PETER DUMBRECK: THE HIGHEST FLYING SCOTSMAN OF ALL
Adding victory in the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix to a domestic title should be enough to mark any racer out as a Formula 1 star of the future, but things simply failed to slot into place for Peter Dumbreck.
The single-seater dreams were largely paused after that double success in 1998 as he took up a dream offer to join Mercedes for an assault on Le Mans. The image of Dumbreck’s sportscar somersaulting into the trees in 1999 is one of the most spectacular and memorable in motorsport history but it was a fleeting moment in the Fife man’s career.
It is one he knows he was fortunate to escape from but far from being the end, it was the start of an alliance with the three-pointed star in the DTM and he went on to become a sportscar regular in Japan and around the globe.
More recently he has plied his trade at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in a range of Falken Tyres-backed machines. While he has now stepped away from that programme, the Scot has not retired from competition and is looking for new opportunities.
He kindly took time out of his schedule to tackle the Motorsport News readers’questions and is full and frank in his answers.
Question: What sparked your interest in motorsport? Who was your motorsport hero?
James Hilton Via email
Peter Dumbreck: “It started in karting when I was a kid. There was no motorsport background in my family. We were more of a horsey-type family. But I always used to watch Formula 1 and I was always interested in it.
“Because we weren’t a motor racing family, I didn’t really know how to go about taking part in it. I tried fun kart events when we were away on holiday in Spain and things like that.
“When I got back to Scotland, I heard of someone locally who was into karting and he was racing at our local track of Crail [in Fife]. We went and had a look and met some people. Dad was supportive and we got a kart, but I don’t think either of us realised at the time or the money needed to do it… even back then. It is probably 10 times as expensive now.
“Money was an issue, so we raced in Scotland a lot but we did go south sometimes. Rowrah in Cumbria was one of the main ones for me because it was closer, but I raced at Kimbolton and Clay Pigeon too – Clay Pigeon [in Dorset] felt like the other side of the world… “After karting, I did the Jim Russell Racing Drivers’School at Donington Park in 1993. I knew I was half-decent at karting, but I didn’t know if that would translate to cars or if I would be any good at it. I didn’t know if it was something I should pursue.
“By then, I had seen Dario Franchitti, who is a similar age to me, go off and do car racing, and there
