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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Final 2009
ELF Renault Clio Cup Standings:
pics
Jakob
Ebrey Photography
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Alex McDowall Racing VICE-CHAMPION MACDOWALL TAKES FOURTH WIN OF 2009
Soundly defeating newly crowned Clio Cup title winner Philip Glew in round 19 on Saturday with a dominant and faultless drive, the 18-year-old added a further podium result in Sunday’s final race of the season – even though handicapped by an intermittent cut-out problem – to prove beyond doubt his pace and front-running credentials. Although Alex’s season has been dogged at times by bad luck which most certainly compromised his title aspirations, it has still been a very successful year for the Carlisle-based driver. Along with his four race victories he also achieved eight other podiums, seven pole positions, three fastest laps and achieved the ‘Driver of the Day’ accolade on three occasions - including this weekend for his superb win. During pre-event practice on Friday, Alex set the pace at the wheel of his Total Control Racing-run car with a best time of 1m40.259 seconds (82.61mph) during the second session – a performance made even more impressive by the fact he remained on old tyres for the duration, unlike a number of his front-running rivals. Into qualifying on Saturday morning, he secured third on the grid for round 19 and an improved front-row start for round 20 but it was the first of the weekend’s races where Alex shone brightest with a truly stunning, textbook performance. Rocketing away from third place, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star shadowed Robert Gaffney through Paddock Hill Bend as the pair got ahead of pole-sitter Glew. After applying immense pressure to Gaffney through Surtees and down Pilgrim’s Drop, Alex made the breakthough to take the lead exiting Hawthorn Bend when Gaffney succumbed and ran wide. Building an excellent lead of three seconds, Alex’s advantage was eroded at the end of lap seven when the Safety Car was deployed to clear away the stricken car of Mark Hazell but at the re-start he led the pack away well and was never headed – taking the win by two seconds from Glew. “I wasn’t going to let that one go”, said the TCR ace at the end of round 19, “We were fastest in the practice, third in qualifying so we knew we had the pace. I made an awesome start, (Robert) Gaffney was inside, (Andrew) Herron tried to go around the outside into the first corner and I was the meat in the sandwich really. “I flashed my lights at Gaffney going along Cooper Straight and he went into Surtees far too hot so I thought, yes. I knew he was prone to make a mistake and I managed to get by him at Westfield. I knew I had to make a good re-start, I wanted to try and impress, and beating the champion is what I wanted to do – and I did.” Sunday’s 20th round produced another excellent drive from Alex and he pressured race leader, and pole-position starter, Glew hard during the second half of the race – the pair split by just three 10ths of a second at the finish on lap 15. Ending the season as a richly deserving Vice-Champion, Alex now prepares for 2010 as he bids to continue his excellent career progression in saloon car competition.
MACDOWALL TAKES TENTH PODIUM OF YEAR AT ACTION-PACKED SILVERSTONE
While qualifying on Saturday morning didn’t go according to plan due to a small problem with the dampers on the 18-year-old’s car, he still managed to lap within two 10ths of a second of pole position with a time of 1m05.344 seconds (90.29mph) – a superb effort. Uncharacteristically lining up on the fifth row of the grid for the first race of the weekend, Carlisle-based Alex got a good start and immediately began to make his presence felt at the sharp end as he made his way into the top five by lap two. At the end of the sixth tour Alex gained another spot at the expense of Aron Smith, who was served with a drive-through penalty for a start-line indiscretion, and into lap seven a mere three 10ths of a second separated the Total Control Racing driver from third placed Tom Carnaby. With the podium well within his sights Alex pressed on and by lap 11 he was in a position to make his move. Pulling alongside Carnaby at Luffield, the pair ran wheel-to-wheel into the 12th tour and Alex sealed the move by taking third place into Copse. During the remaining seven laps, Alex pulled out a four second cushion over Carnaby while also closing to within just eight 10ths of a second of championship leader Philip Glew. In addition, he also posted the second fastest lap of the race with a time of 1m05.625 seconds. Commenting on his latest podium success, the Cumbrian said: “I made a good start, didn’t really get boxed in and went around the outside of (James) Colburn at Copse. There were a lot of people going wide at the first corner but I judged it right and then into Becketts I passed (Aron) Smith for fifth. “When I got into fourth place I started to catch Carnaby, he seemed to run really wide at Copse and get a good run so I decided to follow his line and it helped me get right onto the back of him and I then passed him at Luffield. He tried to come around the outside of me at Copse on the next lap but I kept the position and then I had the pace to catch the leaders. “I was consistently doing fastest lap after fastest lap, the car was so hooked up and it was just a shame we had the damper problem in qualifying. If we had started on pole position, or the front row at least, I’m sure I could have won that race. I’m delighted to have another podium though.” Sunday afternoon’s 16th round was totally luckless for Alex when damage incurred as he tried to avoid a first-corner collision resulted in an eventual retirement from the race on lap six, a harsh blow for his title aspirations. Nonetheless, thanks to Saturday’s impressive podium he retains the Vice-Champion’s position some 44 points clear of his nearest pursuer.
