Three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andre Lotterer will return to the French enduro for his 14th participation at the wheel of an LMP2 ORECA run by IDEC Sport.
The 43-year-old German, who will race the new Genesis LMDh in the World Endurance Championship in 2026, has been called up to join what the South Korean manufacturer is calling its ‘trajectory programme’ for Le Mans on 14-15 June.
He will join Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert in the #18 ORECA-Gibson 07 fielded at the 24 Hours and the full European Le Mans Series as a lead-in to Genesis’s WEC entry.
The opportunity for Lotterer to race at Le Mans this year has come after ex-Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant dropped out of the programme run by IDEC and the Hyundai Motorsport organisation masterminding the Genesis LMDh project.
Sargeant will be replaced in the ELMS by Chevrolet factory driver Daniel Juncadella, who will be unavailable at Le Mans because he is contesting the full WEC aboard at TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
#33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R: Daniel Juncadella
Photo by: FIAWEC – DPPI
Hyundai Motorsport boss Cyril Abiteboul described drafting in Lotterer as “the logical choice”.
“This participation allows him to get familiar with the team, engineers and mechanics this year while bringing his invaluable expertise from Le Mans,” he explained.
Lotterer said: “This opportunity was discussed from the beginning of our collaboration, but the priority was always the drivers from the trajectory programme.
“Logan’s withdrawal gives me the chance to return to Le Mans and bring my experience to this young team.
“Racing at Le Mans is always special, and this experience will also help me stay sharp for the rest of the season.”
Juncadella is “the perfect fit” for the ELMS programme, according to Abiteboul. “He complements Mathys and Jamie perfectly, giving us a very balanced team,” he added.
Former Mercedes factory driver Juncadella has raced an LMP2 previously: he made a one-off at the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours in an ORECA run by the Jota team under the Jackie Chan DC Racing banner.
The trajectory programme has been devised to train drivers, engineers and mechanics ahead of the arrival of the Genesis GMR 001 Hypercar co-developed with ORECA in the WEC next season.
Genesis Magma Racing will have a base on a technology park built by the parent company of IDEC Sport adjacent to the Paul Ricard circuit.
In this article
Gary Watkins
Le Mans
European Le Mans
WEC
Andre Lotterer
Daniel Juncadella
IDEC Sport Racing
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