're more reinforcing the message. And I think it's important
to try and get that message out there to more people and to make awareness of it.
The opportunity and the position I'm in now has come with a lot of hard work. And I'm very thankful
for it, but I think that needs to be more of a doorway and more of a pathway for girls coming
into the sport that want to get to the higher levels of it. When we involve STEM, we're not only
looking at drivers, but we're looking at mechanics that want to become involved. We're looking at
engineers who are looking at the data. Like I've never come across yet a female engineer in rallying.
Like, and there's no reason why not, but I just haven't seen it. So I think it's so important
that like introducing STEM to young girls, to women and making them realize the relationship
within motorsport is so important. And yeah, I've done a few talks to, you would call them high
school girls here in LA, we call them secondary school. So I've done STEM talks to try and
show the importance of if you don't want to be a driver or a co driver, but you want to be involved
in motorsport because that's what your interest is in. There are so many different routes to go
down to get a career through STEM. Yeah, absolutely. So that kind of leads me. I have two questions and
the first would be what is something that you would encourage these STEM organizations or maybe
the community to do to increase the visibility for younger groups or underrepresented groups coming
in? I think hosting open events where maybe you invite high schoolers to, you know, within
different areas and hosting an event where you invite high school. I think it's the target age
that we need to look at is girls in the teenage years to try and get them together, bring them into
a open workshop where there's different workshops that you can go around to. And there's people
there from, there's women there from different backgrounds that can explain, that can show
these young girls what is possible when they, you know, when you see it, you can believe it. So if they
see a female engineer that's involved in motorsport telling them what she does, how important her
role is for drivers to find tens of seconds to ultimately win a race, but to show the young
girls what's possible through that. I think it's so important that we show, we represent what is
possible and to try and not force anything down on them on any girls, but to show them the opportunities
that's there with us. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. So then the opposite side of that question is as a
advocate yourself, what is one piece of advice that you would have for students who are interested
in getting more involved in rally? I always say to try and reach out to any local motor clubs,
which is in Ireland, which in the US might be reaching out to any local events that's happening.
The best way I find is always to maybe volunteer at first, because it gives you an introduction to
the sport and to the people without any pressure. And it's so important just to kind of get your
basic grips of what rallying is and understanding it. And once you're in, you meet more people,
you get more opportunities, and then you can build it from there and see, is it co-driving the route
you want to go to as a mechanic? What is it in rallying that actually is attracting you towards
the sport? And then I find, of course, everybody within the sport and that's involved are always
very, very helpful, which is one of the great side effects of rallying. We're not, you know,
we don't hold back. So we try and help each other out as best as we can. And that's the same for any
newcomers as well. I love that piece of advice. And I think it's so true, even just from the few
examples I've seen, the rally community is unmatched in collaboration and support. And of course,
you know, you're competing to a certain extent against each other, of course, but it's really,
hey, how can we all cross the finish line? So I absolutely love that. From what I've kind of
learned as well, you serve as the Middlersport Ireland Road Safety Ambassador, promoting Keep
the Race in its Place. How do you personally think about the relationship between speed as a sport
and then responsibility on public roads? Yeah, it's very impressed with your homework.
Yeah, it was a very important role that I took on from motor sport Ireland to be the Road Safety
Ambassador. Because, yes, we are all in this sport because we love speed and we love, I
suppose, being competitive. But there's a place in a time frame, I think it's so important that we
show and, you know, I suppose lead by representing that keeping the race in its place means within
the stages. You know, if it's track racing, you like that it's done when the clock's on going
around on the competitive stage. But outside of that, you have to be so aware of surroundings and
take into consideration, you know, all the different... One good thing about rallying is there's so
many things you have to focus on and try and work out maybe what you haven't planned for in normal
day-to-day life. We need to carry that over as well and be mindful of what else is happening on the
road. But yeah, it's an incredibly important role and we do my best to try and encourage just younger
people, everybody, to keep the racing in the rally. No, it's so true and so valid. I think back to
some of my previous work experiences and it's so easy when you leave a racetrack or a go-kart track
to get in the car and still feel like you're on a racetrack. And I think having that, you know,
moment of pause and keeping being cognizant of safety and other folks on the road and that it
isn't, you know, under the same regulation. So, yeah, I think it's an important mission and I
definitely wanted to include it in the call-out of its significance. As we're going down my research
here, the Rosemary Smith Award was named for Ireland's most celebrated female driver. Can you,
first of all, tell us a little bit more about that award, what it means to you and the fact that you
received it. I mean, that's an incredible accomplishment and honor to receive. What did it make you
want to do next when that was kind of given to you? Yeah, I think it made me want to be able to
represent women in motorsport the way Rosemary Smith had done previous to that. She had represented
Ireland and women at such a high level in rallying and I had met her a couple of times
previous years and she's always an incredible person to have a chat with and, yeah, unfortunately,
she's passed away since, but to be the first person to win that award was very, very special and
it, I suppose, really made me want to kind of leave the impact that she had left for
for all women competing in motorsport, not just in rallying and not just in girls, but everybody.
So, yeah, I think that was the most impactful thing that came from that award. It was, of course,
lovely to receive it, but to have the focus and the goal to try and make
such an impact on future generations as well and keep showing what's possible within the
sport of rallying. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I mean, with no doubt, you are trailblazing and you are
advocating and you are being that example for so many people and I think you embody what my research,
at least, of that award shows that it represents. So, I am also, you know, kind of leading up to
this, just keeping up with dirtfish and their communications and media out recently. You've
said that you've been smiling for weeks and lead up to some of the recent rallies and this is such a
demanding sport. I think that it requires so much mental prep as much as it does physical.