THIRD WIN OF SEASON FOR RAPID MACDOWALL AT SNETTERTON
The 18-year-old British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Rising Star then backed the result up with a fine fourth place in round 14 to maintain second position in the championship and also increase his advantage over the chasing pack to 44 points. Beginning the weekend in style by claiming his seventh pole position of the year during Saturday morning's qualifying session, the Carlisle racer produced a best lap of 1m17.872 seconds (90.23mph) while his second quickest time of 1m18.071 seconds secured another front row start for round 14. With light rain just beginning to fall as the lights went out at the start of Saturday afternoon's race, Alex made an excellent start to lead through Riches Corner but his efforts to pull clear of chief title rival Philip Glew were nullified at the start of lap two when the Safety Car was deployed due to an incident involving several midfield cars. The re-start came on lap four and Alex did a great job over the next few laps to keep Glew at bay as conditions got ever trickier due to the rain falling progressively heavier. On lap 10 at the Bomb Hole, Glew made a bold move for the lead and slithered through but the next time around at the Esses, Alex hit back as Glew pushed too hard and got out of shape on the slippery track. Remaining at the front as the rain worsened, the Cumbrian looked well in control but officials decided to bring the race to an early conclusion due to the weather. The final classification was taken from the end of lap 13 with Alex winning from team-mate Sam Tordoff. Starting Sunday's 14th round from second on the grid, Alex made a good getaway but pole-sitter Tordoff just managed to hold on to the lead. Glew then edged past into second place at the Esses but Alex remained tight to his tail as the battle royal between the two title contenders continued. On lap four he saw an opportunity to pass Glew into the chicane but as his rival closed the door, Alex locked the brakes slightly and was forced to take to the grass. Rejoining the track in fourth position, he remained there to the chequered flag on lap 16. In addition, he also set the fastest lap with a time of 1m18.085 seconds (89.99mph) to grab two bonus points. Looking back on the weekend's action, Alex commented: "I'd hoped for a couple of podium finishes this weekend, especially as our pace was good all the way through, but the second race didn't quite work out as we planned. "I got a good run on (Philip) Glew through Coram on lap four, he was a bit sideways so I thought I had to go for it but the brakes locked up and I went straight on over the grass which allowed him back past and (Andrew) Herron too. After that, there were places I was quicker than Herron but I just couldn't get by, it's so difficult to pass in a Clio at Snetterton." Alex added: "The win on Saturday was really good, we just need some more now! I was happy with the way things went but the conditions were very difficult on slick tyres. It's Silverstone again next and we had a pole position there last month so I'm sure we'll be quick again. We've been fast at every circuit this year so there's no reason the next event should be any different."
MACDOWALL RECEIVES TIMELY BOOST WITH BRDC ‘RISING STAR’ STATUS
The Carlisle-based teenager, who has taken two race victories and six other podium finishes so far this year, was thoroughly disappointed with the outcome on track during rounds 11 and 12 on Sunday, 5th July. Unceremoniously shunted out of proceedings in the first race while running in fourth place, the resulting damage was so severe it also ruined his chances in the second outing. Prevented from displaying his true potential in front of a record World Series by Renault crowd attendance of 135,000 spectators, the 18-year-old ECM-backed racer at least had the consolation of being recognised by the BRDC talent scouts as a worthy candidate for prestigious Rising Star status. Qualifying went well for Alex as he steered his Total Control Racing car to second on the grid for round 11 with a time of 2m09.485 seconds (142.9km/h) but better was to follow when his second fastest lap of 2m09.512 seconds secured his sixth pole position of the season. Making a good start to Sunday morning’s first race, Alex took the lead from pole-sitter Philip Glew into Copse Corner but his rival tried to hit back through Stowe and the pair ran side by side towards Vale which, in turn, enabled Stefan Hodgetts to get in the mix. Contact to Alex’s car then pushed him wide and resulted in a drop into fifth place. Slipping back two further spots on lap two, he battled back well and moved into fifth on lap five as he pressed on to reel in the top four. Catching and passing reigning ELF Renault Clio Cup Champion Ben Winrow – making a one-off return to the series this weekend – at the end of lap seven, Winrow then made contact with the rear of Alex’s car at the exit of Luffield which pitched him into a spin. Causing major front-end damage and resulting in a bent chassis, Alex limped on around the 3.2-mile Grand Prix track but was forced to pit and then retire on lap nine – his first non-finish and first non-score of the whole 2009 championship campaign. The TCR mechanics did a superb job to get Alex’s Clio race-ready in time for round 12 and although the team tried very hard to straighten the chassis, the damage from the race one impact he received was enough to seriously hamper his pace in the second encounter. Slipping gradually down the order throughout, he eventually finished in 18th position but at least salvaged a handful of points. “Obviously it’s very frustrating to have such a disappointing weekend but there was nothing I could do in the first race, (Ben) Winrow hit me from behind and that ended up bending the chassis which is why we had no pace in race two”, said Alex, “The team did a great job to get the car on the grid for round 12 and at least we did manage to get a few points. The contact finished our weekend though. “Things on track didn’t go the way we had hoped this weekend but to be recognised as a Rising Star is fantastic and a really important achievement. I’d like to thank everyone at the BRDC for placing me on the Rising Star programme. The aim now is to be back on the podium at Snetterton next month.”
