Paul Dumbrell
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Paul Dumbrell (born 1st September 1982), is an Australian V8 Supercar driver.
He currently resides in Melbourne, Australia, and races for the Jack Daniels Racing Team in the AVESCO V8 Supercar series.
His first race was in karts in 1996 and by the end of 1997 Paul was looking to further his racing. He competed in the Australian Sprint Kart National Championships in April 1998 and then went to England to the Jim Russell International School of Racing. During the course Paul had his first taste of a racing car, a Formula Vauxhall. Even though at age 15 he was the youngest and fastest graduate from the school, he was ineligible for the final race, for which drivers had to be 16.
On returning to Australia he looked to do a couple of races in Formula Ford but broke his hip when hit by a car while training on his mountain bike. This put him out for 8 weeks and put an end to any chance of running a Formula Ford. At the end of 1998 he entered his first Touring Car race, the GT Production three-hour at Bathurst in a Subaru WRX, but luck was not on his side as his race ended with mechanical failure. For the 1999 season he drove a Formula Holden in the Australian Drivers Championship, and had his first taste of the V8 Supercar series in August 1999 at Symmons Plains, Tasmania.
After a full year's experience in a Formula Holden, Paul had the chance to test a Formula 3000 car with Mark Webber for Paul Stoddart's Arrows Team, driving 20 laps in the car at Donington. When he returned back to Australia he fell into a permanent driving spot in Konica V8 Supercar Series.
2001 saw Paul running consistently at the front in the Konica Series with Race Wins, Pole Positions and the title well within his grasp - however 2001 was his bridesmaid year as preparation for winning the Konica V8 Supercar Development Series Championship in 2002.
2002 saw Paul Dumbrell picked up by Castrol Perkins Racing's Team Owner Larry Perkins as his co-driver in the Castrol Perkins Holden Commodore at both the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000. At Bathurst that year, Perkins and Dumbrell finished a surprise 5th position overall. That 5th placing helped Dumbrell secure a lucrative 2-year deal with the Castrol Perkins Motorsport Team for 2003 and 2004.
In 2005, Paul achieved his best-ever round result at Symmons Plains, Tasmania - the home of his first ever V8 Supercar start - ending the round in 5th place. 2005 also saw his best ever Driver's Championship placing, finishing in 20th, after placing 29th in 2003 and 24th in 2004.
2005 also saw Paul nominated for Cleo Bachelor of The Year. While he undoubtedly had the number 1 vote for Holden fans everywhere, it wasn't quite enough to secure him the title - but probably a few dates!
So far in 2006, Paul hashad an exemplary start to the season - driving the number 11 VZ Holden Commodore to 7th at the first round at Clipsal, 9th at Pukekohe and 11th at Barbagallo in Western Australia... for this 24 year old, it would seem that the best is yet to come.
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