Austin, TEXAS, Sep. 7, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing scored its best FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) result so far at Lone Star Le Mans, with the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar of Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer finishing seventh. On a day which demanded that the drivers cope with changing conditions and high temperatures, the team reached new heights in its debut season.

Strong Pace and Reliability Rewarded With Result

The strong pace and excellent reliability that the team was aiming for were apparent from the very start of the weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Both GMR-001 Hypercars ran without mechanical issues during every session, and in Qualifying, both cars secured a place in Hyperpole for the first time in sessions using the WEC’s regular qualifying format.

Lotterer looked to improve further on Jaubert’s eighth-place qualifying results. He moved from eighth to fifth over the first racing lap, following two extra formation laps after rain fell during the pre-race ceremonies. His progress continued until an abortive move for third at the end of the back straight, which resulted in contact and a spin that dropped the German to the rear of the Hypercar field and drew an additional five-second penalty. As a result, the #17 team turned their focus to recovering the lost positions while managing energy and tires.

A Safety Car in the middle of Pipo Derani’s double stint helped bring the team back into contention and following a second single stint for Lotterer, a Virtual Safety Car with just over an hour remaining, delivered the chance to gain further ground by changing only left-side tires as Jaubert climbed back aboard for the final stint of the six-hour race.

For the final hour, the youngest driver in the Hypercar class went wheel-to-wheel with his more experienced rivals — some of whom had four new tires to his two. A move in traffic moved the #17 car to eighth, which became seventh due to a penalty for the #12 Cadillac — improving on the eighth place scored at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May.

The strong weekend for the team was completed by the #19 entry of Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella. Though the final Safety Car fell outside of their pitstop window and forced them to make a final stop after the restart, Jaminet made sure to keep the car on the lead lap during the frantic final hour to tick off a major pre-season goal for the team to begin the second half of the season.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “Overall, I’m very pleased with the performance the GMR-001 Hypercar showed both in qualifying and the race. It’s our best finish of the year so obviously we are happy. We will continue to work on the details to take another step forward in the next races. Of course, I’m a little disappointed because we had the potential to have both cars in the top 10 and scoring points. From a race management point of view, it wasn’t easy because the weather conditions changed throughout the race, and the drivers had to adapt, especially during the first part. Today, the difference between all the cars in the race was just a few tenths of a second, which shows just how tight the competition is. It makes the result even more encouraging and gives us confidence that we can achieve even better results in the upcoming races.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “We have to look at the positives from this weekend. We got both cars to finish on the lead lap. That was a big goal for us. We got one of the cars in the top 10. Neither car saw the garage with a technical issue, not only in the race, but in any of the practice sessions. I think we can be really proud of that. We've made some big steps, but we've got a long way to go and this race is gonna give us some motivation for that. On the flip side, we made several mistakes in several different areas, so it was a bit of a wake-up call. We need to polish up our procedures and be a bit smarter next time we come to the track to battle these guys.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

André Lotterer said: “It’s more points, and our best result so far this year in seventh, so we managed to recover well from the early race mishaps and after I started super well. I had a great start and we started to move forward, but then I went for the move on the Ferrari. We had a good car and a good setup all weekend. From my side, I had fun in the car — it was great to drive, and we were able to achieve some of our goals. Unfortunately, the sister car couldn’t make it into the points, so we need to see what happened. We still need to improve some aspects, but we're here to grow, to become stronger. We've come to Austin and learned more about what we can do for the rest of the year.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “It was not the easiest final stint. I was fighting with very experienced guys and I was struggling because it was very, very warm in the cockpit. It was tricky because we know our car. We are still developing it and in terms of braking, traction, everything, so fighting with them was even harder. Some cars behind me had four new tires, so I knew it was impossible to fight with them. But I knew that the BMW, the Peugeot, the Cadillac were on the same strategy, so I tried my best to fight with them and I think I did a good job. We had the pace for the points and I think we deserve this position. I pushed a lot, trying my best to overtake them. I’m very happy about this result. We would still like to have two cars in the points. There are still three races to go, so in terms of strategy, development, pit stop, everything, we still have a lot to learn and to progress.”

Pipo Derani said: “We'll obviously take this result. It was a very eventful race with lots of Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interventions. It was so crazy. We were at the top, we were at the bottom, and then here we are, finishing P7, taking our best result home and some other big positive points as well. Considering that it's our first year, I think we should be proud of what we achieved today. I couldn't be any happier. We could have done a couple of positions better, but that's almost about it. And I'm proud of how we evolved through the weekend, how we got this car to the checkered flag, and how we continue to develop as a team. It’s been a great weekend for us and there’s still a few more to go, so hopefully we can continue to improve a bit.

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “Overall, it’s a nice result for Genesis Magma Racing, with the sister car finishing seventh and achieving our best result so far. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get both cars into the points, we just missed out. We need to take the positives from this weekend and analyze what we can do better in the future. There is still plenty to learn, but we can be happy with the progress we’ve made. We’re looking forward to the next round, and I think we’ll keep getting better and better. I think we can improve on our restarts and how we can manage in traffic. In endurance racing, that’s obviously a way that you can gain some time and positions, but you can also lose a lot. We’ve shown again what the team and GMR-001 Hypercar can do.”

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I’m very happy for our sister car to finish seventh, which is a great result for the team and for Genesis. I think we showed some positive things with the work we did throughout the week, with good pace in practice and qualifying and excellent reliability on both sides of the garage. We were running together with the sister car until, unfortunately, towards the end of the race we made a mistake with the strategy on our side. These things can happen, but we need to learn from it, because we had the potential to bring both cars home inside the top ten. We’ll take the lessons from this weekend and come back stronger for the rest of the year.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “Unfortunately, P15 is not the result we wanted, but it was positive to see our sister car finish P7. However, for the first time, we brought both cars home on the lead lap without any technical issues, so that is an important target achieved. On the other hand, today we had the pace and the cars to have both GMR-001 Hypercars in the points, so it is disappointing not to have converted the potential that we showed in qualifying into a race result. There are clearly areas we need to review, as we did not operate at the level we want to as a team. We will keep learning, keep progressing and make sure we take those lessons into the next race.”

2026 Lone Star Le Mans – Hypercar class

For Genesis Magma Racing, the race marks a landmark milestone as the factory program makes its official U.S. racing debut with the GMR-001 Hypercar. At the technical center of this endeavor is Chief Engineer Justin Taylor, an American race engineer returning to lead a Korean luxury brand’s high-performance motorsport effort on home soil after years of experience with European factory programs.

Back on Familiar Ground

"I guess it’s no surprise that I feel at home when racing in Austin. Most of my family was born and raised in Texas and I still have a lot of family spread around the state. It will certainly be nice to have some of them there in person to support Genesis Magma Racing’s first race in the USA," says Taylor.

Having spent much of his career working in Europe with elite programs including Ferrari, Audi, and Cadillac, racing on American soil offers a unique mix of pride and perspective.

"The WEC races in the U.S. always are more special for me personally. I’ve spent most of my career being the only American in mostly European teams, so it’s always nice to have a chance to show off where I come from and get to share the excitement of the colleagues who are experiencing the USA for the first time.

“Professionally, I’m returning with more responsibility than ever before which adds some pressure but I’m excited to see how we’ve done with our homework over the summer break," he explains.

That connection to home is made even stronger by the presence of his family trackside during the Austin race weekend. His father played a fundamental role in introducing him to the sport, making his attendance at COTA particularly meaningful.

"My father was the one who ignited my interest in motorsport when I was younger and he comes to see as many races as he can. This race is no exception and it’s really comforting to know I’ll have his support and advice close by on race day," Taylor notes.

GMR-001 Hypercar Development Progress

The 2026 FIA WEC season has already tested Genesis Magma Racing through an intense debut. From the GMR-001 Hypercar’s competitive first outing at Imola in April through subsequent rounds at Spa-Francorchamps, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and São Paulo, the team has navigated a steep learning curve in real-world race conditions.

Transitioning from private testing to dense multi-class WEC traffic presented immediate engineering hurdles.

"Through our development, we didn’t get to drive with race traffic or other Hypercars. So, when we first followed other cars in Imola, the car was behaving differently and we’ve had to learn how to adapt," Taylor shares.

Each race weekend in the first half of the season provided essential data and operational growth. While finishing the 24 Hours of Le Mans demonstrated vehicle endurance, the team’s biggest leap forward occurred in Brazil.

"Of course finishing Le Mans with one of the cars felt like a partial validation of the hard work. But the #17 failure left a lingering feeling of disappointment. So, I’d say it’s São Paolo where we made the biggest step with the car. We saw good performance in qualifying, decent race pace and most importantly — both cars stayed clear of the garage," Taylor reflects.

Refining Performance

As the GMR-001 Hypercar continues to evolve, its baseline strengths and developmental focus areas have become clearly defined on track.

"The GMR-001 Hypercar is good at high-speed cornering but it’s the low-speed areas where we are looking for improvements," says Taylor.

During the mid-season summer shutdown, the engineering team focused on refining systems rather than introducing major physical bodywork changes.

"We’ve been able to put more work into our software robustness to electrical problems and refine our energy saving methods to be more efficient. There are no specific part upgrades being brought to COTA," he explains.

Mastering the Circuit of the Americas

Navigating the 5.514-kilometer Circuit of the Americas requires balancing distinct physical and thermal demands. The track’s character places intense stress on mechanical components, tires, and human performance alike.

"The COTA track is quite bumpy, and the weather is normally somewhere between hot and hotter. The bumps are not completely unfamiliar, thanks to Imola, but the heat is on another level compared to what we’ve experienced so far. Because of this we’ll need to manage everything carefully — from the brakes and engine temps, to the condition of the drivers, engineers and mechanics," Taylor emphasizes.

COTA’s complex layout tests every aspect of the GMR-001’s performance envelope, particularly in the lower-speed sectors and high-wear turn sequences.

"Sector 3 is tough due to the low-speed corners where we can’t use our strong aerodynamic characteristics. The triple right is also in Sector 3 and though it’s a medium speed corner, it’s a tire killer so we’ll need to consider our pace here if we want the rubber to last," Taylor details.

The intense heat of Texas also alters tire strategy significantly.

"The heat is a huge factor and it affects the tires in a big way. Due to this heat, it will be the first WEC race of 2026 where the Hard tire is in the allocation, so learning how and when to use them will be critical," he adds.

Turning Issues into Opportunities

As Chief Engineer, Taylor balances wide-ranging technical and organizational responsibilities across both race cars.

