Paul Morris (racing driver)

Paul Morris
Nationality Australian
Born 22 December 1967 (1967-12-22) (age 44)
Morwell, Victoria
ATCC / V8 Supercar
Years active 1992–94, 1999–2011
Teams Tony Longhurst Racing
Holden Racing Team
Paul Morris Motorsport
Starts 151
Wins 1
Best finish 17th in 2001 Shell Championship Series
Previous series
1989–91
1991
1995–97,1999
2009–10
Australian Formula Ford
Australian Drivers' Champ.
Australian Super Touring
Development V8 Series
Championship titles
1995
1997
1999
Australian Super Touring
Australian Super Touring
Australian Super Touring

Paul Morris (born 22 December 1967 in Morwell Victoria, Australia) is a Australian motor racing driver and team owner. Morris presently competes in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series and in Queensland Sprintcar racing while running the Paul Morris Motorsport team racing in the International V8 Supercars Championship.

Contents

Early career

Paul Morris started his motor racing career at the age of 19 in 1987, driving in the Queensland Gemini Series. He won Rookie of the Year in his debut season, and won the state championship the following year. He spent the next three years competing in Formula Ford. [1]

Morris made his Bathurst debut in 1991, driving a Toyota Corolla. He won the Class C title that year with Geoff Full. [1]

He joined the BMW Works team in 1992, and competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship for several years. Morris went on to compete in the Australian Super Touring Championship from 1994 to 2000 (excluding 1998), winning four championships. His notable sponsors during this time were Benson & Hedges and Diet Coke. He also competed in the V8 Touring Car Championship full-time in 1994, driving a Diet Coke sponsored Holden Commodore. [1]

In 1998, Morris drove for PacWest Racing in the PPG Dayton Indy Lights Championship in the United States. His best result was sixth in the opening round at Homestead. [1]

V8 Supercars

Morris co-drove with the Holden Racing Team in the 1999 endurance events. He finished 3rd with Mark Skaife at Bathurst in that year. [2]

From 2000, Morris again competed in the V8 Supercar Series full-time. Originally sponsored by Big Kev, he was involved in a major start-line accident at Oran Park 2000. He suffered a number of fractured vertebrae in this accident, and narrowly escaped the flaming wreckage of his VS Commodore. [1]

Morris recovered without missing any V8 Supercar races, and he went on to achieve his first major success at Calder Park in 2001, where he won two of the three races and won the round overall. [2]

In the week leading up to the final V8 Supercar round of 2008 Morris announced he would no longer be driving full time in 2009 and that the team were searching for a full time replacement in the #67 Commodore.

In 2011, Morris competes in the second-tier Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in one of the teams older Commodores.

Sprintcars

Morris competes in Speedway Sprintcars in Australia in the KRE engined #67 Supercheap Auto Sprintcar. Morris took his first Sprintcar pole position in Round 4 of the KRE Race Engines Track Championship at Brisbane International Speedway in January, 2011.[3]

Career highlights

Career Results

Season Series Position Car Team
1989 Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series 5th Van Diemen RF89 Ford Morgan Vault Racing
1990 Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series 3rd Van Diemen RF89 Ford Morgan Vault Racing
1991 Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series 5th Van Diemen RF91 Ford Morgan Vault Racing
1991 Australian Drivers' Championship 4th Shrike NB89H Holden
1992 Australian Touring Car Championship 9th BMW M3 Evolution II Tony Longhurst Racing
1993 Australian Touring Car Championship 16th BMW M3 Evolution II Tony Longhurst Racing
1994 Australian Touring Car Championship 13th Holden VP Commodore LoGaMo Racing
1994 Australian Manufacturers' Championship 2nd BMW 318i LoGaMo Racing
1995 Australian Super Touring Championship 1st BMW 318i Paul Morris Motorsport
1996 Australian Super Touring Championship 2nd BMW 318i Paul Morris Motorsport
1997 Australian Super Touring Championship 1st BMW 320i Paul Morris Motorsport
1998 Indy Lights Championship 21st Lola T97/20 Buick PacWest Racing
1999 Australian Super Touring Championship 1st BMW 320i Paul Morris Motorsport
1999 Shell Championship Series 37th Holden VT Commodore Holden Racing Team
2000 Shell Championship Series 19th Holden VS Commodore
Holden VT Commodore
Paul Morris Motorsport
2001 Shell Championship Series 17th Holden VT Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series 35th Holden VX Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series 23rd Holden VY Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series 22nd Holden VY Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series 19th Holden VZ Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series 21st Holden VZ Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series 22nd Holden VZ Commodore
Holden VE Commodore
Paul Morris Motorsport
2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series 20th Holden VE Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2009 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series 35th Holden VZ Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series 43rd Holden VE Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series 16th Holden VZ Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series 40th Holden VE Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2011 International V8 Supercars Championship 41st Holden VE Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport
2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series 8th Holden VE Commodore Paul Morris Motorsport

Indylights Results

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points
1998 PacWest Lights
MIA
6

LBH
Ret

NZR
Ret

STL
18

MIL
Ret

DET
13

POR
7

CLE
Ret

TOR
20

MIS
WD

TRS
9

VAN
Ret

LS

FON
21st 18

References

External links