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

Test Day Wrap-Up – Hampton Downs 22nd Oct

Awesome day out at Hampton Downs for the Tracktime Driving Academy trackday as part of the BMW Race Driver Series Scholarship. Huge thanks to Mike Eady for running such a well-structured day, always top notch.

First time meeting Jason Leifting, and man, he’s definitely someone to check out. Super knowledgeable, easy to chat with, and full of really useful insights. We spent a good chunk of time going over data and footage, chatting about car setup and tyre models, and managed to pull together some solid lap times. Big shoutout to Jason , learned a heap!

The car ran mint all day with no issues, and even though the weather was a bit on and off, the track stayed dry the whole time.

John was there helping out again too , massive thanks to him as always. I’m stoked with how the day went and feeling good heading into the first round at Manfield.

🏁 Race Weekend Wrap-Up – Manfeild 🏁

Packed up the family and headed off to Feilding the day after the test day for a weekend of racing.

I had never been to manfield before so it was all a bit new to me .

Friday testing went pretty well , just working on finding the flow of the track and slowly pushing the limits. Following a few of the other competitors helped a lot, and a good chat with last year’s scholarship winner Matt Day gave me some extra insight that definitely came in handy.

Saturday qualifying, I managed to lay down my fastest lap so far, which put me 19th on the grid, plenty to build on.

Race 1: Sitting on the grid, I was honestly crappin’ myself 😅 but once the lights went out, the adrenaline kicked in. Didn’t get the best start, but managed to avoid the chaos and keep it clean. Once I settled in, I picked up a few of the spots I’d lost early on and found a good rhythm.

Race 2: Got an awesome start and picked up a bunch of spots early on… then proceeded to give them all back over the next few laps. Guess I’m just too generous! But I was getting faster and more confident every session and race I went out on so that's a plus.

Race 3: Decided it was time to get the elbows out and put up a bit more of a fight. Had a few good battles out the back which were great fun — right up until I decided to introduce myself to the kitty litter two laps from the end.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend away with the family. Car ran well ,Great to learn a new track, meet a bunch of good people, and be part of such a cool series. Couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a weekend!

📸 Matt Smith

Friday – Test Day Chaos

Rolled out for Session 1 and managed one decent lap… then the clutch fork pivot snapped, leaving me stranded. I chucked the car on the trailer and headed back to the team at P&S, who had the gearbox out and fixed in record time. Back on track for a couple more sessions, the next one started with a bit of firefighting when another car caught fire right before the session. Back in the car and push on for 2 laps before finding out exactly where the limit of fuel surge is 😆.

The final session of the day was cut short after a couple of laps… bugger.

Qualifying Saturday morning was tricky. Gearchanges were hard work, not enough pedal travel to get clean shifts. Result wasn’t ideal, but we sorted it out in time for Race 1.

Race 1: Got off to a good start and gained a few positions early. Not long after I was divebombed and had to go wide to avoid a collision, which put me back at the rear of the pack. I worked my way back through the field, regaining those spots, before being spun by another driver. The car came away with minimal damage — major bummer, but that’s racing.

Race 2: Started well, making up a couple of positions off the line. Spent most of the race in a clean, close battle with the same driver from Race 1. The battle kept it interesting, but the rest of the pack pulled away.

Race 3: The final race was cancelled due to a medical event on track — the right call. Huge thanks to the marshals, medics, and recovery crews for keeping us safe, and our thoughts are with the driver and his family.

All in all, it was a weekend of limited running but plenty of lessons and moments to build on. Slowly I can feel myself getting more relaxed in the chaos of a single-make class race, although I still manage to find gears that don’t exist occasionally 🙃.

Massive shoutout to the team at P&S for getting me back on track so quickly on Friday and to anyone who came up for a chat or to give some advice — much appreciated.

Of course, another massive shoutout to the team of sponsors that make it all happen.

📸 Matt Smith

Taupo NZIGP Tasman Revival – Darren "DJ" Mudford

Happy New Year all! Got up early on Friday and headed down to Taupō for a weekend of racing. Spirits were high after a nice week up north for Christmas and New Year’s.

Friday – Testing

Friday’s test day went reasonably well for the most part, with the car running strongly through the morning sessions. Unfortunately, clutch issues that I experienced at the last round resurfaced in the afternoon, which limited running and resulted in a lot of time spent under the car trying to diagnose and manage the problem.

Saturday – Practice, Qualifying & Race 1

Saturday morning practice and qualifying were hard work. I knew heading into the day that it was going to be a difficult weekend given the ongoing issues.

Race 1 went largely as expected. I managed to hold the position I started in, but the clutch problems persisted and again required a significant amount of time spent working on the car afterward trying to figure out where the issue was coming from.

Sunday – Race 2 & Race 3

Race 2 was a tough one. I lost touch with the main pack early and had a difficult time consistently finding gears. After a little bit more fluffing around it was straight into Race 3.