"My main responsibility is to ensure that all the engineers have the tools, information, resources and support to do their jobs. I’m also ensuring that both cars and crews are working as a team to extract the maximum information from the practice sessions so we can use it to optimize our performance in qualifying and race," Taylor says.

He also emphasizes leveraging the diverse background of the driver lineup.

"The Genesis drivers bring a wide array of experience to the team which is a big advantage for us. I try to never miss an opportunity to use their experience to help us through a situation we’ve not faced together," he shares.

Building Genesis Magma Racing from the ground up required establishing a supportive, problem-solving mindset early in the program.

"The first months — and even a few after — were very difficult and not everything worked as we hoped. Through this period, we stuck together and now we’ve evolved into a culture that views problems and issues as opportunities," Taylor explains.

Maintaining high morale over a grueling debut demands a structured approach to adversity.

"If you try to do anything that’s difficult, you’ll encounter failures on some level. Nobody joined the team thinking it would be easy, that’s first. Accompanying this fact, we have a strict ‘no finger pointing’ rule. We actively choose to view failures as chances to improve and we make sure to highlight successes big and small," he adds.

COTA Success and Beyond

Heading into the race weekend, Taylor’s target for the team is straightforward: "Both cars finishing inside the top 10."

Beyond immediate race results, competing on American soil offers Genesis a vital opportunity to highlight its high-performance aspirations in a key market.

"If you spend a few minutes driving in the U.S. you’ll see quite a few Genesis cars so it’s clear Americans are familiar with the brand’s quality, luxury and value. We hope to show there is also a strong performance side that’s only getting stronger," says Taylor.

As Justin Taylor takes his place on the COTA pit wall surrounded by family, colleagues, and American fans, his leadership within Genesis Magma Racing stands as a compelling testament to passion and dedication in modern motorsport.

"Motorsport is for everyone and if you look in our team or around the paddock, you’ll see people with various backgrounds, countries and ethnicities. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. The only things needed to succeed in motorsport are passion and a willingness to work hard," Taylor concludes.

Austin, TEXAS, Aug. 28, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing will make its racing debut in North America for the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) — Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The event comes after the series’ summer break, which gave the team the opportunity to reflect on the progress made during the first half of the season and lessons learned from the 6 Hours of São Paulo.

Gaining Experience on Top of History in North America

At Lone Star Le Mans, which follows the familiar 6-hour format of the WEC, Genesis Magma Racing will be aiming to once again show the strong performance of the GMR-001 Hypercar, proven by the team’s Hyperpole appearances at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the latest round in Brazil.

However, the team also hopes to optimize its operations to take advantage of the reliability of the car after bringing both GMR-001 Hypercars to the finish without issues for the first time in Interlagos. To do so, both team and drivers will need to avoid the type of small errors that limited the team’s results in Brazil, as they seek to add to the lone points-scoring finish this season (eighth for the #17 Hypercar of Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May). 

A test at COTA in late July was crucial in helping the team and drivers prepare for the event. The two days of running helped the team build a baseline setup for the car and an understanding of the track conditions, mindful of the challenges presented by the high ambient and track temperatures. This knowledge will be crucial to the team, making up for their relative lack of experience at the venue — which has hosted an FIA WEC round on eight previous occasions — compared to their rivals in the Hypercar class.

The test was even more important as many of the team have limited experience at the circuit. Lotterer is a past Lone Star Le Mans winner in the LMP1 era of WEC competition and finished sixth in the 2024 edition, while Paul-Loup Chatin and Mathieu Jaminet have Hypercar experience at the circuit from the most recent WEC visits there. On the other hand, for Derani, Jaubert and Dani Juncadella, the test gave them their first Hypercar laps of the circuit. The test was Jaubert’s first-ever visit to the track. Derani, though he has not raced at the circuit since 2016, has enjoyed plenty of success in the U.S. as a two-time IMSA SportsCar champion, while for Jaminet, a return to the circuit where he had previous success, and to the U.S. as the 2025 IMSA champion, is cause for a special one-off helmet design.

The GMR-001 Hypercar’s history in the U.S. goes back even further. In April 2025, the New York International Auto Show hosted the first showing of the full-scale model of the design, sporting a red and orange livery that would eventually be realized as the race livery for the car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year.

The U.S. is a key market for Genesis, especially for the brand’s SUV and EV models. This position as one of the leading markets was underlined in recent weeks, when the brand hosted the global launch of the new GV90 model in San Francisco.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Through the first part of the FIA WEC season we have shown great progress as a team and have achieved many of the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the year. We are still a very new team compared to those we are racing against, but we have shown we are capable of competing with them, which is a great step forward to make in just four races. However, while we have shown great reliability and strong performance, we need to be able to put them together into the complete package more consistently. Our performance at the 6 Hours of São Paulo showed the importance of performing in not just one area, but as a whole team. The WEC is incredibly competitive — maybe more this year than ever — any mistake is very costly, so we need to make eliminating these mistakes the next step in our progress this year.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “From a driver’s perspective, COTA is a very challenging circuit. It is very bumpy in some areas and has a bit of everything, with high-speed corners, heavy braking zones and technical sections where you need a good balance between the car and the driver. It was important that we were able to test there. It gave us the opportunity to understand the circuit and car better before the race weekend, so we can arrive better prepared with a clearer direction. The key thing for us is to continue the progress we have made. In Brazil, we had small mistakes that cost us time and positions. These are the kind of things we need to avoid, especially when the competition is so close. We had some discussions with the drivers to analyze what happened, what we could have done differently and how we can improve. It is important that we learn from these situations and not repeat the same mistakes.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “We were able to get some good data from the test in very high ambient and track temperatures, which gave us a preview of how the car behaves and responds in the extreme conditions we might face during the race weekend. COTA demands a lot of different things simultaneously, but undoubtedly it is a circuit with high sensitivity to grip. To go fast we need to keep the rubber underneath us, so if it is hot we will need to actively manage the temps to be sure they last a complete stint or even a double. Choosing how to manage qualifying and finding the best way to minimize tire wear in the race will be key. We’ve also used the summer break to work on some weaknesses we’ve identified through the first half of the season, so we can continue to move forward.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “Racing in the United States always feels like coming home. I have incredible memories and milestones from my seasons competing in IMSA, and the American fans bring an authentic energy and passion to the paddock that is unmatched. Returning to compete on U.S. soil on a world championship stage is special, and I want nothing more than to put on a great show for the crowd there. COTA is notoriously demanding on tire degradation and ride compliance over the bumps, but beyond the driving, COTA holds a very special place for me personally. One of my best memories here was back in 2015 during my debut WEC season, having my father by my side at this race. Coming back here always brings those moments to mind. Behind the wheel, it’s a track that demands complete commitment — attacking the uphill climb into Turn 1 and flowing through the Esses on fresh tires is still one of the most rewarding feelings.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “COTA is very demanding, quite different from the tracks we have driven before, and the extreme heat was also an important factor. The circuit is not easy to understand at first. There are a lot of bumps, which make the car quite difficult to drive. That’s why the test was very important for me, to get more comfortable with the track and understand how to approach it. I really like Sector 1, with the sequence of fast corners. It’s very challenging because you need to commit a lot, and it’s probably my favorite part of the circuit. We mainly focused on working on the setup and continuing to develop the different systems on the car. Every day in the car is important, and we were able to work on many different areas, not only the performance of the car, but also our pit stops, our efficiency during operations and our overall organization as a team.”

André Lotterer said: “The test at COTA was really valuable for us. Having the opportunity to run there before the race weekend allowed us to understand the track better with the GMR-001 and work through a number of different setup directions. COTA is quite a demanding circuit, with a great mix of high-speed sections, technical corners and some big braking zones, so there is a lot to get right. After São Paulo, we know there are still areas where we need to improve, and the test gave us some useful information that we can hopefully turn into performance when we come back. The summer break has also given everyone a chance to reset, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we can respond in Austin. It’s a challenging track where you need confidence in the car, especially through the fast first sector. I really like that section when the car is working well; it has a great flow. Hopefully, we can put everything we’ve learned together and have a strong weekend.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “COTA is a really nice track. The first sector is probably the biggest challenge because of the combination of fast corners and changes of direction. The lap there has a bit of everything: high-speed corners, heavy braking zones and technical sections. It is a track where you really need to be precise, but at the same time you have to attack. The summer break gave everyone the opportunity to reset, analyze the first part of the season and come back with fresh energy. Interlagos was not the result we wanted, but it also highlighted areas where we can improve. The important thing is that we keep pushing together, stay focused on the details and use every opportunity to make the car and the team stronger. We had the opportunity to test some different setup directions last month. We improved our understanding of the car and tires, and validated some of the developments we have been working on. It was an important test to make sure we arrive at the race weekend with a clear direction.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “I’m super happy to get back to COTA. In the past, it’s been a track that I found suits me really well. It’s a track where I’ve been really successful in GTs — some really good performances and a lot of poles, wins and podiums, so it’s definitely a track I enjoy. Going back to America obviously brings me good memories from my seasons in the IMSA series. I really enjoyed being back at the track at the test and I know I’ll enjoy the race weekend. It’s definitely one of my highlights. I’m actually bringing a special helmet for the event as I really love the US and love Austin. One of the key things we learned from the test was about the tires – obviously with a new spec this year. We had the opportunity to test with the hard compound, which we haven’t driven much this season. There’s a lot of data to analyze and make sure we work in the right direction going into the race.”

Dani Juncadella said: “I’ve only raced at COTA for the last two years in WEC. Last year was a bit of disaster with the changing conditions in the race, which didn’t help us in the GT3 — it was one to forget. But it’s a track I really enjoy. It’s great when you can test directly at the track where you are going to race next and be able to tweak a couple of things, and the team is always coming up with updates for the systems and things to try with the setup for the GMR-001 Hypercar. I think we learned a lot in terms of tire pressures, and how to manage the tires in the heat with a couple of different compounds. The ambient temperature for the race should be similar to what we had for the test, so having this knowledge always helps to see what works and what doesn’t, and I got to know the track behind the wheel of a Hypercar for the first time.”

STAVELOT, Belgium, Aug. 23, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing’s trio of Trajectory Program drivers, Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella, continued their consistent season in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), finishing the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in third place after a post-race penalty for the #10 Vector Sport entry promoted them from fourth.

Single Lap Performance Shows Team’s Potential Pace

A superb qualifying lap by Rinicella delivered on the potential single lap pace the team had shown throughout the two Free Practice sessions. The result was the first ELMS pole position for Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers and also earned the Italian the Marc van der Straten Pole Position Trophy, awarded in honor of the Belgian racing legend.

