Tragedy nearly struck the O’Neill family when a six-year-old Paul and his father were involved in a life-threatening car accident. But despite this Paul still could not shake off his love of cars, going through school with a burning desire to pass his driving test and perhaps even become a professional racing driver. Paul went on to attend the prestigious Jim Russell Racing School and took part in his first race in 2001 in the production class of the BTCC, taking three class podiums and two class poles.
His efforts in the production class were enough to earn him a drive with Team Egg Sport in their semi-works Touring Class Vauxhall Astra Coupe for 2002. He was 8th in this championship and then stepped up to the factory Vauxhall team for 2003, finishing 4th in the series. Over the years he has achieved success within the motorsports industry as a driver, race engineer, driving tutor and media personality.
Paul is currently involved in a number of exciting media based projects – he has appeared on BBC series Top Gear, where he raced the VW Beetle, and also works as a commentator and TV presenter for ITV4 where he provides punditry for all the BTCC races. In addition he has appeared as a judge and presenter on ITV’s GT Academy and as an evaluator on Channel 5’s Classic Car Rescue.
A compelling and engaging individual, Paul combines his experience on the track with his media-savvy personality to ensure guests get an insight into the fierce world of racing. Able to tailor his content to a client’s brief and his consummate professionalism in front of a crowd, Paul is one of the most in-demand after dinner speakers and presenters on the circuit.
