Paul Dumbrell.
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6:30 AM Mon 16 January, 2012
Source: BigPond Sport
AFTER opting to race full-time for one more year in the #55 Bottle-O Falcon, Paul Dumbrell has called time on his full-time driving career in V8 Supercars.
He will be back for the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst later in the year, but wrestled with his decision to walk away after nine seasons full-time in the V8 Supercars Championship and 11 racing in V8 Supercars overall.
Championship Position: 24th
Best Race Result: 4th (Symmons Plains)
Best Qualifying: 1st (Symmons Plains)
What is your highlight of 2011?
Probably provisional pole at Clipsal this year. It’s a long time ago I know!
What is your funniest moment from 2011?
My fellow V8 Nation radio co-host Rick Kelly making contact with my car three races in a row!
What are you getting up to during the off-season break?
No more racing! I don’t know if that’s a good decision or a bad decision! As the year came to an end I wondered whether I’ve made the right call – it’s the devil you know or the devil you don’t.
95 percent of people choose the devil they know but I must be in the other five percent!
I’ll have some R&R and a holiday but my first real holiday will probably be come Clipsal 500 when I sit on the couch and put my feet up and eat some corn chips and watch the boys battle it out!
I’m going to go to an island on Fiji for a week where no one can ring me! There are only about 25 people on the island, with no mobile phone reception so it should be good. It’s the first time I’ve had a holiday like that so I don’t know how I will enjoy it though!
What was the race that got away from you this year?
Probably the Sunday race at Sandown. In both races we were lightning quick and on Sunday we had long filled at the first stop and looking pretty good. Then a top arm in the suspension failed under Safety Car – it was one of those ones!
New Year’s Resolution?
To come back from retirement! Ha!
2012 Goal?
Win Bathurst. That’s my number one.
2011 Rating out of 10?
6. It was an inconsistent start to the year and came home with a bit of a wet sail. But midyear we struggled overall and I made some mistakes. Looking back on it, it was a ‘what could have been’ year.