Jamie Chadwick returned to her normal role of starting the #18 IDEC Sport-run Oreca 07. A strong start saw her reach turn one at La Source unchallenged, but a Safety Car before the end of the opening lap neutralized the race for the first of five times during her stint. Though she would lose the lead after the first restart, she held second position until handing over the car 12 minutes before the half-way point.

The team would lose time and positions in the pitstop, dropping to fifth in the LMP2 class after having to push the car back to allow Hörr to exit around a GT competitor in the neighboring garage. The longer than normal opening stint also limited the team’s strategy options to make up the lost time, with the pattern remainder for the race largely dictated by the minimum drive times for both Hörr and Rinicella.

The two drivers kept themselves in podium contention, with Hörr able to temporarily move back into a podium position in the middle of his stint. It was a position that Rinicella was unable to retake over the final hour of racing, leaving the team once more the first off the podium, but still taking the positives from the weekend.

However, following a post-race penalty for the #10 Vector Sport entry, the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers — Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella — have been promoted to third position overall in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The decision gives the trio their first podium of the 2026 European Le Mans Series season and caps a strong weekend in which the team also claimed a first pole position. The team and drivers lie third in the championship standings, 18 points behind, with two rounds remaining — Silverstone (Sep. 11-13) and Portimão (Oct. 8-10).

Post Race Quotes - #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07

Jamie Chadwick said: “It was crazy how many Safety Cars there ended up being, especially in the second part of my stint. All in all, it was fairly good. The car ahead was flying. I didn't have really the pace to keep with them, but I think second place was pretty good to come in with. The problem is, when you're fighting up at the front, it's very hard to take risks and be aggressive on strategy decisions. Unfortunately, I think this ended up hurting with all the Safety Cars in the end. It didn't fall our way strategy-wise, so I think fourth was the best we could do for today. There's a lot to be happy with, including the first pole position for the team and my first time starting on pole in ELMS, which was really cool. We can take a lot of positives, but equally a lot that we can work on.”

Laurents Hörr said: “It was really hard fighting on track, but quite clean, to be honest. We were up and down today – I lost a position, won a position. We struggled a little bit with pace. We were just missing a tiny bit, which kept us from going further. During Jamie’s stint, I was on standby for about one hour with the helmet ready in the pit lane, but it was the same for all the cars. We didn't lose in this situation, and it gave us a bit of flexibility, which maybe we could have explored further. We've been so close to the podium and we saw that here and there at this pit stop or that pit stop, we could have gained five or eight seconds or tried a different strategy. We have to be happy with the overall performance and the result, and we will see where our pace is in Silverstone.”

Valerio Rinicella said: “I would say I'm happy with the result, but at the same time, I'm a bit disappointed because I expected to be a bit faster in the second part of my stint. I think maybe the fuel load had too much effect on the car. Already in the first laps, I felt that the tires were not giving me everything, so I just tried to manage. The beginning was okay – just a lot of traffic, but it’s still more points in the pocket. So we are happy for that, but we expected more pace overall. You know, it's hard to predict what you can do or where you can improve. We showed that we had a fast car. We just need to work maybe now on long runs and to see how to manage tire degradation and the traffic a bit more. But overall we can be proud of what we've done so far. The team is happy, we are happy, and let's fight for Silverstone now.“

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “The big positive from the weekend is the pace our Trajectory Program drivers showed in the practice sessions and qualifying. Valerio’s performance in qualifying showed how much experience he has gained over the course of the season, and how fast he is on a single lap, despite his very short experience in the category, and the strength of the team in Qualifying this weekend. Unfortunately, the race didn’t fall the way we would have liked, even though there were good individual performances from all three drivers. The slow pitstop lost some time and positions, which were very difficult to make up while the second half of the event was much cleaner than the first, without the same number of Safety Cars. Fourth is still a very good result, especially while we can see the progress the drivers are making, and we know they and the team will keep pushing for the next round.”

The team’s goals for their debut season were simple and modest — finish each race, improve the cars, improve the drivers, improve the team.

In endurance racing, distance covered matters more than speed, so every second a Hypercar spends off the track and stationary in the pit lane matters. Genesis Magma Racing made it to Hyperpole for the second race in a row and showed serious pace during the race at Interlagos. Both #17 and #19 GMR-001 Hypercars showed strong reliability to complete a race without technical issues for the first time, but penalties and small mistakes limited the results the team could achieve.

For a team determined to prove itself, there is no room for error — no margin for the mistakes that cost races. A pit stop at any race is controlled chaos where timing, precision and trust are the only things standing between finishing the race, or not.

Box, Box!

“Box, box!” These two words signal the driver to enter the pit lane for a pit stop. As the car enters the pit lane, the driver activates the pit lane speed limiter, slowing to the pit lane speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour.

The car screams into the pit box, stopping where the car controller holds his marker, or lollipop. The car controller holds complete responsibility for the safety of the entire pit stop operation.

Nothing else happens until the engine is shut off and the car is electrically grounded.

Only then does the refueler move — the only person authorized to operate the fuel line. The refueler connects the fuel hose to the Hypercar. For the next 40 seconds, 80 liters will flow into the GMR-001 Hypercar's tank.

Strict safety rules prohibit almost every other action while the refueler completes their task. Only one other person is permitted to touch the car — the pit crew member assigned to clean the windshield. The front wheel gunner launches onto the front of the Hypercar, wiping away dirt and debris. The driver's vision must be unobstructed as there is no margin for error at up to 330 kilometers per hour.

The rest of the crew is on standby, ready for their turn.

Fuel In, Wheels Off

The moment the fuel hose disconnects, everything accelerates.

A wheel carrier thrusts a lance into the side of the Hypercar to activate the integrated pneumatic jacks. All four wheels are off the ground in just a second.

The front wheel gunner is already moving, pneumatic gun in hand, executing a motion refined through thousands of repetitions. He squeezes the trigger once, the single nut securing the front left wheel now unfastened. The wheel is then removed in just two-tenths of a second.

The wheel carrier is right behind the gunner with a fresh tire at the ready. The wheel gunner and carrier work in perfect synchronization to swap out the wheels — time and experience perfect this sequence to an art form.

Without pausing for a moment, they sprint to the right side of the Hypercar, with two other pit crew members performing identical moves on the rear wheels.

The car controller stands still, lollipop in front of the Hypercar, overseeing every moment of the stop.

The tire team removes the lance. The car drops to the ground.

All that happens in just two minutes.

The car controller raises the lollipop, and the driver sends the Hypercar back out onto the track.

See it all happen in slow motion and incredible detail in the video below:

Deciding When to Pit

The strategic timing of a pit stop in endurance racing is far more complex than simply waiting for the fuel light to come on. In the WEC, pit stops are mathematically and tactically timed to maintain position or even leapfrog competitors.

Undercut

The undercut is an aggressive, proactive strategy used when a car is stuck closely behind a rival but cannot find a clean way to pass on track.

The strategist calls the GMR-001 Hypercar into the pits one to two laps earlier than the target window. The Hypercar is fitted with fresh tires, giving it an edge over its competitors. While the rival ahead continues driving on worn tires, the driver unleashes the maximum pace of their fresh tires on their out-lap (the first lap after leaving the pit lane).

When the rival finally pits another lap or two later, their pit stop is normal, but their out-lap is slow. By the time they merge back onto the track, the GMR-001 Hypercar that pitted early — having already warmed up its fresh tires by running two blazing-fast laps — streaks past them.

Overcut

The overcut is the opposite of the undercut, used when the track is highly abrasive or when warming up cold tires is notoriously difficult, such as during cold night stints at Le Mans.

The rival car pits first. Instead of reacting immediately, the strategist instructs the GMR-001 driver to stay out for two to three more laps while they observe the competitor.

The rival exits the pits on cold tires, struggling for grip and pace. Meanwhile, the GMR-001 driver, running on fully warmed (though worn) tires, flies through clear air, clocking in faster times.

Because the GMR-001 Hypercar maintained a blistering pace while the rival was slower on cold rubber, the GMR-001 Hypercar car builds enough of a gap to pit, change tires and exit the pit lane safely ahead of the rival.

Exploiting Safety Periods

The ultimate timing coup in WEC is pitting during a Full Course Yellow (FCY) or a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). Under green flag conditions, a pit stop at a track like Spa-Francorchamps costs roughly 50 to 60 seconds of "lost time" relative to cars speeding down the straight at 300 kilometers per hour.

Under an FCY, the entire field is speed-limited to 80 kilometers per hour. Because the cars on track are moving much slower, the relative time lost by stopping in the pits drops dramatically — often saving 20 to 30 seconds.

A riskier version of the stop can be done the moment an incident occurs on track. The strategist has seconds to calculate if the pit entry is open and if they can dive in before the FCY is officially declared, or exactly as it drops. Timing this perfectly can instantly vault a car up multiple spots because the entire field is speed-limited and the cars begin to bunch up and the gaps between them get reduced.

Stay tuned for the next installment of Genesis Magma Racing's 2026 WEC Season Guide.

SAO PAULO, July 12, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing can take valuable lessons and experience from the 6 Hours of São Paulo, the first fly-away event in its debut season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Both GMR-001 Hypercars showed strong reliability to complete a race without technical issues for the first time, but penalties and small mistakes limited the results the team could achieve.

Strategy Showed Potential; Cut Short by Penalties

In a busy first stint, the difficulty of racing through traffic on the WEC calendar’s shortest track was clear. Both Genesis Magma Racing entries, started by André Lotterer and Daniel Juncadella, lost ground navigating around the GT-class runners. More costly, however, were the early penalties collected by both cars, including a drive-through for the #19, that dropped them down the order.

In response, the team chose to extend the stints of both cars. The energy advantage gained saw both cars rise up the order as they were among the last cars to pit. Lotterer briefly assumed the lead in a fleeting GMR-001 Hypercar 1-2 before pitting to complete the opening drivers’ double stints after just over two hours.

As the race ran without the interruption of anything more disruptive than a short Full Course Yellow, however, the team was never able to make the most of the good strategy despite the flawless reliability of both cars. The potential for rain, as clouds lowered around the circuit in the final two hours of the race, largely held off — even as the GMR-001 Hypercar’s Two-Line design headlights cast an increasingly prominent beam.

The #17 crew was unable to make up for the time lost in the first half of the race, despite the choice to shorten Mathys Jaubert’s second stint to install home hero Pipo Derani. Derani — the only Brazilian driver in the top class — pushed all the way to the checkered flag on his home track, though could only be rewarded with a 15th place finish.