MACDOWALL SECURES BRILLIANT SECOND WIN OF 2009 AT CROFT
Having now finished on the podium in eight of the 10 races to have been contested so far this year, the 18-year-old from Carlisle is just 34 points shy of the championship lead and has increased his advantage over the chasing pack to almost 100 points. Glorious sunny weather greeted the Clio Cup drivers on Saturday at the 2.12-mile track and Alex certainly made the most of it at the wheel of his ECM-backed, Total Control Racing-run car by scorching to a brace of excellent pole positions. He was also the only competitor to lap under the 1 minute 32 second bracket with his fastest time of 1m31.968 seconds (83.18mph). At the start of round nine, the Cumbrian got away from the line well and coped superbly with the immense pressure applied by chief rival Philip Glew into Clervaux to hold onto the lead as the cars weaved through the first couple of corners. For the 12-lap duration, Alex maintained a gap of around seven 10ths of a second to Glew who, try as he might, wasn’t able to force his less experienced challenger into a mistake. Piling on the pressure, particularly into the complex and hairpin, Glew wasn’t able to break Alex’s concentration and the teenager claimed a memorable victory. Not only that, the performance was Alex’s first ‘clean sweep’ of his career with pole position, the race win and also two bonus points by posting the round nine fastest lap – just a 10th of a second outside multiple Clio Cup Champion Paul Rivett’s existing Croft lap record. “It was a great race”, commented the teenager after round nine, “Phil (Glew) got an awesome start, he tried to squeeze me onto the grass but I kept my foot in and then the race was quite easy from my point of view. Phil was right there but when Stefan (Hodgetts) got third I thought he might have put Phil under more pressure than he did. TCR did a great job with the car, it was a fantastic result.” On Sunday, in front of live TV cameras which beamed the action across the UK on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4, Alex made a good start but Glew managed to edge ahead into the lead at Clervaux. Staying tight on the tail of the experienced championship leader, Alex remained in second place until lap eight when Glew ran wide at the chicane on some oil which had been deposited. The TCR man also got slightly out of shape by dropping a wheel on the grass but he kept his foot on the power and motored past into the lead on the run to Tower Bend. At the hairpin though Glew moved back ahead and from that point on the positions remained static with Alex taking the chequered flag on lap 12 just 0.381 seconds behind, missing out on the fastest race lap by a mere eight 1,000ths of a second. “I’m pleased with second place as it’s been the best weekend yet”, said Alex, “When I got ahead on lap eight there was oil on the track at the chicane, (Phil) Glew went off onto the grass but I just put one wheel on the grass and managed to get the lead into Tower. He got me back into the hairpin but, even so, I’m happy.”
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Cumbrian
teenager Alex MacDowall ended the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup in winning
ways at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 3rd/4th
October, by taking his fourth race victory of the year to seal the
Vice-Champion’s position in the driver standings.
British
Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star Alex MacDowall secured his 10th
ELF Renault Clio Cup podium of the 2009 season at Silverstone National
Circuit over the weekend, 29th/30th August, with a tremendous drive
through the order from ninth on the grid in the 15th round of the
campaign. 
Total
Control Racing's Alex MacDowall achieved his third race victory of the
2009 ELF Renauilt Clio Cup at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend,
1st/2nd August, with an impressive performance in a very tricky,
rain-shortened 13th round of the campaign. 
Alex
MacDowall endured his toughest weekend of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup
at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit over the weekend, 4th/5th July, but
still managed to retain second place in the driver standings and
received a timely boost with the news he has been named a British Racing
Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star. 
ELF
Renault Clio Cup title contender Alex MacDowall continued his fantastic
run of form at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire over the weekend,
13th/14th June, with his second career win during Saturday’s ninth round
and a fighting second place in Sunday’s round 10.