Alex MacDowall says that “bravery rewards drivers” around the Circuito da Guia in Macau, as the World Touring Car Championship season ends on the notorious street circuit.
MacDowall heads to the season finale with an outside shot at the Yokohama Trophy, although in reality he is not expecting title glory. The gap between MacDowall and category leader and bamboo-engineering team-mate James Nash stands at 41 points. Although double points are on offer in Macau, it would require the Cumbrian to win both races with Nash not scoring.
“I’m pretty optimistic I can fight for the Independents wins and try and end the season on a real high,” said MacDowall, who has taken four wins in the Yokohama Trophy so far in 2013. “I can still steal the title away from James, but he’s got a big lead so we just need to focus on doing the best we can and then see what happens.”
On his first appearance at the famous event MacDowall finished fourth in the Yokohama Trophy in the opening race, before being tagged by Yvan Muller in the second race and dramatically crashing out into the barriers on the exit of the high-speed Mandarin corner.
“We’ve got to absolutely go for it in Macau,” added MacDowall. “Bravery rewards a driver around there, you have to really go for it, have maximum commitment and not be scared of crashing as the quickest line is when you brush the barriers on each side of the track.
“It’s a fantastic circuit – you really have to drive it on the edge to find the most time. Other than the accident we went well at Macau last year and I’m confident we can be strong again at the weekend.”
Free practice and qualifying in Macau take place on Friday, with the final two races of the season taking place on Sunday.