After a strong middle stint from Mathieu Jaminet, where the #19 car again climbed as high as second, Paul-Loup Chatin took the final double stint for the trio still waiting for their first WEC points. The team’s strategy brought him to the pits for the final time with 45 minutes remaining, and though some of the teams running ahead were forced into an extra, late, stop, it was not enough to allow Chatin to gain any places from 13th.

Though the team was always aware of the challenge of the unique Interlagos track, to leave Brazil without a second haul of points is a frustrating end to the weekend. Both GMR-001 Hypercars showed strong pace during the Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, including when Mathieu Jaminet topped Friday afternoon’s FP2 before he qualified the #19 entry seventh on Saturday.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “The 6 Hours of São Paulo was quite a different race from the previous ones for us. The biggest positive was clearly the level of reliability. Getting both cars through the race without any technical issues was a main target coming here after all the data accumulated in Le Mans. It's great to see that in a limited amount of time, we've been able to react and address issues from the first part of the season. On the other side, this good reliability exposes more directly our overall performance and, unfortunately, we've seen clearly our current limitations in different aspects of our operations and package. The positive is that we accumulated more data on a very specific track, with lots of opportunities to learn and build upon for what's coming next. If we can carry this reliability, then the next focus will be on cleaner race execution so that we can start climbing up into the classification.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “We cannot be happy about the race result. There were small mistakes that came from the team and drivers cost us some penalties during the race. But there are some big positives. The car was reliable from the first corner until the end. No problem coming from chassis, engine or systems. That's very good. It's the first time that we haven’t faced a problem with reliability. This track is unique and we don't have any data from previous years, and we never tested on this track. That has probably cost us some performance, because our pace was a little bit up and down. To finish out of the point is a shame after a very good Qualifying and Free Practice, but we need to learn from mistakes and keep improving race by race, session by session.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “It was a difficult race. Interlagos is a tight circuit, and we saw a lot of contact and penalties throughout the field, and we weren't immune to that. Despite the result, it was another important step forward for us. For the first time, both cars completed the race without going into the garage, and that's a significant milestone for the team. Everything we focused on worked as expected, particularly in terms of reliability and reacting better to changing conditions. We still have work to do, but we're continuing to move in the right direction. Of course, we wanted to finish in the top 10 and add to the points we scored earlier this season, but that will have to wait until Austin.”

Anouck Abadie, Genesis Magma Racing Team Manager, said: "This is the first time that both cars have finished without any major issues, so that's a big first step. We can be happy about that. Weekend after weekend, we keep taking positives away. We learn a lot every race, and that's really important for the future. I think we've shown that both the team and the car are capable of delivering. We've improved the reliability of the car, which is a very good step forward, and as a team we've proved that we can do it while continuing to learn. Of course, it's not the result we were hoping for, but from our own perspective it's already a positive outcome. We'll use the summer break to train, come back stronger in Austin, and see if we can improve again."

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

André Lotterer said: “It was a tough day because we were actually doing well. We were in the mix, but it was just one of those races with too many little issues. It was one of those days where we could have achieved more. The car felt good, but there are still a few things we need to understand. I also got a penalty after racing aggressively with the Toyota, but that was just one of several issues. Some of them were self-inflicted, but the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar was good. The positive is that both cars finished reliably. Now we just need to look at the issues, learn from them, and come back stronger. Still, I had fun in the car. It’s all part of our journey. Sometimes you don’t have a perfect day, but we keep learning and moving forward.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “So, the race is done here at the 6 Hours of São Paulo. Overall, it was another weekend where we learned a lot as a team. Once again, it showed that the car is very strong over one lap, but we still have a lot of work to do over long stints and in race conditions. Overall, we expected to score points, and that was the target. We didn’t achieve that, but we still finished the race without any issues with both cars, which was another big target for the weekend. We had a few penalties and an issue with one tire, but overall it was a productive weekend. Now the focus shifts to the next step, with the test in Austin followed by the race there.”

Pipo Derani said: “It was nice to be back at home driving at Interlagos. It’s a privilege to drive in front of my home crowd. And the whole energy that the Brazilian people bring, it's amazing. Unfortunately, we couldn't give them a better result. We were a bit out of the race for my stints with everything that had happened up until then. Nevertheless, we were trying to bring the car home with no issues, which is a big step for the team, and I got to have fun in the last two stints. It was a good team effort. I'm looking forward to coming back here next year. We learned a lot this weekend. We showed some promise, but we have things to learn still. That's part of the game. And the positive is that I got to drive at home.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “Obviously, it was a disappointing result. My stint was probably about the wildest two hours I’ve ever had in a race car. I had a really good start and made a few positions, but we kept finding ourselves in the wrong place at the beginning of the race in traffic, and then we received a penalty for a Full Course Yellow infringement, which dropped us even further back. I also had contact with an amateur Ferrari that was completely lost, and that really killed our chances today. Unfortunately, all of that put us a lap down, and we stayed there for pretty much the rest of the race. From then onwards, the final four hours were actually quite okay, but we had simply lost too much time earlier in the race to recover.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “Finishing P13 is not ideal when you’re starting from P7, but it’s only our fourth race, so I’m not too disappointed. It was one of those days. We had a few issues here and there, and there are a lot of things to improve. We made a few mistakes as a team, and it shows just how competitive this championship is. I feel this is a race where we have a lot to learn. There’s plenty to analyze and a lot of data to go through. It’s only our fourth race, so at the end of the day I’m not too disappointed. There are a lot of lessons to take away from both cars, in the way we approached the race and how we operated throughout the weekend. It’s all part of the process. We keep learning, we keep growing, and we’ll come back fighting stronger next time.”

Paul-Loup Chatin said: "It was a difficult race, honestly. We decided to double-stint the tires to try and gain track position, but the grip was really poor and I was never able to switch the tires on. The conditions were tricky. There was a lot of drizzle, but the track remained dry, which made it difficult to find the right balance. I tried a lot of different things, but in the end we learned a lot today. Now we need to understand what happened and come back stronger. There are still plenty of positives to take away. Overall, we've shown that the car has strong reliability and performance, but we were missing some pace in the race. We'll analyze why, learn from it and come back stronger in Austin."

The race in Interlagos is the next crucial step for Korean manufacturer Genesis in developing its Hypercar program. For Brazilian GMR driver Luis “Pipo” Derani, it means something a bit more personal — bringing his new team to his own backyard and fulfilling a very delayed dream. After all, this is where a young Derani won the São Paulo Junior Menor Championship in 2005, when he was just 12 years old. But an unexpected career trajectory kept him from his home turf for most of his racing life.

A Detour Through America

Already a strong driver from his previous experience in other European series, Derani was picked up to drive in the LMP2 class at the tail end of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2014. He was later recruited for the FIA WEC 2015 season, taking home a win and seven podium finishes in the LMP2 class that year.

“I raced in the WEC in 2015-2016. 2015 was the first year that Interlagos was off the calendar, so it was a shame. Then my career took me to the United States and I spent most of my racing days there,” said Derani.

Derani did well in the U.S., racking up experience in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) SportsCar Championship. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona, coming first in the Prototype Class, in 2017 when he was just 24. After a few years of consistent podium finishes, he won the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship DPi Class with four wins and eight podiums. He switched classes and won again in 2023 in the IMSA SportsCar Championship GTP Class, securing a win and three podiums. Most recently in 2025 he replicated his 2023 IMSA win and also won the 12 Hours of Sebring GTP class.

“I spent many years in the United States racing in the Hypercar category, which is called GTP there,” said Derani. “I felt that I had successfully achieved everything I wanted to accomplish in the United States, like the wins in Daytona and Sebring.”

The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) was introduced to IMSA in 2023, while Hypercar officially replaced the older LMP1 category at FIA WEC in 2021 as the top-tier prototype class.

The Genesis of a New Era

“Then I decided to take a new turn for my career, to return to Europe to compete in WEC with Genesis, which is a new team,” Derani said. “I wanted to go back to WEC and build a career at least for a few years to try to win another world championship. I felt that was my next objective.”

Derani made this decision in 2024, the same year Interlagos returned to the FIA WEC rotation.

“We started the project at the end of 2024, where I was announced alongside André Lotterer,” Derani said. “At that moment we had no engineers on the team, so we really started from scratch. Today we are here at Interlagos in our fourth race after a year and a half of development, seeing the team grow from two members to over 100."

Derani has already made his mark on Genesis Magma Racing’s debut WEC season. He brought the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar over the finish line at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, scoring the team’s first points. The team made the decision to pit and switch drivers during a Virtual Safety Car period near the end of the race. He was able to move up to eighth and defend his position through the closing stages against drivers with newer tires, holding on till the checkered flag.

Establishing the Groundwork

Interlagos presents a distinct set of demands. As one of the few counterclockwise circuits on the WEC calendar, its layout is notoriously taxing on drivers' neck muscles, while its significant elevation changes require a highly versatile car setup. Additionally, São Paulo's intense heat adds a layer of physical and mechanical endurance that cannot be overlooked. Even though it is technically a home race for Derani, the track's unique characteristics present a very different environment than what he and the team typically encounter.

“Interlagos will be the first race of what we call the second half of the championship, and has been a great learning process for us,” explained Derani. “In the second half of the year we’ll try to apply everything we’ve learned into practice and improve. I think we have a chance to show a good performance here at home. But we’re still learning. There will still be many things that we’ll look back on someday and say we could have done it better. There will be other areas where we’ll be surprised by what we’ll show. I hope to be more surprised than disappointed this weekend.”

As Genesis Magma Racing makes its debut at Interlagos, the absence of historical track data transforms this race weekend into an invaluable learning opportunity. Every lap will yield fresh insights that will help build the team’s technical foundation and provide a performance benchmark for future races.

“Being able to race at home again, at Interlagos, which I’ve only done before in Formula 3, the winter championship, will be very cool,” Derani said. “To be able to race in front of our public, in a world championship in the main category, will be extraordinary.”

A Paulista’s Homecoming

Coming off the intense, monthlong buildup to Le Mans, the São Paulo round arrives at the perfect time. The transition from the 13.626-kilometer, 24-hour, clockwise track in France to the much shorter and hotter 4.309-kilometer counterclockwise Interlagos offers a refreshing strategy reset.

For Derani, this means that he can share the thrill of motorsport and the progress of the Genesis Magma Racing program at the doorstep of long-time friends, family and local supporters who have followed his career since his karting days.

“It is a great pleasure for me to return to Brazil. Finally being able to return to WEC and race at home is a dream come true,” said Derani, sharing his excitement.

