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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">FIA GT CHAMPIONSHIP</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">25/10/2000</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">LISTERS ARE CHAMPIONS</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">But next year is coming together already</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">Tom Coronel may have been the star on the day, but he was only out there racing thanks to the support of Lister Cars. The Carsport Viper sprung a radiator leak on race morning, and Lister's fabrication genius Vaughan came to the rescue. He turned round the inlet on the team's spare radiator so that it would fit, thereby ensuring there was a Championship showdown. <BR> <BR> That's been a rarity in FIA GT racing, but the genial Dutchman did everything possible to keep the tension alive right to the end. Would Jamie Campbell-Walter have let him through? It turns out that Laurence Pearce was on the radio right at the time Coronel went off, advising Jamie to let him go, therefore leaving a title gap at the end of half a point. Coronel's trip through the gravel meant that the pressure was off, JC-W just having to complete the last three laps to take ten points and the drivers title by eight and a half points.<BR> <BR> Tom Coronel wasn't slow to give his business card to Laurence Pearce, just in case there's a spare seat in a Storm next year! Current Lister plans for 2001 read something like this; <BR> One car in the Privilege Championship for David Warnock and TBA. <BR> One car in the Spanish Championship. <BR> Two cars in the FIA GT Championship, probably with the same driver line-ups, although negotiations are ongoing with JC-W and Julian Bailey. Perhaps their value has gone up, as Champions? <BR> The possibility of two 'customer' cars in the FIA GT Championship. <BR> Or the possibility of two 'customer' cars in the French GT Championship. <BR> But Daytona almost certainly looks as though it will be run without a Lister.<BR> <BR> Current plans are to create a specific '24 hour' car for 2002. Laurence Pearce argues that his current cars are designed for three hour races, not the round the clock affairs. That leaves Spa's new 24 hour event next year as something of an unknown as regards Lister entries. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.<BR> <BR> For now, a chance for Laurence Pearce and his team to bask in the glory of an international championship. He'll take some stopping next year.</FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>