Sadly died in 2016 after a long illness. Worked in property management in Guildford and also ran a garage. Continued to race in hillclimbs until the late 90's, despite stopping full-time competitive hillclimbing in 1979, and then became a frequent visitor to historic events. MacDowel's peak in hill climbing actually came some 15 years or so after his Grand Prix drive, winning two titles and finishing runner-up three times in a 5 year period. Mike also worked as a competitions director for Jaguar during their E-Type period and was also a director of the BRDC and Silverstone in the past and served as a trustee on the BRDC's benevolent fund until 2014. MacDowel started racing in 1954, before retiring in 1964, only to return and start his hillclimbing career 4 years later.

Biography last updated 20 Jan 2016