Race 3 was a much stronger showing. I was able to stay with the pack and even make up a few positions while others battled ahead of me. Unfortunately, a missed gear cost me one spot, but I was still able to finish ahead overall.

All in all, it was a tough weekend away. I did what I could with the issues at hand, managed to rule out a few potential causes, and gained valuable information to take home for further diagnosis. Despite the challenges, there were still positives and plenty learned.

A massive shoutout to everyone who lent a hand and came over to check in and help out over the weekend.

– Darren “DJ” Mudford

📸 Matt Smith

TACCOC Sprint at The Downs – Darren “DJ” Mudford – 2025 E46 Scholarship

One-day event at Hampton Downs with TACCOC. I decided to skip the practice day as we’d already had a solid test day a few weeks back.

Qualifying started off damp but dried quickly. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite have the right setup for the changing conditions, but we managed to put the car P15 on the grid.

Race 1

I had a terrible start, losing four spots off the line. I was able to claw a few back during the race but ultimately finished P16.

Race 2

This one was busy. Plenty of position changes and a couple of woopsies unfolding right in front of me that kept things interesting. I managed to capitalise and move forward, finishing P14.

Race 3

Got a solid launch. Made up a few positions early and fought through the race, eventually bringing it home in P15.

Overall, the car felt much better. The clutch issues that plagued us over the last three rounds have now been resolved, which has made a big difference to both drivability and confidence.

Feeling a lot more positive heading into the next round at Taupō Motorsport Park.

– Darren “DJ” Mudford

📸 Matt Smith

NZIGP – Taupō Race Weekend

Awesome weekend down in Taupō for the NZIGP.

I didn’t get to practice on Friday as I have been flat out, so it was straight into qualifying on Saturday morning. We rolled out on a dry setup thinking the track would dry by the end of the session… it definitely didn’t. That put us starting off the back row for Race 1.

Race 1 started well — I made up a few spots off the line and kept working forward, getting myself into a solid position and mixing it closer to the top 10. Unfortunately, a small nudge bent the inner tie rod. I nursed it home, but ended up losing all the positions I’d gained. Frustrating, because the pace felt strong and I was really enjoying the fight through the field.

Race 2, I started from 14th and again made good early progress. The car felt strong and I was settling into a rhythm. Then the shifter decided it had other plans and parted ways from the tunnel, leaving me battling for gear changes. I cruised the final six laps just trying to manage it and bring the car home, still having a bit of fun where I could.

Race 3, I was determined to finish the weekend strong. Maybe a little too determined, I found myself doing some off-roading… twice. I managed to gather it back up and rejoin, and ended up having some really fun battles to close out the weekend.

All in all, a really enjoyable weekend. The results didn’t reflect the pace or potential we had, but the racing was competitive and I loved having the family there at the track supporting me. That’s what it’s all about.

– Darren “DJ” Mudford

📸 Matt Smith

NZIGP Finale – Hampton Downs

We headed out to Hampton Downs for the NZIGP finale on Friday morning for testing, and straight away things felt good. Testing went smoothly with no issues, which was a solid way to start the weekend.

Qualifying on Saturday morning was quick with the cool conditions, and I managed a 1:18.4 — my fastest lap around Hampton in the car so far. I was pretty happy with that, even if it only put me P15 on the grid.

Race 1 didn’t exactly go to plan off the line. Way too much wheelspin had me on the back foot early, but once things settled down I managed to claw back a few spots before the safety cars closed everyone back up again. Ended up finishing P10, which honestly I was stoked with.

Race 2 on Sunday morning was fast again. Another average start, but once more I managed to work my way back forward through the field, finishing one place behind where I started and setting a 1:18.0 lap time, which I was really happy with.

Race 3 had me starting from P10, and for once I actually got a solid launch. Picked up a couple of spots through the first few corners before some questionable lap-one shenanigans left me with a bit of damage and trying to catch back up to the pack. You can’t win an 8-lap race on lap 1… but despite that I still managed to claw back a few spots and have some fun battles along the way, eventually finishing P15.

And just like that… it’s all over.

It honestly feels like I was only just starting to find my feet in the class when the season came to an end. The racing has been seriously competitive, and for the most part I managed to keep myself out of trouble and bring the car home in one piece. More importantly, I’ve met a lot of awesome people along the way and had a genuinely great time doing it.

A massive thank you to the BMW Race Driver Series committee for giving me this opportunity.

Special thanks to:

Raewyn for all the hard work behind the scenes making these events run smoothly.

John Mulrennan for the constant positivity, support, and guidance.

Peter Ball for keeping the car in top shape all season.

And all the other teams and competitors who were willing to lend a hand or stop for a chat when needed.

And of course, a massive thank you goes to my fiancée Shannell and my daughter Grace for always supporting me through all of this. It’s been pretty special seeing how excited they both get watching me do what I love.

Hopefully this isn’t the last time you’ll see me. I'll be back out there in the old E30 at some point.

Thanks again everyone, it’s been a blast.

— DJ

📸 Matt Smith