Gérard López knows his way around the pavement world, but can it translate to the desert?

Iconic Racing, his vintage sports car team, plans to field an SUV-bodied Brenthel Gen 3.5 Trophy Truck 2WD throughout the 2026 SCORE season. If the program works out, he hopes to have two trucks in 2027.

“I am very excited to come into a new sport after 30 years of on-road racing,” López stated. “The last couple of years, I have raced in both Europe and the U.S. and became fond of the U.S. racing culture. We did well winning the IMSA HSR last year, but I wanted to try something else. I went to test a Trophy Truck and had an absolute blast.”

López was previously the president of Renault F1 Team, which then became Lotus, from 2009 to 2015. Under his watch, the team won two races with Kimi Räikkönen before returning to Renault at the end of the 2015 season.

Iconic Racing is one of the top teams in Historic Sportscar Racing, with seven class victories at the HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour with seven class victories. López is an owner–driver, sharing a 1969 Lola T70 Mk III with Marcel Fässler; the duo won the 2025 Vintage Prototype/Sports Racer Championship.

Besides motorsports, he currently owns the French soccer club FC Girondins de Bordeaux, who competes in Championnat National 2. Boavista FC, a historic Portuguese team, was also part of his portfolio until its shutdown due to financial issues after 2025.

While sports is a passion of his, he earned his keep as a businessman. López co-founded Genii Capital, which owned Renault-slash-Lotus until the sale back to Renault, and also runs the Lydian Group conglomerate.

Lydian is one of various companies backing Iconic’s desert program. Others include Swiss watchmaker Vanguart and DYC Hats.

“This year, I want to do a couple of races as a driver to get a feel for all of it,” he continued. “If I like it, and if there is a fit, I am thinking about having a two-truck team starting next year.

“Right now, I am an absolute novice and have massive respect for what I have seen drivers capable of doing in these trucks and the courses. It is absolute sensorial overload to drive those trucks, and we Europeans don’t understand the level of technology involved—especially on the suspension side or the driver commitment and courage required to do what they do. It is really going from 2D racing to 3D. I am looking forward to the racing with a massive dose of humility and making friends along the way.”

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