“I’ve had the great privilege of being part of this team from the beginning. Joining a team that is already running is one thing; you have to integrate yourself into it. But being part of and shaping a team from the beginning is a whole other thing. It is a large, long-term project that we hope will bear much fruit in the near future.”

To the uninitiated, it may seem like a celebration of victory at the world’s most legendary race. The #19 Hypercar had actually finished in 13^th place. But for a debutant team surviving their first brutal 24-hour endurance test, finishing 13^th felt exactly like a win.

The #19 car had to be restarted three times during the 24-hour marathon, nevertheless it survived the demands of the ultimate endurance race. Genesis Magma Racing, a brand-new team in its inaugural year, had done something no other Korean manufacturer had ever done: raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished.

Motorsport’s Most Hallowed Ground

Le Mans is the oldest continuously run motorsport event in the world, with its first race held in 1923. Among all global motorsport events, its legend is comparable only to the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 in history, prestige and significance.

The race has elevated manufacturers and humbled others into obscurity. In its 100-year history, Le Mans was not held only twice: during a nationwide French labor strike in 1936 and during World War II, from 1940 to 1948. The race has evolved from a proving ground for production cars into the pinnacle of endurance racing, where the latest automotive technology — hybrid engines, direct-injection diesel powerplants and advanced materials — is pushed to its absolute limits.

Unlike modern closed racing tracks with uniform safety barriers and standardized features, the Circuit de la Sarthe is semi-permanent and untamed. It winds through the French countryside, connecting through the small city of Le Mans itself. At 13.626 kilometers, it is nearly three times longer than a standard racing circuit. Each corner of the track, named and famous on its own, demands unique approaches. Arnage is one of the most demanding corners on any track, a high-speed left-hander requiring absolute commitment and nerves of steel. Other turns like Porsche Curves, Indianapolis Turn and Mulsanne Corner each demand different skills, different levels of bravery and different calculations of risk.

The sheer length of the circuit creates unique logistical challenges, requiring three safety cars to be deployed across different sections to manage up to 62 simultaneously competing vehicles. Long periods of each lap are run at full throttle, placing an immense burden on engines and drivetrains that must endure this punishment for 24 consecutive hours.

Le Mans demands everything — physical, mental and mechanical — from the car and the team both. For a full day and night, drivers navigate the 13.626-kilometer circuit at speed through blinding daylight, pitch-black darkness, unpredictable weather, mechanical failures and exhaustion. Seventy percent of each lap is run at full throttle, with drivers making 78 gear shifts per lap on average, placing a load on each component beyond any other automotive environment. Teams must manage fuel consumption, tire degradation, pit stop strategy, mechanical and electrical failure as well as driver fatigue. Driving time is strictly limited: no driver can pilot the car for more than four consecutive hours, and no driver can exceed 14 hours total over the 24-hour period.

The most challenging portion of the race is during the “dead zone,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Fatigue peaks, temperatures drop and potential fog, frost or sudden rain exponentially increases the risk of accidents. Because the circuit is so large, rain often only falls on some sections of the track, meaning drivers can encounter sudden downpours while running on slick tires at dawn — a situation drivers describe as pure terror. A single mistake, one curb hit at the wrong moment, one sensor malfunction, one pit stop that takes too long, one mechanical defect in an air pipe can erase months of preparation.

Fewer cars finish Le Mans than start it. Even legendary manufacturers have sent multiple cars only to watch them all retire before reaching the checkered flag. Crossing the checkered flag does not necessarily guarantee a finish either; cars must cover at least seventy percent of the winning car's distance to be classified as a finisher. Success at Le Mans is measured in survival, not just podium position.

Monsieur Le Mans

When Genesis decided to enter the world's most elite endurance series — the FIA World Endurance Championship — there was one voice they wanted in the paddock. Six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx joined Genesis as Brand Partner and Racing Advisor, bringing unparalleled endurance experience and a lifetime of racing wisdom directly into the team.

Jacky Ickx is the name most synonymous with Le Mans mastery. The Belgian driver arrived at Le Mans when the race was in its infancy as a proving ground for automotive engineering. He returned again and again, and won — six times between 1969 and 1982, the first driver in history to win Le Mans that many times. He became known as “Monsieur Le Mans.”

The Ultimate Proving Ground

For Genesis, Le Mans was not just about racing — it was an audacious real-time stress test of the luxury marque’s engineering capabilities. Entering the world’s most punishing endurance arena meant going wheel-to-wheel with legacy manufacturers backed by decades of experience and data. Genesis Magma Racing were well aware of the massive operational and technical challenges ahead. Rather than chasing immediate podiums, the team set a pragmatic goal for their debut: to prove the reliability of the GMR-001 Hypercars by taking them across the finish line. At Le Mans, simply finishing is a triumph in itself.

During the qualifying session on June 10, both cars unexpectedly advanced to the Hyperpole shootout the next day. The #19 car, driven by Paul-Loup Chatin, qualified sixth on the grid. The #17 car, driven by André Lotterer, qualified ninth.

"One of the biggest highlights at Le Mans was being able to qualify both cars in the top 10 — #19 started sixth and my car started ninth," Lotterer said. "That was a very remarkable performance from the team at such an early stage of experience, knowing that we are not yet able to extract everything from the car because we are young, we are still growing, we're still learning, we're still improving our resources to develop the car more, to understand it more."

The 24-Hour Trial

The race began Friday afternoon, June 13 at 4:00 p.m., under clear skies. Both Genesis Magma Racing Hypercars started the race with strong openings and settled into steady rhythms. Around them, familiar names battled — Ferrari, BMW, Toyota, Cadillac — manufacturers with decades of Le Mans experience. For the first six hours, Genesis Magma Racing focused on executing their strategy with efficiency and reliability.

The sun set six hours into the race. The Two-Line headlamp design of both GMR-001 Hypercars made them easy to identify in the darkness. “We have very unique and special lights, which is an iconic design feature of Genesis," said Lotterer. "And to achieve that very small, minimalistic line, there was nothing on the market that could replicate that. So, we developed our own light with new manufacturers. They are very powerful and definitely a nice crossover.”

The race entered the dead zone 11 hours in, at 3 a.m. Just 17 minutes later, an LMP2 crash brought out a Full Course Yellow. Moments after that, the #19 car, driven by Chatin, lost engine power and rolled to a stop at the Arnage turn. With help only available from the team through the radio, Chatin had to restart the electronics himself. Thankfully, the car came back to life and Chatin resumed the race.

Exactly two hours later, the #19 car stopped on track again, and was restarted again. An unknown electrical issue had triggered the shutdowns.

When the #19 pitted 18 minutes later, just a half hour before sunrise, the crew plugged in cables to check the car. Not finding anything, they signaled the car to leave. The engine cut out again just then in the pits — a nerve-wracking moment for a team trying to keep their Le Mans debut alive. But the car restarted once more and again rejoined the race safely. The stop cost the team roughly five minutes, dropping the car from 12th to 15th place.

The sun rose at Hour 14. The #17 car was running smoothly. Lotterer, one of the drivers of the #17, later commented on how it feels to drive. "The feeling of the cars is really good," he said. "I am always very happy with the car balance and the feeling of the car, and it always gives us confidence that we have a good tool." The GMR-001 was strong in the corners and steady on pace, running 10th through the middle hours. Real hope emerged that both Genesis cars might make it through to the finish.

But in the final stretch, with only seven and a half hours to go, Jaubert, who had been steadily running the #17, took a curb too aggressively. The impact damaged the right front suspension. The car could not continue. After running cleanly all race, the #17 was forced to retire.

Still, the #19 remained on track. Despite mysterious electrical gremlins that had caused three restarts and a fall far down the order, it was still running, still in contention to finish. Paul-Loup Chatin took the wheel again for the final hours. The car was running 14^th and 15^th — bouncing around the order as other cars ahead suffered mechanical failures or pit stop disasters.

As the final laps approached, the order began to crystallize. The #19 was running 13th. The car had the pace to maybe climb higher, but time was running out.

Checkered Flag

After a troubled run, the #19 car finally approached the checkered flag. By the time it crossed the line, the crew had already climbed to the top of the pit wall, waving, yelling and celebrating, having accomplished what they set out to do.

"At Le Mans, the race always tests you. The only thing you can choose is how you respond. Our team never stopped pushing. Every lap, every challenge and every piece of data helped us learn. And that’s what motorsport is really about," Lotterer said. “For us, this is only the beginning. We’re learning, improving and getting stronger every time we go racing. I hope you're as excited as we are!”

"At Le Mans, we didn't have any issue with the engines themselves," Lotterer said. “On the #19 car, there was a software glitch where during a Full Course Yellow phase the car had to be reset, but there was nothing from the hardware itself, from the internals, from the engine that had any issues. On my car, #17, there were zero issues at all. This is quite remarkable because in the short time we had to prepare, the engine was the longest it had ever run.”

A Historic Moment for Korean Motorsport

For Genesis, a homegrown Korean brand daring to step onto the sacred asphalt of Le Mans, this was the moment a dream became reality. Genesis Magma Racing left the starting grid as newcomers, proving themselves to be serious competitors. After 24 relentless hours, the team emerged on the other side of the gauntlet. In a sport where simply reaching the finish is an achievement in itself, the #19 Hypercar finishing was not just a successful debut — it was a historic arrival. They had carved their name permanently into Le Mans history.

"Our dream is obviously to win, but we are very humble and we respect our opponents," Lotterer said. “We know that in the first year this is something very difficult to achieve, and we've already achieved more than what we hoped for. The more time goes on, the more expectations will be higher because we won't have the excuse of being rookies anymore. There we will have to show our true performance. In the near future, we are definitely aiming to be a winning team and not just participate. So, this is clearly an objective, and this is why it’s important now to establish ourselves correctly for the years to come.”

LE CASTELLET, France, July 5, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing’s trio of Trajectory Program drivers scored their third consecutive fourth place finish in the European Le Mans Series at the 4 Hours of Imola. Sharing the #18 IDEC Sport-run ORECA 07, Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella were a race-long factor in the battle for the podium places in a race contested in hot conditions.

Late-Race Charge Secures Strong Finish

At his home race, Italian Rinicella was given the responsibility of the first race stint for the first time, taking the rolling start from the seventh on the grid earned by Hörr in qualifying. After the drop of the green flag, he was able to make quick progress, rising to sixth after the opening lap — making up one of the places with an audacious move to the outside at Tamburello. Unfortunately, his stint — which earned him the vote as LMP2 driver of the day — was frequently interrupted by multiple Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods, and Full Course Yellows for different incidents on track.