How do you protect that joy and keep it from getting buried under the, you know, pressure
and expectation that you have? It feels like, at least as a witness, you're carrying a lot and
that's something that you have so much life and so much clear, just light that comes out of you and
I just, I'm curious how you, you know, maintain that joy while you're balancing some heavy
expectations. Yeah, well, I suppose the one way to look at it is that I'm getting to do what I love
most. So, I feel very privileged and very lucky to get the opportunity. So, I really do try to
enjoy it as much as I can while I'm in the sport, while I'm doing it on the lead up to it because,
as I said, and I mean it, I would be smiling for weeks coming up to rallies and if it goes well,
of course, smiling after, but yeah, it does come with a lot of, I suppose, pressure and expectations
because mainly for myself as well, I want to perform and I always want to have a good result
and I always know that there's more and that we can always be better. So, you see one side of it
where we're really enjoying it, but yes, there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to
make it happen and a lot of, a lot of pressure, but to be able to stay clear, mind clear, focused.
And once I have the homework done before the rally and during the event, I'm able to enjoy it a lot
more knowing that I've put the hard work in and now it's time to enjoy it. That's exactly right.
Well, as we're closing out here, if I'll ask, what does the rest of this year look like for you
from a rally perspective, from dirtfish, women in motorsport? What kind of, what are we looking
ahead to? Yeah, it's, so only halfway through our American rally championship. So next up is actually
the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. We're going to be there as well and representing dirtfish
and then straight after that, we go to Colorado for our next round and yeah, we'll be back over a
few more times for the rest of the year for the, for the US rally championship. And then in August,
we'll be back over for the dirtfish women in motorsport summit. So it's going to be a busy
season. And yeah, and as I said, we're only halfway there. So we have a lot more podiums to try and
get this year. I love that. Well, two more questions and one that's a little bit of a loaded
question, but I've been asking a lot of drivers recently. What is your idea of success? I think
that in this industry, especially from the driver perspective, you know, podiums are a clear metric
of that. But what is a win for you? I have this conversation quite a bit is not always about
the end result, but about your performance as well and making sure you have a good performance.
So there's definitely one element of it. But in reality, you have to have the good result as well.
So even if you do have the good, I suppose, good event, but the result doesn't show it.
You can know yourself that you've maybe had good pace and strong, but ultimately it's
the results that matter that help you, I think, get more opportunities. So yeah,
it's quite a difficult one, but it is so important. It's just balance, right? Well,
as we are wrapping up here, if I'll ask what is something that you would want the listeners
to take away with them after this conversation? That if you work hard enough at what you love,
anything is possible. I love that. That's so simple, but so true. Well, thank you so much for
taking some time to just share like the slightest bit of your journey and experiences. I think
I am the first to be super excited of what is ahead for the Dirtfish Women's Program and kind
of what that looks like and seeing, you know, so much of its growth already in the past year
has been incredible. So looking forward to supporting the rest of your career and thank you
again. Listeners, thank you for tuning in and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you. Bye.
About this episode
From co-driving roots in Ireland to competing in the American Rally Championship, Itha Raftery maps her rally journey—learning with a cheap car, getting selected for the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, and adapting to new pace-note demands in a Subaru 4WD. The conversation zooms in on how recce and pace notes build trust, why concentration matters, and how left-foot braking changes everything on gravel. Off-track, she connects STEM outreach and FIA/DirtFish programs to visibility, safety, and building a sport girls can join.
Original notes
What does it take to go from the roads of Galway to the gravel stages of the American Rally Association — in a sport where women have historically been the exception, not the rule? In this episode of the BeDifferential Podcast, we sit down with Aoife Raftery: Irish rally driver, DirtFish Women in Motorsport Programme driver, Motorsport Ireland Road Safety Ambassador, inaugural Rosemary Smith Award recipient, and one of the most exciting rising forces in global rallying today.
Aoife grew up in Galway, made her rallying debut in 2021, and has since competed across Irish, British, and Junior FIA European Rally Championship stages — becoming the first female driver to join the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy along the way. Her 2024 season included a class win at the Ulster Rally, a podium in the final round of the Junior British Rally Championship, and selection into the top 15 of the FIA Beyond Rally Women's Talent Spotting Programme. Then, in early 2025, she was named one of only two drivers selected globally for DirtFish's inaugural Women in Motorsport Driver Programme — and promptly went to America for the first time, made her four-wheel-drive rally debut at the Olympus Rally, and collected three podiums in four starts, including a third overall in a Rally3.
In this conversation, Aoife gets candid about what it actually takes to make peace with the uncertainty of rally driving, how she breaks down the technical craft of pacenotes and left-foot braking for those unfamiliar with what the sport demands day to day, and what it felt like to step into a 4WD car for the very first time at a competitive level. We talk about the difference between European and American stages, what it means to carry the legacy of Rosemary Smith, and how she holds onto pure joy in a sport that can bury it under pressure and expectation. And as a STEM advocate who has spoken to thousands of teenage girls about careers in motorsport, Aoife makes a compelling case for why the next generation of women in racing might come from the engineering lab just as much as the driver's seat.
This one is for every girl who was told the race wasn't for her — and every person who believes the sport is stronger when more voices are in it.
Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out! https://www.bedifferentialpodcast.com/
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