GENESIS SIGNS SARGEANT

Andre Lotterer and Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani at Genesis for Le Mans.

Grand prix refugee Logan Sargeant has found a new home at Hyundai.

The crash-prone American racer, who was drop-kicked out of the Williams team after a series of costly crashes this year, is one of the drivers signed for the South Korean company's new Genesis GT program.

The headline racers for the sports car program are three-time Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer, who joins Genesis from Porsche, and Daytona and Sebring winner Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani, who arrives from Cadillac.

The drivers were named at a gala event in Dubai to celebrate the creation of the Hyundai factory team, Genesis Magma Racing.

A first look at the car from Genesis Magma Racing.

It will not be racing for outright victory at Le Mans until 2026, which points to an end to Hyundai's current motorsport program in the World Rally Championship in 2025.

Instead, Lotterer and Derani will be "taking on technical development duties for the car and conducting simulator sessions", according to their new team.

The Genesis program is built around a Le Mans Daytona hybrid racer, the GMR-001, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship – including Le Mans – in 2026 and then IMSA racing in the USA from 2027.

The look of the car has been shaped by the Genesis design team under Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis, who is - ironically - a long-term Porsche fan.

Cyril Abiteboul, a former head of the Renault F1 team who currently leads the rally program, serving as team principal.

“This entry into motorsport is a natural evolution for Genesis,” said Donckerwolke, “As we look to push the boundaries of our brand, motorsport allows us to bring the spirit of hyperspeed—which drives how we create and innovate—in a way that aligns perfectly with our core values: Audacious, Progressive, and Distinctly Korean.”

The only obvious Genesis cue is the light layout.Le LeLe

Sargeant fits into the Genesis plan as a driver for LMP2 racing next year, a giant drop for a former grand prix racer, as the company fields a start-up squad in the European Le Mans series to groom its crew and gain experience of the long-distance sports car events.

Apart from Sargeant, the driver line-up is British female racer Jamie Chadwick, a multiple winner of the Formula W series who has been competing in the USA, and 19-year-old Frenchman Mathys Jaubert.

Although Genesis talked big on the Le Mans program there was no technical detail and no information – yet – on its plans for GT3 and GT4 racing.