Alex MacDowall gearing up for BTCC top-five push

Aug 14 2011 by Zoe Burn, Sunday Sun

CUMBRIA tin-top hotshot Alex MacDowall is eyeing a top-five finish in the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after his best round of the year at Snetterton last week.

The 20-year-old driver from Carlisle believes his trip to the Norfolk track was the turning point his second season with the Silverline Chevrolet needed.

MacDowall crossed the line second in race one behind team-mate, reigning BTCC champion and Tyneside-educated Jason Plato to give the RML-run squad its first 1-2 in two years.

Backing it up with a fourth and a fifth in the afternoon’s other two races, he launched himself up to seventh in the drivers’ championship.

Now, with sixth-placed man Andrew Jordon within squinting distance, he is sitting fifth as his overall goal as the championship heads into its final four rounds.

MacDowall said: “I have been disappointed with my results so far this year, but I think this is the start of a turnaround.

“Most of the circuits we have left should suit our car.

“Silverstone and Rockingham might be a bit tough, but fifth in the championship is achievable.”

MacDowall says his strong weekend at the new Snetterton 300 circuit could not have come at a better time.