Bailey gets cold shoulder from Lister

The former Tyrrell and Lotus F1 driver won the title with Jamie Campbell-Walter this year, but Lister boss Laurence Pearce has said there is no guarantee that Bailey will even drive a Storm this season. He will be replaced by TVR expert Ian McKellar Jnr, who moves up from the British GT Championship where he raced a Cerbera Speed 12 for the Blackpool marque.

"We're giving Jamie the chance to lead the championship in his own right," Pearce told Autosport's sister publication Motoring News. "I think he is the best GT driver in the world at the moment."

Campbell-Walter put in a number of stirring stints this season, most notably at the Lausitzring where, despite having never raced at night before and suffering from a steamed-up windscreen, he was by far the fastest driver on the track in treacherously wet conditions in the late evening.

Bailey, who has been tipped for a drive with FIRST Racing's Ferrari 550 next year, said: "There are no hard feelings. I am still talking to Laurence and there's a chance I will be there in 2001. Lister is the best team in GT racing and I would love to stay."

Bailey's chance of remaining with Lister would depend on how many cars the marque decides to field next year. What is certain, however, is that Campbell-Walter and McKellar will share the lead Storm.

McKellar said: "It is a great opportunity for me to perform at the highest level. I hope we can continue the success that Lister has had."