MacDowall looking for wins

Fri 2nd April 2010 BTCC newcomer Alex MacDowall has is hoping to taste victory in his first year in the championship.

By Matt Lamprell

Alex MacDowall makes his BTCC debut at Thruxton this weekend and the Clio Cup runner-up is hoping to find his feet quickly, with an ambitious top-five championship finish in his sights.

"I'm getting used to the car", said MacDowall. "We tested at Oulton, which went well and then we've got it working well at Brands Hatch. We did a 49.1 and the race run was consistent, so it's looking good for Thruxton."

MacDowall was beaten to the 2009 Clio Cup title by Phil Glew and the pair will renew their rivalry again in the BTCC this year, with Glew driving a Vauxhall Vectra for Triple Eight. The Renault series has been a healthy proving ground for BTCC talent in recent years – most recently with Jonathan Adam joining Airwaves BMW last year.

The rough and tumble of the Clio Cup should stand MacDowall in good stead in the BTCC and expectations will be high as he joins the works Chevrolet team.

"I expect I'll probably be a bit shaky, a bit nervous to start with and then hopefully I'll just dial into it. Once I get my confidence up, know my pace is there and get a few races under my belt, I don't see why we can challenge for wins."

The bar will be set high for MacDowall, with Jason Plato alongside him at RML, but the 19-year-old is anything but intimidated by his superstar teammate: "It's one of the main reasons we opted to run with the team. We knew Plato had a strong link with them. Hopefully I can learn a lot from him. It should be good - hopefully I'll be pushing him along."

Asked what he's hoping for in 2010, MacDowall's response comes in his typically understated style: "Just to get some wins and finish in the top five in the championship."