Alex MacDowall says next weekend's three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit will mark the final chance this year for him to try and challenge for his maiden BTCC victory.The penultimate event of the season, which will take place at the Kent trackon 1st/2nd October, should be a very strong one for the Carlisle racer withthe fast corners of the 2.43-mile Grand Prix configuration suiting hisdriving style and the superb chassis and handling of his Chevrolet Cruze.Alex has gone particularly well at Brands Hatch in the past, taking hisdebut BTCC podium there last year and also winning on the GP track in theRenault Clio Cup support category in 2009, so he's sure the circuit canprovide his best touring car outing so far just over a week from now."I think Brands Hatch GP should be our best track yet", said the SilverlineChevrolet driver, "The GP loop requires a very stable chassis which is goodon high speed corners and that's one of the Cruze's strong points. I've gonewell at the track previously too - I out-qualified Jason (Plato) last yearand won there in Clio Cup, so it's a place I enjoy and a track where I knowwe're quick."I've got to have a high scoring weekend at Brands because Silverstone(venue of the BTCC season finale on 15th/16th October) will be the worsttrack for us. This is my last chance for a win this year and I don't want toget left behind, I need to get that monkey off my back. I'm going to BrandsHatch aiming for pole position and at least one win."Alex's second season in the UK's most popular and action-packed motor racingchampionship has been character building to say the least with the Cumbrianhaving been on the receiving end of some robust contact on numerousoccasions, costing him a serious amount of points.
Add in the performance disparity between the turbo engined majority and hisnormally aspirated Chevrolet Cruze and it's clear to see why 2011 hasn'tquite gone as originally planned. Nonetheless, Alex is as quick as ever andhas an outstanding team behind him at RML - so he doesn't want to let anyopportunities next weekend slip through his grasp."I feel like I've been robbed once already this season from a pole positionand I don't intend to let that happen again, I really feel like this couldbe our weekend", he added, "I excel on high-speed corners and Brands HatchGP is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar. There are no team orderseither so I can go out there, do my own thing and focus on my driving."Two free practice sessions will kick-off the BTCC action at Brands Hatch onSaturday, 1st October, with qualifying getting underway at around 15.40.Rounds 25, 26 and 27 will take place on Sunday, 2nd October, at 11.30, 14.15and 17.05 respectively and all three of the races will be screened live, asever, on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 and in HighDefinition on ITV4 HD.There will also be live online streaming of qualifying and racing atitv.com/touringcars
Provisional 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Standings(after Rd24):1st Matt Neal, 204pts; 10th Alex MacDowall, 74pts
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