Mike Macdowel

MacDowel was a keen amateur racer who made a name for himself in the 1172 cc Lotus sports car in 1955 with ten wins and five second places, and this success earned him a place in the Cooper works team for 1956 with their latest sports model.

His only Grand Prix appearance came in 1957 at Reims (a track he disliked due to the fact that the edges of the flat, fast bends were hard to see) when his car was taken over in mid-race by Jack Brabham, but later in the year he finished second in the Prix de Paris at Montlhéry.

After a lengthy period away from racing, he returned to action on the hill-climb scene in 1968, winning the RAC championships in 1973 and ’74 in his potent 5-litre Repco-engined Brabham BT36X. Though past the age of 60, Mike, looking extremely fit and trim, was still competing in hill-climbs in the early 1990s and now enjoys appearances at the hugely popular historic racing festivals.