He handed the car over to Jamie Chadwick from third position during one Virtual Safety Car period. Following the restart, the British driver found herself in the middle of a battle for the podium positions. After initially having to resist pressure from those behind, she was able to start making a challenge of her own to retake third position, though she held fourth when the IDEC Sport team made their strategy call to become one of the first LMP2 teams to make their final driver change stop to install Laurents Hörr behind the wheel.

The German renewed Chadwick’s challenge for the podium places. However, in his haste to keep in touch with the top three, he made minor contact with an LMP3 car — damaging the slower car and incurring a five-second penalty.

The news did nothing to dampen Hörr’s efforts to improve his position after returning to the race after a slow final pit stop in sixth. For the final 30 minutes of the race he chased the fourth place car, finally making the move — repeating Rinicella’s outside move from earlier in the race — with seven minutes remaining. Continuing his charge, he was able to open up a ten-second advantage in the final minutes to secure a third consecutive fourth place finish for the Trajectory Program crew.

Post Race Quotes - #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07

Valerio Rinicella said: “I really enjoyed doing the first stint. There was a lot of traffic. At the start I tried to be on the safe side, to finish at least the first lap. I tried to be careful because it’s a four-hour race and I didn’t want to take any risks but then started to push to gain some positions. I got some bad traffic during Full Course Yellow and Safety Car periods that created some gaps to the cars in front, but overall I think we managed to make up some good places and start to fight for the podium. I’m happy with the work we did. For me, the car was fantastic. I’m just happy to enjoy the hot weather in Imola for my home race. I don’t really like this track, but I changed my mind with the Prototype. With the traffic and the speed, it’s a fantastic track.”

Jamie Chadwick said: “It was quite a challenging stint for me. It was my first time doing the middle stint, but I enjoyed it after Valerio did a great job at the start. Racing at Imola is always about track position, so starting from seventh was always going to be a bit tough. We put Valerio in for the start and he did an amazing job and got us up to P3. I was able to consolidate that, but it’s hot out there and it’s tough managing tires and the constant traffic. We had a couple of issues and Laurents picked up the penalty in his stint, but he did a great job with a tough charge to make up for it and get us back to fourth place again, which seems to be the story of our season so far this year.”

Laurents Hörr said: “The temperatures today were really tough, but the car was probably the best it has been all weekend. The five-second penalty was unfortunate, but I take the blame for it. I saw an opportunity, but I think there was some miscommunication between me and the LMP3, but you have to learn from this. I know I had the pace, but it’s so difficult to overtake around Imola. When I was able to get past him, I pulled away ten seconds in five laps, which showed the potential we had in the car today without some of the other issues, which lost us some time in the pits, which maybe cost a chance of a podium.”

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “The Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers put in a strong performance to be part of the battle for the podium places for almost all of the 4 Hours of Imola. Valerio Rinicella did very well in his first time starting an ELMS race. He was the fastest driver on track and was able to put the car in contention for the podium, despite having to work through a number of interruptions. Jamie Chadwick was put in a very difficult spot during her stint – having to both defend and attack at the same time – but she kept her composure, including through traffic, to put the team in a position where they felt strategy could make the difference. Unfortunately, the penalty put the podium out of reach, but Laurents reacted well to the news and did what he needed to do to take the best result that was available from the weekend.”

LE CASTELLET, France, July 3, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing faces its first competitive test outside of Europe, with the first fly-away round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) taking the team to the 6 Hours of São Paulo at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Pipo Derani Heads for Rare Home Race

The trip to the Brazilian circuit takes the WEC paddock from its longest race of the season at the longest circuit on the calendar back to the more familiar six-hour format on the shortest circuit on the 2026 calendar at just 4.309 kilometers. The relative confines of the circuit present a different challenge to Genesis Magma Racing’s engineers and drivers as they continue to gain experience in the championship.

The short circuit promises a tightly contested qualifying session, where Genesis Magma Racing will aim to show the same pace that placed both GMR-001 Hypercars in the final Hyperpole session at Le Mans. Meanwhile, in the race, the track means that traffic management — especially through the technical infield section of the 15-turn track — will have a major effect on the contest for positions within the Hypercar category.

Pipo Derani, driving the #17 entry, is the only Brazilian driver competing in the Hypercar class this season. Though originally from São Paulo, the weekend is a rare chance to race at home for a driver whose professional career has largely been spent in Europe and North America. His teammate André Lotterer, as well as Paul-Loup Chatin and Dani Juncadella in the #19 car, has more recent experience at the circuit, while for Mathys Jaubert and Mathieu Jaminet, the race will be their first at the circuit.

After a resoundingly positive reaction to the Magma livery that debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, both the #17 and #19 cars will remain clad in the design, which progresses from deep red to the team’s signature Magma hue at the front of the car. Also unchanged from the Le Mans weekend for the visit to Brazil are the driving lineups for the two GMR-001 Hypercar entries, as both cars retain their three-driver crews for the return to the six-hour format.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “The 6 Hours of São Paulo takes Genesis Magma Racing into new territory for us as a team, as a manufacturer and for many of our drivers. We had some time to reflect on what we achieved at Le Mans, as well as to take lessons from the race that we can start to apply immediately. The race in Brazil presents its own challenges, with the technical circuit and the operational challenges that come with any fly-away race that we are facing for the first time. It’s great to be able to greet our fans in South America for the first time with both cars in the Magma livery. The color is central to our identity and Genesis Magma as a whole, so to be able to introduce ourselves in Brazil proudly representing Magma is very important.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “The track in Brazil presents a different challenge compared to Le Mans. The 24 Hours gave us several positives to build on. We had good reliability and continued to build on our understanding of the car and procedures. Although Interlagos is a much shorter race with a completely different approach, our objective is to take the lessons learned at Le Mans and continue our progress. As with every fly-away event, there are additional complexities. From the drivers' side, managing travel, time zones and changing conditions is part of the challenge. The whole team has to be able to adapt quickly. We have decided to maintain three drivers per car because we believe continuity is important. Having all our drivers involved allows us to maximize the contribution of each crew, maintain consistency and ensure everyone stays fully integrated throughout the season.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “The 6 Hours of São Paulo marks our first non-European race and the start of a long trip for the cars and equipment. This puts our logistics team to the test with a lot of extra planning just to ensure we don't forget something. It's not an easy task, but it's all part of the WEC challenge. Le Mans was a valuable step for us in the formation of Genesis Magma Racing. We gathered a wealth of data and new experiences which we have analyzed closely to learn what we can for the next race. Surprisingly, Le Mans taught us a bit about tire performance in hot conditions. While the Interlagos circuit has very different energy density and distribution, we now know a bit how the rubber behaves at the temps we might see there, which could help us make quick decisions during the race if we see the same trends appearing.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “I can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to finally racing in the top class of a high-level championship in my hometown. I'm from São Paulo myself but have barely raced in Interlagos during my entire career, so to be able to go there with Genesis Magma Racing as the only Brazilian driver will be amazing. The Brazilian fans are always great, and I know a lot of them have been following our progress with the GMR-001 Hypercar from the start of the project and this season. The retirement at Le Mans was a bit of a disappointment, especially as you could see we made some good steps forward with the performance. Hopefully we can continue our progress and get back to finishing the race and scoring some points. To do that in my home race would be amazing.” 

Mathys Jaubert said: “The 6 Hours of São Paulo will be a new challenge for me as it will be my first time racing at Interlagos, but it’s an iconic circuit and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve watched plenty of onboard videos to learn the track and understand its characteristics as much as possible before arriving, and I’ve been able to do some preparation on our simulator. The goal for me and the team for the weekend is to adapt quickly, continue progressing and keep developing the GMR-001 Hypercar package we currently have. We want to maximize every session, learn as much as possible and continue moving in the right direction during the second half of the season.”

André Lotterer said: “I’m very excited and motivated to take Genesis Magma Racing’s debut season to another new race for the team, especially as it is Pipo’s home race in a country that is very enthusiastic about motorsport. Interlagos is a historic racetrack, but it’s also very tricky. The tarmac there is very different from anything we have seen so far this year, so there will be some unknowns for the drivers and engineers. It’s our first time going overseas with our cars and the whole Genesis Magma Racing team, which is another big step in our journey. We don’t know what to expect with performance, so let’s see where we are after Free Practice. As usual, we’ll push and do our best and try to get to the finish line with both cars, and why not score some more points.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I’m very happy to be heading back to Interlagos. It is a unique place with a lot of history that I respect a lot. We’ve completed the opening three races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was an incredibly valuable experience for the whole team. The ten days we spent at Le Mans were extremely positive and gave us a lot to build on. Now our focus is on becoming more competitive and closing the gap to the front. But at the same time, we’re still very much in a development phase, and that’s something we need to keep in mind heading into Interlagos. It’s a unique circuit, with a layout that is predominantly low speed. Our goal is to make the most of the weekend, continue improving, keep learning about the car and gradually raise our expectations as we move forward.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “The 6 Hours of São Paulo is obviously a very different event to our last race at Le Mans. We are back to the six-hour format for our fourth race together. The weekend will be my first-ever time in Brazil, and obviously my first-ever time racing at Interlagos. I’m really looking forward to discovering the track and country. We’ve seen the car performing well on every track we’ve been to so far, so it would be nice if we can continue this with the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar, run a bit closer to the front and maybe score our first points. This would be an amazing result for myself, Paul-Loup and Dani as drivers, and for the whole team. If we keep progressing like we have since the beginning of the year, then the top ten should be a realistic target.”

Dani Juncadella said: “Interlagos is very different to anything else on the WEC calendar. From my experience in LMGT3, there is a lot of tire degradation, so I wonder how that changes in Hypercar with the different tires. It’s a track I really like, in a part of the world where we don’t get to go very often to race. It’s a tight circuit, so traffic can be difficult to manage. In the slow sections — sector two — the GT cars are actually pretty quick, which is something we need to take care with in Hypercar. Already in three races we’ve learned a lot of lessons and made really big steps forward, and after 24 Hours, 6 Hours feels like a sprint now, so I think that we have the confidence to push forward. The expectation is to just keep progressing as we have been — working on having a strong car for the race and continuing to push forward in every area.”

LE MANS, France, June 14, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing took a hard-fought finish from the tough challenge of its first start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, bringing home the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar in 13th place. Completing 372 laps of the 13.626-kilometer Circuit de la Sarthe, the result completed a week where the performance of the car and team had surprised many in the paddock. 

