Paul Dumbrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Dumbrell |
|
|---|---|
Paul Dumbrell at the 2010 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
|
|
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 1 September 1982 (age 42) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Racing licence |  FIA Gold |
| Supercars record | |
| Series championships | 0 |
| Races | 299 |
| Race wins | 7 |
| Podium finishes | 14 |
| Pole positions | 5 |
Paul Lakeland Dumbrell (born 1 September 1982) is an Australian business leader and former professional racing driver. He is known for his success in V8 Supercars, especially as an endurance co-driver.
Contents
Paul's Racing Journey
Starting Young
Paul Dumbrell followed in his dad Garry's footsteps, starting kart racing in 1996. By 1997, he was eager to race more. He went to Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia, where he still lives.
In 1998, Paul competed in the Australian Sprint Kart National Championships. He also took a special driving course in England, where he drove a Formula Vauxhall car. Even though he was only 15 and the fastest student, he couldn't race in the final event because drivers had to be 16.
When he came back to Australia, he planned to race in Formula Ford. But he broke his hip in a bike accident, which stopped him from racing for eight weeks. This meant no Formula Ford for him that year. Later in 1998, he entered his first production car race at Bathurst in a Subaru WRX, but his car had mechanical problems.
In 1999, Paul raced in Formula Holden. He also had his very first V8 Supercar race in August 1999 in Tasmania.
Moving Up in V8 Supercars
After gaining experience in Formula Holden, Paul got to test a Formula 3000 car with famous driver Mark Webber in England. When he returned to Australia, he joined the Konica V8 Supercar Development Series. He did very well in 2001 and won the entire series in 2002!
Paul made his first Bathurst 1000 race start when he was just 17 years old. This made him the youngest driver ever to race a V8 Supercar.
In 2002, Paul joined Castrol Perkins Racing as a co-driver for team owner Larry Perkins. They raced together at the Queensland 500 and the Bathurst 1000. At Bathurst that year, they surprised everyone by finishing in fifth place!
Full-Time V8 Supercars Driver
Racing with Castrol Perkins
Paul's great performance at Bathurst in 2002 helped him get a two-year contract with Castrol Perkins Motorsport for 2003 and 2004. In 2005, he had his best V8 Supercar Championship Series result at Symmons Plains, finishing fifth. He also achieved his best overall championship position that year, finishing 20th.
In 2006, Paul drove the number 11 Holden VZ Commodore and finished 12th in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, which was his best ever. He also finished fifth at Bathurst, almost getting on the podium before mechanical issues slowed him down.
New Teams and Challenges
For the 2007 season, Paul moved to Supercheap Auto Racing. It was a tough season because their cars often had problems. The best part was a sixth-place finish with Paul Weel at the Sandown 500.
In 2008, Paul joined the HSV Dealer Team and drove the No. 16 Autobarn Holden Commodore. His teammate was the 2006 V8 Supercar Champion, Rick Kelly. It was a challenging year, and Paul finished 21st in the championship.
In 2009, Paul stayed with the Walkinshaw group, which formed Walkinshaw Racing. He continued to drive an Autobarn-sponsored Holden VE Commodore.
Switching to Ford
.JPG)
For the 2010 V8 Supercar season, Paul signed with Rod Nash Racing. He drove their "The Bottle-O" sponsored Ford FG Falcon. This was a big change because he had always raced Holdens in V8 Supercars before!
Paul achieved his first V8 Supercar Championship podium finish (meaning he finished in the top three) at the Tasmania Challenge. At the very next race, the Sandown Challenge, he won his first Championship race and also got his first pole position (starting from the very front of the grid)!
On August 8, 2011, Paul announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2011 season.
Endurance Co-Driver Success
Teaming Up with Triple Eight
Even though he retired from full-time racing, Paul returned in 2012 as a co-driver for the special two-driver endurance races. These races include the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, and since 2013, the Gold Coast 600. Paul teamed up with seven-time series champion Jamie Whincup for Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Their partnership was a huge success right away! They won the 2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 together. In 2013, they won the 2013 Wilson Security Sandown 500.
In 2014, Paul and Jamie won the Enduro Cup. This award goes to the team that scores the most points across the three endurance events. They also won at Sandown again in the 2014 Wilson Security Sandown 500.
In 2014, Paul also entered the Dunlop V8 Supercar Development Series again and won the championship for a second time!
Paul's Business Career
Throughout much of his racing career, Paul Dumbrell also worked in business. He owned a Boost Juice store as early as 2002 and helped start a media company.
He also worked his way up in his family's business, the Automotive Brands Group. This group owns well-known brands like Autobarn and Autopro. Paul became the chief executive officer (CEO) of the company in 2009. His growing responsibilities in business were a big reason why he retired from full-time V8 Supercar racing in 2011.
In 2012, Automotive Brands was sold to Metcash. Paul stayed in charge of the automotive part of the business at Metcash and joined their executive team. It was a funny coincidence that Metcash also owned The Bottle-O, which used to sponsor Paul when he raced for Rod Nash Racing! In 2015, the business was sold again to Burson Group. Paul continued to lead the division, and the Burson CEO said there was no reason why Paul couldn't keep racing as an endurance co-driver alongside his business work.
Key Racing Achievements
Paul Dumbrell had a successful racing career, winning championships and major races.
- 2002 Konica V8 Supercar Series Champion
- 2014 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series Champion
- 2012 Bathurst 1000 Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
- 2013 Sandown 500 Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
- 2014 Sandown 500 Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
- 2014 Enduro Cup Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
- 2016 Gold Coast 600 Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
- 2018 Sandown 500 Winner (with Jamie Whincup)
Images for kids
-
Dumbrell raced in the 2017 Dunlop Super2 Series.
-
Dumbrell finished second in the 2018 Dunlop Super2 Series.
.jpg)
