Scholarship Day – Hampton Downs
16 August 2025
What an awesome opportunity
First off, a massive thank you to the BMW Race Driver Series team, committee, sponsors, volunteers, members, and everyone involved in making this Scholarship Day happen. What an awesome opportunity. The day started with a chilly run from Helensville down to Hampton Downs, car packed with the Mrs and the baby… minus the bag with all the nappies and the snacks (rookie mistake 😅). Driver briefing and registration kicked things off — heaps of fresh, eager applicants ready to give it a crack. We rolled into a familiarisation session (a new part for me, and very cool). The Mrs and bub loved the ride-along too.
Being the old fart of the group, I was first up in the hot seat. Luckily, I’d been out with Mike Eady a few times before on previous scholarship days, so I was pretty relaxed. Feedback was solid — happy days. After a few hot laps it was time for lunch and the top 10 announcement. I was through!
Next up, Angus Fogg took us for a demonstration run with the simple advice: be smooth, be yourself, don’t be a hero. Then straight into the scholarship car. My instructions from Mike were: “Just do exactly what you did in the first drive” (easier said than done when you’ve got him in the passengers seat!).
Then came the part I always get nervous about: the panel interview. I’ve never been good at talking myself up, but the familiar faces helped. I reckon it went alright (though I’ve thought that before 😅).
We then had a trip up to race control — an eye-opening look behind the scenes of how slick and professional the operation is, plus the best view in the house. After that, I somehow squeezed myself into the 777 for a few hot laps — what a ride!
As the day wound down, the big announcement loomed. My name was called for the top 3 — a spot I’d been in before, so I tried not to get ahead of myself. But this time, I managed to sneak the win against some very talented competition.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur, but I can say it was surreal, humbling, and something I’ll never forget. Massive thanks again to everyone involved. Huge respect to the other applicants too — the level of talent out there is unreal and it really could have gone a number of ways.
If you’ve ever thought about getting into motorsport, this is 100% the series to do it in. Affordable, welcoming, and properly competitive.
Big thanks again to the team, and of course to the sponsors who make it possible:
BMW Car Club New Zealand
@NEXEN Tyres NZ
DTM Wheel & Tyre
Hampton Downs
Taupo International Motorsport Park
The Motorsport Club
1907 Water
NZIGP Events
Kayne Barrie Motorsport Ltd
P&S Autocentre Limited
Racetech NZ
Classic Cover Insurance
Tracktime Driving Academy
Takapuna Panelbeaters
Todd Leathem & Pak n Save
Matt Smith Photography
All of the BMW Race Driver Series Volunteers and Scholarship Committee
I can’t wait to get stuck in and see if I’m actually any good 😆
– Darren Mudford
📸 Matt Smith