Bailey heads IRL feeder series

The Indy Lights formula will be dropped by CART at the end of the year in favour of a revamped Toyota Atlantic series. However IRL and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George has unveiled plans to set up and Indy Lights-style series for 2002.

The Infiniti Pro championship, which will start in the middle of next year, will use Dallara chassis, powered by 450bhp Nissan Infinity engines.

"Roger brings a tremendous depth of experience in managing an open-wheel racing support series and is respected in the racing community," said George. "We are enthusiastic at the opportunity to bring a man of Roger's talents on board and we're confident he will contribute to the growth and success of the series."

Bailey added: "I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work with Tony and the IRL staff in their quest to develop driver talent and provide fans with more entertainment each weekend. The IRL has been very successful in growing its on-track product and fanbase. The Infiniti Pro Series will become an integral part of that, and I'm proud to be part of it."

Kelley Racing, which have just signed 1999 IRL champion Greg Ray to join Scott Sharp in their two-car, Chevrolet-powered team next year, are one of the first big-name teams to show their intent of running a car in the Infiniti Pro Series next year.

A decision on a driver is not likely to be made until January, however.