'PD' to Suit up in #1 Again

Gun co-driver Paul Dumbrell knows he made costly errors in the 2013 PIRTEK Enduro Cup. But Red Bull Racing Australia has decided he is the man to run with Jamie Whincup in the #1 Holden Commodore, and Dumbrell is absolutely sure he can improve next year.

RBRA last week announced its 2014 enduro line-up, and while Dumbrell’s continuation with Whincup was big news, it was overshadowed by Steven Richards’ shock defection from Ford Performance Racing to the Holden powerhouse team.

“It’s been a great two years and is a privilege to still be part of the team next year,” Dumbrell – who won the 2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with Whincup – told v8supercars.com.au.

“I grew up with Jamie, I’ve known him since we were teenagers, so it’s great to be with him and at the best team. Jamie’s won the Championship the last couple of years, so there’s no better place to be.”

At the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Dumbrell was not shy to say it could be his final race at Mount Panorama. While he was keen to keep running as a co-driver, the 31-year old was realistic about juggling his off-track commitments as CEO of Automotive Brands P/L and his ability to give all that was required to the team.

“I certainly wanted to make sure my decision to race next year was all about making sure I could do a good job and I certainly left that to Roland (Dane, team boss), Jamie and Mark Dutton (race engineer on car 1),” Dumbrell said. 

“They’re the people who have to make the call on whether or not I was the right fit for the team … I said Triple Eight will be where my career ends, so that’s probably up to the team more than myself.

“I’ll keep on fighting on to do a good job next year and see what we can do.”

Looking back at the three long-distance events, Dumbrell described his performance as reasonable and admitted there were highs and lows.

He took the blame for the drive-through penalty handed down at Sandown for spinning the car’s wheels during an impromptu pit stop, though he and Whincup did continue on to win the race.

“I put that result in jeopardy,” he said. “You have to be honest with yourself … and learn from those things.

“Bathurst was the same – Jamie was extremely quick for most of the day, a couple of mistakes by myself put us on the back foot … I think Bathurst was very, very poor on my part. I made a couple of errors, which wasn’t in the plan.

“But at the end of the day, that’s what you’ve got to live with.

“I obviously have to prepare myself for next year and put myself in a position – from experience and laps I do, to the approach to the race – to deliver the car back to Jamie, Dutto and the team in the best possible position I can, and not make those mistakes.

“It’s a big challenge, when you’re in the heat of the battle and you’re racing guys on the track – but I’ve always got to make sure my role is at the forefront, and that is to be an enabler for Jamie, so he can do what he needs to do at the end.” 

While the workings of next year have not yet been discussed in detail, being involved at team test and ride days will be important for Dumbrell’s progress.

“I didn’t do all of the ride days and sessions last year which I certainly will have to do this year. We’ll sit down in January, look at the calendar for the year and look at how many miles I would have done by the races, and then work on what we need to do.”

The pair finished first at the Wilson Security Sandown 500, second at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 (by just 0.47sec) and a DNF (did not finish) and fourth at the two ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600 races. That left them second in the PIRTEK Enduro Cup, behind RBRA teammates Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff.

“It’s not something to be disappointed at, but the team goes in and expects to be competitive at every single race until the end,” Dumbrell said. 

“You’ve got to take all of those things on board when making the decision to go on or not.”

Whincup lost the Championship lead after the Gold Coast event, but wrangled it back from his teammate at the penultimate event at Phillip Island, before securing the crown at the grand finale in Sydney.