Finish Completes Strong Week for Le Mans Underdogs

Even before beginning the weekend, Genesis Magma Racing recognized the magnitude of the challenge they faced. The first South Korean manufacturer to contest the race faced its first 24-hour race in only its third-ever competitive start, making it a significant underdog against the more experienced teams, and the simple challenge of lasting the 24 hours of one of motorsport’s most famed events.

Sixth and ninth place in qualifying proved the potential pace of the GMR-001 Hypercar, but after the 4 p.m. start on Saturday both the #17 — started by André Lotterer — and the #19 driven by Dani Juncadella, settled into the team’s own rhythm as they focused on executing their strategy with efficiency and reliability in mind, rather than immediate performance.

However, with both cars running without any major incidents, and the team completing each pitstop equally flawlessly, this approach began to pay off as the race progressed from Saturday night to Sunday morning. After opting to stay out during the race’s first Safety Car period both cars regained the lead lap. Through the earliest hours of the morning both Mathieu Jaminet in the #19 and Mathys Jaubert in the #17 completed quadruple stints. Jaminet was able to run as high as fourth at times though Jaubert’s pace was dampened by a rear puncture that demanded an unscheduled pitstop.

Unfortunately, at around 4 a.m. having taken over from Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin stopped on track, the #19 needing a power cycle before it could rejoin. Though it initially appeared cured, the issue would repeat shortly after, knocking the car out of contention for a strong finish. Worse still, while challenging for points in the #17 entry, Jaubert suffered a suspension failure, putting the car out of the race on the spot.

Immediately, the team’s focus became ensuring the #19 would see the checkered flag. Though a stop to solve a mechanical issue lost the team a further four laps, it gave Chatin, Juncadella and Jaminet the best possible chance. Better still, as other Hypercar competitors also felt the strain of the pace, they were able to make up positions that, while still missing out on points, added to the many positives that the team could already take away from their Le Mans debut.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “Our first 24 Hours of Le Mans with Genesis Magma Racing ends on a positive note. Getting one car to the finish was our main objective, while the #17 unfortunately retired with suspension failure. We faced a number of reliability challenges which will be our priority moving forward. Despite this, the car showed strong potential throughout the week, especially during the first half of the race, where we were consistently fighting inside the top 10. While we faced challenges, the team showed great resilience, composure and teamwork. Everyone stayed focused, reacted calmly to every situation and worked together to achieve our goal. The drivers were also outstanding, managing both the race and the machinery exceptionally well. We leave Le Mans with the satisfaction of having achieved our main objective, but also with a very clear understanding of the areas we need to improve. Those priorities will help guide and unite us as we continue to build our foundations as a team.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “This is a great achievement for Genesis Magma Racing. In the beginning, especially last year when we started this project, it was impossible to even imagine that we, by our third race we could score points in Spa and finish the race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That's great. That's unbelievable. Even in our dreams, the best dreams, we cannot imagine to finish this race. The big race started last year the first time Pipo jumped in the GMR-001 Hypercar in Le Castellet, and it's not finished today and probably it will not finish at the end of the season. It will be a long race and in this race, the target is to fight for the win.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “First 24 Hours of Le Mans and first finish. No one can ever do that again for Genesis, or for South Korea. That was the first time. I can't believe it, honestly. I knew we could do it, but seeing it now in person it's still surreal. I'm just so proud of all the people. We keep making steps forward towards our goals and today we made another one of them possible through teamwork and determination. It shows in our performances in Imola, then Spa and then how we showed up here. We keep improving and we intend to keep that path going. We’ve got 364 days from tomorrow to get going for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Anouck Abadie, Genesis Magma Racing Team Manager, said: “We've done it. We finished our first 24 Hours of Le Mans as Genesis Magma Racing. The whole team was waiting for the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar to cross the line to make sure that it was real. We've done it, but I'm a bit sad for the #17 car because they deserved to cross the finish line as well. For the whole team, I'm super happy, super proud. Now we need to make sure to be back even stronger next year. We still need to improve a bit because we are new and we need to work again and again together. But, the guys did an amazing job because it's the first 24 Hours for the team and to make no mistakes in the pits at all was impressive.“

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

André Lotterer said: “We definitely showed the world who Genesis is. I think we surprised a few people and achieved more than we could hope for with our new team, new car, new brand, everything. It was definitely a great adventure at Le Mans, and we can come back proud because to have done that, in such a short time, it's quite remarkable. Unfortunately, of course, we wanted to finish the race and it ended with a technical problem that we need to understand more. It's a shame for sure. But our engine lasted, everything around it lasted until that point and we didn't have any big problems during the race which was quite remarkable. We need to study and come back stronger but I think for our first Le Mans appearance it was very positive, especially with the sister car reaching the finish to complete the weekend.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “I don't know really what happened. I think the suspension broke on the curb, which was a bit unfortunate, but we need to properly check the parts to find out.  We were having a good race, with no issues on the engine, which was quite important for us in terms of reliability. However, we are here to learn and this is now a point that we have to take a look and understand what broke and why. But it was quite fun, the car was really nice to drive, the balance was great and everything was running perfectly so I enjoyed it a lot. It has been a very long week, working a lot with the team, everybody. We made a lot of progress since day one here in Le Mans. P3 in Hyperpole 1 and then being in the running for points today it was just amazing.”

Pipo Derani said: “Of course we wanted to bring the car to the checkered flag but it was something completely out of our control. I think Genesis Magma Racing did a fantastic job up until that point. The car was running flawlessly. It is what it is sometimes. You have some mechanical failures and that's part of racing, but the good thing is that the car has shown a lot of promise and we will be back stronger. It's part of Le Mans also. You have just got to navigate through the chaos and try to bring the car to the checkered flag in the best possible way. Unfortunately, I wish I could have had a few more stints out there, but it wasn't meant to be this year.

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “As a team we came here with the goal to finish the race and we did exactly that. So, an absolutely incredible job from the whole team. Great preparation for the future and I'm pretty sure with the current car we have in the GMR-001 Hypercar, we can have a shot at winning one day. That's the best part. It was really hot at the end of the race, but the car was good to drive. Everything was going well. Even in the heat our car was very competitive, so I think that sets a lot of things we can test to prepare ourselves for the future, for any condition. We did a lot of laps, a lot of data gathered, which is great. I‘m looking forward to the next one. My next race and next Le Mans.“

Mathieu Jaminet said: “It's definitely been a roller coaster for us, but that's what you expect in your first 24 Hours, as a new team, a new car. Obviously, I think we showed better pace than maybe we expected. For sure we had a couple of issues, but we fought back. We were lucky to have a safety car and then we started to have some fun actually in the night with me, climbing up the order and having some fights with some quick cars. And when it started to look good to be well established in the top eight, we had the car have an issue. The reality comes back quick at you in endurance racing. Anything can happen from one minute to another. But no one ever gave up. We just made history. The first ever Korean brand to make it the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first one for Genesis.”

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “Yeah, I'm super proud and super happy for the entire team. I think we deserve this finish. Le Mans is the hardest race in the world to finish, let alone to win of course. To achieve that it's thousands and thousands of hours of work behind to make sure that the car is the best prepared possible and then during the entire week it's all about details, all about management, all about team cohesion, team spirit and I think it's where we succeeded today. We work all together in the same direction and we just have to be super proud of ourselves. We wrote a bit of history today and I think it's just something crazy for the amazing job the team has done since the beginning of the program.”

LE MANS, France, June 12, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing scored a shock result in their first 24 Hours of Le Mans, as both GMR-001 Hypercars qualified in the top 10 for the event. Having progressed through both Hyperpole sessions, Paul-Loup Chatin and André Lotterer placed the cars seventh and 10th in the final session to complete a strong team performance.

Focus Remains on Race Despite Qualifying Pace

The team, the first South Korean manufacturer to compete in the famous endurance race, started the event with their focus firmly on working on the reliability and drivability of the car.

Throughout the practice running, the team worked on a number of setup solutions, improving the car at every opportunity, as well as confirming the performance of the Two-Line design headlights in competition for the first time during Wednesday night’s two-hour session, which finished at midnight.

The team’s qualifying campaign began on Wednesday evening, with Pipo Derani and Dani Juncadella at the wheel of the two GMR-001 Hypercars. Juncadella briefly had the #19 entry as high as fourth before those behind found further improvements. The Spaniard ended the 30-minute session 11th, with Derani holding 13th to progress to the Hyperpole 1 session for the fastest 15 in the 18-car Hypercar class.

For the first Hyperpole session, Mathys Jaubert and Mathieu Jaminet took the wheel of the two cars. Both drivers had their starring moments in the 20-minute session, Jaminet second fastest after the opening flying laps. Jaubert — the youngest driver on the Hypercar grid this season — claimed the top time with just a minute left, though he would finish the session third quickest to secure Lotterer a spot in Hyperpole 2 session.

The experienced German lost his first flying lap to track limits, limiting his efforts to ninth place.

Chatin’s first lap placed the #19 on the edge of the top five, and though the French driver improved on his own time, he could not improve his position as others found extra pace in the critical moments of the session.

Despite the promising pace shown throughout the qualifying and practice sessions, Genesis Magma Racing’s focus remains on securing classified finishes for both its cars on the team’s 24 Hours of Le Mans debut. The season’s longest — and also most important — race is a significant challenge for any team, let alone one in only its third race, making the team undoubted underdogs in both reliability and performance. However, the squad remain focused on executing a trouble-free race of their own, knowing that this can bring its own rewards, as seen already this year.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Quote

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “P6 and P9 is obviously an outstanding performance for our first entry in Le Mans. It was already a great feeling yesterday to have both cars make it through to Hyperpole, but it was another level of team effort to achieve what we did today. Even though it's all about the race and what we do on Saturday and Sunday, despite being a new entrant in the sport, we were keen on demonstrating our ambitions. Since the program started, we have said that the GMR-001 Hypercar is a healthy race car, that this team has potential, that the drivers are good — there is nothing better than a good old qualifying session to show it, and that's exactly what we did. But again, the most difficult part is yet to come, so now it's back to the drawing board and full focus on the race weekend."

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “It was nice to get to see what the car can do. Obviously, we made it with the two cars through to Hyperpole after my session, which was already a mega job. Super happy. Obviously, we still believe there's a couple of things that could be better, but let's take the positives. It was great for the team and continue to improve throughout the weekend, but very positive quality for us today.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “It was something special. It was my first time qualifying in Hypercar. Last year, I really enjoyed doing this in LMP2, but this was my first experience in a Hypercar. I had an issue with the dash and wasn't able to see my lap time or whether I was improving, so I was driving without really knowing where I stood. In a way, though, it simplified things. I just told myself, 'Okay, push as much as possible and let's see what the result is at the end.’ And actually, it wasn't bad. I tried to push as much as possible without making mistakes. We always try to push at 100%, but still leave a little margin here and there, and in the end it was a nice lap.”

