Paul Dumbrell (born 1st September 1982), is an Australian V8 Supercar driver.

He currently resides in Melbourne, Australia, and races for the Autobarn Racing/HSV Dealer Team in the V8 Supercar Series.

The first thing that strikes you about Paul Dumbrell is his youth. At only 25 he comes across as someone much more mature than his years reflect.

Paul started racing comparatively late (aged 13) but took to it extremely quickly. He hasn't been in a series or class of racing for more than two years before joining the V8 Supercar Series, which has given him some good experience in different kinds of cars and formulas.

His interest in motor racing began quite strangely. In year six at Xavier College in Melbourne, he and a friend were both going to Queensland for the holidays, and they had agreed to meet up.

When Paul and his father (Garry) went to pick up the other boy, Paul's dad commented that he knew him. That friend was Will Davison (currently driving for Dick Johnson Racing) and it turned out that Paul and Will's fathers used to race against each other. After the holidays Paul went out to watch Will, who was racing Go-Karts at the time and from that time on Paul was hooked. Paul got a Go-Kart for his birthday that year and the rest, as they say, is history.

His first race was in go-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 and over to compete in.

On returning to Australia, Paul 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 of action 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 driving a Wynns Commodore for John Faulkner Racing at the very young age of 16 years, 11 months and 24 days becoming the youngest ever V8 Supercar driver.

At the Bathurst 1000 that year, JFR recalled Paul and gave him a drive in their Wynn's Commodore alongside Matthew White. The two would finish the race with a DNF (Did Not Finish).

After a full year's experience in a Formula Holden in 2000, 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, Paul fell into a permanent driving spot in Konica Development V8 Supercar Series, also in 2000 PD found himself driving for Rod Nash Racing with Rod Nash at the Bathurst 1000, just a few laps into the start of the race the car would crash ending their day there.

2001 saw Paul labelled as the "Golden Boy" of the Konica Series, running consistently at the front of the field 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. Once again at the end of 2001, PD found himself in a V8 Supercar at Bathurst, driving for Garry Rogers Motorsport paired with Leanne Tander. A crash mid race left a good result go begging.

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.

2003 would be a steep learning curve for PD, with Larry Perkins not putting it up to Paul to be inside the top 15 in his first year with him. Paul got his best round placing overall at round 1, Clipsal 500, coming home in 7th. Overall for the year, PD finished 29th.
2004 was once again a big step-up for Paul, he got into his 1st V8 Supercar shootout at the Sandown 500 and also at the Bathurst 1000 where he came from being 2nd (9th in true standings) to starting 3rd at the Bathurst 1000, after a lap that would leave many people in pit-lane applauding his efforts. The race would come to an end close to home, when Paul drove a little too close to a wall and broke the rear sway bar, ending the race for himself and team-mate Tony Longhurst.

After signing a new 1 year deal with LP, 2005 was a whole new year for Paul. Like his seasons before, he had his ups and downs - the two lower points of the season being race 3 at New Zealand when he was involved in a crash with Craig Baird, and also at Bathurst 1000, with Paul crashing out after a coming together with another driver and later on running into a wall with a broken steering arm, putting a end to his hopes of a good result for the championship, and also those of his team-mate Steven Richards. In 2005, Paul achieved one of his first career best round results 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. The experience of posing for the cameras certainly made it clear to Paul that he would rather stick to his job as a race car driver than become a model, but away from racing Paul does continue to do a few modelling jobs at the odd moment.

At the end of 2005, Paul did just what a number of people in the V8 Paddock were expecting him to do - re-sign with Perkins Motorsport for 1 more year bringing him into his 4th year with the team, 1 year behind team-mate Steven Richards who had been at Perkins Motorsport for 5 years.

Taking over the famous car 11, with team mate Richo moving to car 7 to be more in-touch with the teams brand new sponsor Jack Daniels, would be a challenge for PD. From round 1 right up until round 8, Paul would stay inside the top 10 in the championship. It was after a few unfortunate incidents that PD lost his place in the top ten. But the speed and results shown by Paul was enough to wake up a number of people in pit-lane that had been calling for his wheels to be removed just a year earlier. Larry Perkins' time and trust in letting Paul Dumbrell find his feet in his race cars had finally paid off, even if he had crashed and dinted the cars owned by LP, like any rookie driver learning the do's and don'ts of V8 Supercars in their first years as professional drivers.

Paul almost rewarded the hard working staff at Perkins Motorsport/ Engineering with a pole at Winton Raceway, but fell short by 1 spot after being knocked off by Jason Bright from FPR. Winton Raceway would be Paul's most successful V8 event to date, coming away with 3rd in race 1 and then a front row start in race 3, unfortunately race 3 would not go to plan for Paul on fading rubber and fell back down the order to finish 6th.

PD had an excellent drive at the Bathurst 1000, finishing 5th with team mate Steven Richards, very unlucky not to stand on the podium in the Great Race, but because of mechanical problems they were forced to pit while in 3rd, but Paul is definately showing the form of an up and coming champ with some great drives in the 2006 season.

2006 would be Paul's most successful year to date in V8 Supercars, finishing the session in 12th, at the end of the year the choice to leave Perkins Motorsport and sign with Supercheap Auto Racing (PWR) was made, making way for a very interesting 2007. With Cameron McConville as team mate its looking like a strong 2007.

Joining Supercheap Auto Racing after being at Perkins Motorsport for 4 years would prove to be a whole new challenge for Paul. The season would turn out to be a very up and down one, not scoring points until round 8 made the start of the year very hard and almost missing a round due to a broken finger made the season even more interesting. At Sandown and Bathurst PD teamed up with SCAR team owner Paul Weel, with the two finishing inside the points. Finishing the year in 23rd position was not the only blow to Paul's season, SCAR announced in the leadup to the second last round the team would not be returning for 2008 leaving both McConville and Dumbrell out of drives.

PD did not have to wait long, a offer from the HSV Dealer Team quickly landed in his lap. 2008 is set to be the biggest year of Paul Dumbrell's life when he lines up on the grid at the Clipsal 500 alongside team mate Rick Kelly.

Although he has no current aspirations to race overseas, PD hasn't completely discounted the idea. He's enjoying racing V8 Supercars, but he would love to do some international Sportscar races such as Le Mans or the Spa 24 hour. Right now he has his sights set on becoming V8 Supercars' Number 1 Driver.

With a lot of talent to back him up and fire in his eyes, Paul Dumbrell should not be written off as just another kid with his family's money and support, he has talent to burn - and it would seem that the best is yet to come.