Again I just wanted to thank you and your fantastic team for the 4 days. Tom and I looked forward to the day each month a lot. It wasn’t just the training and racing that made the days for us, it was a whole package of things. The bonding between father and son, the road trip and getting another 3 hours in the log book for Tom, the community spirit and friendliness of the JDP team of volunteers and the belief you all showed in our kids that gave them the confidence to drive a manual car around a race track.
Today was a brilliant day and and a great way to finish off the program.
Thanks again for all your effort. Very much appreciated.
All the best for the program into the future. I will probably see you in a couple of years with my daughter.
Cheers
Tom ODonnell
Nov 2014
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Hi Darren & best wishes for 2015 – I hope you’re enjoying some time off.
James had a great time in the JDP & he made some new mates too. He’s looking forward to 2015 – who knows what it might hold, maybe he’ll apply to do the JDP again but I’m hoping he’ll get involved at Mallala … but getting a go kart is his passion at the moment.
All the best.
Tim
Dec 2014
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Dear Darren,
I just wanted to write to say thank you; to you and all of the team who gave up their time, for developing the programme, organising the guest speakers, the cars, the venue and arranging the volunteers -all very necessary components in the complete training that was provided to the teenagers in the Junior Driver Programme (JDP).
My son James, who has multiple diagnosed disabilities, has always been interested in cars. He struggles to compete in mainstream sports, socialising and with most areas of life in general. He just never seems to ‘fit in’ with the mainstream kids. However, this was not the case with JDP. He was readily accepted by all and with huge patience willingly shown by all your team; he has gained knowledge, skills, friendships and confidence. He is even setting goals for himself – all of this is from participating in JDP.
The course is well rounded with the constant reinforcement on safety and driving to the conditions and rules, understanding the physical car basics and motorsport in general and, the very much enjoyed, practical sessions. It is a shame that all youngsters don’t get to do this course prior to getting behind a wheel on their L plates.
While I understand that this is predominantly to promote motorsport, the JDP programme gives invaluable training to, and the opportunity for, any new drivers to learn about cars and driving and to push some limits in a very safe and supportive environment. I liked that the parents HAD to attend and were invited to join into the classroom sessions.
I cannot recommend your programme highly enough.
The other benefit that we have found is that from following James’s desire to continue with the sport, is finding a family friendly and inclusive social environment where parents and their teenager children spend time together. There are not many sports where teenagers can, and will, willingly compete with their parents in sport, let alone socialise with them!
Both James and I are looking forward to him participating again this year and his aim is to be one of the A group.
Kind Regards
Susan Glasson
Article courtesy of the Plains Producer newpaper.
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To everyone in the Tarmac JDP
There is something special and amazing about blasting down a straight, going 160km/h, in an Excel race car, which is exactly how I would describe my experience across the 4 days of the 2025 JDP, amazing. I’ve learnt so much from my time here, as well as many fundamental skills I’ll carry into my racing career. Not only the on-track skills and sessions, but the classroom sessions were also informative, especially the session on race attire and what’s required. Excluding the program itself, I was also able to connect with so many people over a shared passion, and make many new mates and connections that’ll stay with me forever.
I want to thank everyone who was involved across the JDP, as without everyone’s time and effort, we wouldn’t have been able to have what we had, an amazing learning experience. For anyone considering applying, I couldn’t recommend it enough. I wish all the best for the future of the JDP, and I hope to see it continue to run.
All the best
Sheng Jie Liu
December 2025
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