About Us

Paul began his career working in top level motorsport, progressing up the ranks from a team mechanic to team owner of a V8 Supercar & Porsche race team.

As a young New Zealander, coming to Australia in 1986, Paul worked for the elite race teams of the period and racing legends including, Dick Johnson, John Bowe, Mark Skaife and Jim Richards.

During most of the 1990’s Paul worked in the UK, predominantly based at West Surrey Racing, working with the world’s best drivers of the era, Rubens Barichello, Pedro Delarosa & Craig Baird.

In 2000 Paul assisted several prominent Melbourne businessman set up Prancing Horse Racing, a customer based race team supported by the Ford Motor Company and Ferrari. Prancing Horse Racing was the largest customer racing operation in Australia.

Post Prancing Horse racing Paul set up his own team, PCR (Paul Cruickshank Racing).

Paul was the first person in Australia to establish a V8 Supercar development team and graduate the team into the main V8 supercar series, whilst running a successful Porsche Carrera cup team.

PCR drivers included Fabian Coulthard, John Bowe, Alex Davison, David Wall and Jonathon Webb. Paul achieved race and championship wins at Bathurst 1000, Australian Touring Car Championships, New Zealand Grand Prix, New Zealand Formula Ford Championship, Multiple Porsche wins, V8 Supercar podiums.

Paul’s career also includes 2 years heading up the Swire Group Diesel Research which analysed various technologies on vehicles, from road transport to tug boats in Hong Kong Harbour. During Paul’s tenure at The Swire Group he won a national environmental award, in one of the road transport divisions.
In 2011 Paul relocated to Melbourne and founded Total Auto.

Paul’s vast experience in the automotive history provides Total Auto in Brighton, with expertise unparalleled to any other Bayside service centre.

Chris Kenny partnered with Paul in 2025 to combine decades of automotive technical expertise with business acumen to manage and run the Total Auto businesses with expertise unparalleled to any other Brighton service center.