Lotterer Feeling “Pressure” in One-Off LMP2 Le Mans Outing

Andre Lotterer has admitted he is feeling “pressure” in his one-off outing with IDEC Sport in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month as he prepares to tackle the French classic in the secondary class for the first time in his storied career.

Genesis signing Lotterer will share the No. 18 Oreca 07 Gibson with Trajectory program drivers Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, as part of the Hyundai-owned marque’s preparations for its 2026 Hypercar assault in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The three-time outright winner at the Circuit de la Sarthe was a late addition to the Genesis Magma Racing-branded LMP2 effort, taking the place of Logan Sargeant.

Lotterer had his first taste of the Oreca 07 earlier this month in a test at Paul Ricard and said he relished the different experience provided by the benchmark LMP2 car compared to the heavier LMDh machinery he has driven for the last two years for Porsche.

“I felt at home immediately,” Lotterer told Sportscar365 of the test. “It’s actually fun to drive because the car is light and a bit more agile than the LMDh cars.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been in LMP1 from the beginning of the WEC and to have always stayed there, but you look at the races [in LMP2], there are a lot of talented drivers, and the fact they all race with the same car means it’s a tough category.

“It’s a great platform, but I never thought, ‘ok, one day I will drive LMP2’. I have always had the privilege of being linked to a manufacturer and so it wasn’t on my radar. But in this constellation, it’s pretty cool.”

Lotterer added that the fact Chadwick and Jaubert, together with Daniel Juncadella, who will be part of the TF Sport Corvette squad at Le Mans, won their class in the opening two rounds of the European Le Mans Series means IDEC will be expected to perform.

“They won the first two LMP2 races, so they did something right!” Lotterer said of his teammates. “The pressure is kind of on for me… they are frontrunners, and we definitely have something to play for.

“They are both rookies at Le Mans, so I will try and be an open book and share my experience as much as I can, in terms of what they need to look out for. But in terms of driving, I’ll be learning from them because they know the car better than me.

“It’s an opportunity for both of them to show they deserve to be in the works team later on, although it’s still early to be thinking of things like that.”

So far, only Lotterer and Pipo Derani have been confirmed as drivers for the Genesis LMDh project, with Chadwick and Jaubert possible candidates to join the lineup along with Juncadella, who has expressed his Hypercar aspirations.

Lotterer Sees Himself Racing Well Into His 40s

His relationship with Porsche having ended last year, Lotterer says he is relishing playing the role of senior driver in the Genesis set-up, in the same way that nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen did when he first joined Audi in 2010.

The German, who will be 44 when Genesis makes its Le Mans debut next year, suggested that he still has the ambition to race at the highest level of endurance racing for several years to come yet as he chases an elusive fourth win at La Sarthe.

“It’s all about the mindset, spirit and motivation,” said Lotterer. “Physically I think I am stronger than ever, and this year, not racing so much, I have a lot of time to prepare physically. It’s what I love to do.

“I am really lucky to get this chance to continue. After Porsche said you can stay, but not in Hypercar, that wasn’t really stimulating for me. I think I had a good enough career to be able to decide myself when I want to stop racing at a high leveL.

“It’s also nice to also to complete the circle with younger drivers, in the same way that when I arrived at Audi, Tom was the senior guy. He was 46 when he won Le Mans for the final time [in 2013], so it could still be on the cards for me!”