André Lotterer said: “An amazing effort from the whole team to come this far with our car. It's a new team and a new car, so hats off to everyone because that's already a hell of an achievement. It was unexpected, you know. We came here with no expectations because we knew performance would be difficult, but in the end, somehow, we were there. On my side, I didn't do any qualifying preparation or anything like that. I hadn't driven the car on low fuel with new tires, so I had to adapt. Then I got a track limit on my first lap, which was deleted, so I had to try again on the second one. After that, the rhythm was gone, and I also had a slow puncture, but it's still a really positive result. We also managed to prepare well for the race, which is important too. Anyway, I'm very happy for the whole team. It's good motivation heading into the race."

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I'm super proud and happy for the entire team. Having both cars in Hyperpole 2 for our first year at Le Mans is just amazing. Everyone has done an incredible job, and tonight we have to celebrate! Tomorrow, we'll be back and fully focused on the race, of course, but it's part of motorsport. There are milestones in the development of a project that you need to reach and celebrate. I think we can be super proud tonight. Of course, we had never run a set of tires before Hyperpole because we were very focused on the race. It was a bit of a surprise to be in Hyperpole 2, so we were probably not the best prepared for that. But in the end, P7 is an amazing result, and now we can focus on the race.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “Pretty incredible qualifying. Obviously, on car #19, we had a small technical issue. We had to change the engine, and a few things didn't go as well as we wanted. So, you know, we had a lot of uncertainties going into Hyperpole. Everything worked out more or less okay, just enough to make it through. The same goes for car #17. And then, André and Paul-Loup did the job at the end. We will start P6 and P9, for our first Le Mans. If someone had offered that to me 10 days ago, I would have definitely taken it. So yeah, it's an amazing first step. Obviously, what counts is the race, but we can be proud of what we achieved today. Now, we start preparing for the race.”

Dani Juncadella said: “It was an exciting session. It was my first time qualifying the car with low fuel and new tires, which was exciting. We were only nine-tenths from the quickest cars in the first qualifying session. That we very exciting already for our first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and my first time personally here in a Hypercar. Then Mathieu and Paul-Loup did a superb job in Hyperpole. A massive congrats to the whole team for a great car.”

Thanks to an aggressive, perfectly executed pit strategy under a Virtual Safety Car, Derani held his ground in the closing stages. He crossed the line in eighth place to secure the marque's first-ever points in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Meanwhile, despite early electrical setbacks, the sister #19 car also brought it home, proving the engineering resilience of the newcomer team.

“In only our second participation in an endurance race, we could not have dreamt of a better place than Spa to score the very first points in the history of Genesis Magma Racing,” said Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “We are still a very young team, and this result is an extremely emotional moment for all our members.”

Scoring points in just the team’s second start is a massive achievement. But the true story of Spa is not just what happened on the track; it is the unprecedented, hyperspeed journey that got the cars there in the first place. With just 499 days between its public announcement and its first official race, the marque transformed an ambitious concept into a fully operational force in the WEC. It was a rapid ascent that defied conventional motorsport wisdom, but for the team behind the GMR-001 Hypercar, it represents a lifetime dream fulfilled and a bold new chapter for Korean motorsports.

From Dream to Reality — A Belgian Homecoming

For Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke, this rapid ascent to the starting grid is far more than a corporate milestone. It is a deeply personal homecoming. Growing up in Belgium, Donckerwolke spent his childhood watching his hero, Jacky Ickx, dominate the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ickx cemented his legendary status as “Monsieur Le Mans” with a historic six victories and became a global icon.

But Ickx wasn't just larger than life on the television screen. He was also immortalized in ink. As a young boy, Donckerwolke avidly read the iconic French motorsport comic book series “Michel Vaillant.” Ickx frequently appeared in the comics alongside the fictional protagonist and was famously one of the few real-world drivers whom creator Jean Graton allowed to beat Michel Vaillant on the page. The combination of Ickx’s real-world dominance and comic-book heroism deeply influenced Donckerwolke, helping to ignite the passion that drove him to become one of the world's leading automotive designers.

Today, childhood fan and childhood hero have united. Ickx joined Genesis as a Brand Partner and Racing Advisor, bringing his unparalleled endurance experience directly into the paddock. For Donckerwolke, it is the realization of a lifelong ambition.

“I grew up watching Jacky winning Le Mans as a kid and basically, I’ve always had this dream of having Genesis Magma Racing since I joined Genesis,” Donckerwolke reflected. “When Cyril joined us, the first thing I did was invite him to the design studio and say my dream is to race Le Mans. And then you know, three years later we are here, 530 days after getting the green light from the Executive Chair to go racing.”

For Ickx, who is not one to rest on his laurels, returning to race at Spa-Francorchamps with a young, ambitious team is an exciting opportunity to look forward to. The legendary driver is famous for keeping his eyes firmly fixed on what’s in front of him in the moment.

“The opportunity to be in action with a nice project surrounded by talented people with a goal, an objective, pah! What a privilege!” Ickx noted. “When I say I’m not nostalgic about my past, I really mean it. I have no trophies at home, because I always think it’s behind me. Indeed, there are some lessons to pick up along the way, but I’m only nostalgic about the people who change your life.”

Hyperspeed Execution

The clock began ticking in September 2024 when the internal decision was made to bring Genesis to the racetrack. Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul was tasked with orchestrating this massive undertaking, relying heavily on his decades of elite motorsport experience.

“It meant more or less a year and a half to build everything from scratch, from the decision that took place in September of 2024 to the first race in 2026,” Abiteboul explained. “That was driving a lot of the choices, from how to find the right powertrain to how to build the team and how to find the right technical partners for the program.”

The timeline forced Abiteboul to make rapid, pragmatic decisions regarding insourcing versus outsourcing.

“Our brand is all about authenticity, so it's not about just being a sponsor, taking third parties’ technologies or just putting our name on an existing car,” Abiteboul emphasized. “There was a genuineness in what we wanted to do. So where do we start? You start at finding how to be very time efficient, which is also cost efficient.”

To meet this aggressive schedule, the team had to be ruthless in its efficiency. Abiteboul, drawing on his extensive Formula One experience, knew that geography would play a critical role in the team’s operational success.

“Endurance is a very French sport,” Abiteboul noted. “We decided also to go very close to [French chassis builder partner ORECA] in order to fast track and optimize collaboration. We are quite close to a track based in the south of France. But it’s also because it’s close to a racetrack. And that’s extremely useful, because we can maximize the number of times that we go testing. In just one evening, we can just go outside of our workshop and we do testing on what is one of the best racetracks.”

Forging the Hypercar

The physical realization of this design philosophy happened at a blistering pace. By February 2025, just months after the initial announcement, the team celebrated a massive technical milestone when the bespoke G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8 engine was successfully fired up at Hyundai Motorsport’s headquarters in Germany. The engine’s rapid development was a masterclass in pragmatic innovation.

“Because we needed an engine in a very short time, Cyril came up with this great idea of using components we had on the shelves by putting two four-cylinder engines together to make a V8, which is incredible,” Donckerwolke said. “Suddenly, you have a 3.2-liter V8 based on components that we know are functioning, and that was the accelerator of the whole process.”

Knowing that track experience is invaluable, Genesis launched the Trajectory Program in March 2025 with partner IDEC Sport. By April, Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers made their race debut in the European Le Mans Series, scoring an immediate LMP2 class victory in Barcelona. In May, they secured an overall win at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet followed by a crucial run at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Abiteboul championed this step-by-step approach. “To realize our vision, we put together a plan — not just to show Genesis headquarters, but also to the people of Korea. And for that, you need to show that this is going to be a very serious, stable and long-term project. We are going to give ourselves all the resources not just to participate, but also to do well.”

In July 2025, the first chassis met its engine for a full-car fire-up. By August, the GMR-001 Hypercar took to the track at Circuit Paul Ricard, completing over 500 laps. Autumn was dedicated to grueling endurance testing across Portugal and Spain. By December, the engine had surpassed 8,000 kilometers of rigorous track running and the 2026 driver lineup was finalized with promotions from the Trajectory Program.

Building a Korean Motorsport Culture

While the logistical framework was being laid in France, the aesthetic and emotional story of the hypercar was also in the making. For a Korean luxury marque that prides itself on its “Athletic Elegance” design philosophy, stepping into the brutal arena of the FIA WEC required tapping into a different kind of energy.

“What happened is, we did our homework, and we made cars that were premium. But then, we don’t have a hundred years of heritage or hundred years of motorsport,” Donckerwolke explained. “And if you are in this segment, you have to have different facets to your program. You cannot just say, let’s make great cars to bring the kids to school or to go golfing.”

Donckerwolke’s ambitions extended far beyond simply selling cars globally. He recognized that for Genesis to truly embrace its future, the brand needed to proudly project its Korean DNA onto the international racetrack, while simultaneously igniting a passion for motorsports within its home country.

“I discovered 10 years ago that there was no motorsport culture [in Korea],” Donckerwolke recalled. “So I said, my goal is to bring motorsport to Korea. And by doing this, I wanted to start growing the Korean public’s interest in motorsport and get that to be part of the parameters that you look for when you buy a car.”

This cultural mission became a central pillar of the Genesis Magma Racing project.

“Everything that we've done was also in order for the Korean audience to identify with the Genesis Magma Racing team,” Donckerwolke added. “For instance, having the Korean hangeul characters on the livery of our cars was so that there’s an association with our Korean roots. It’s instantly recognizable by the public.”

The Human Element

Despite the cutting-edge technology, the telemetry data and the carbon fiber aerodynamics, the success of Genesis’ entry into endurance racing ultimately rests on human shoulders. Jacky Ickx is quick to remind anyone who will listen that the drivers who get the glory are merely the final link in a massive chain of human effort.

“You are nobody. If you think you did it alone, you are totally on the wrong path,” Ickx stated emphatically as the roar of racing engines could be heard in the background. “You are the result of those you never see or work in the shadows. And those represent, in my opinion, 90 percent of the guys you have seen in the garage. When they are ready, their engineers and their mechanics give you a tool, or the potential to win.”

Ickx points to the modern pit stop as the ultimate example of this collective human perfection.

“You know in Formula One, when they change the four wheels in three seconds, it's considered a bad pit stop,” Ickx marveled. “The record is 1.9 seconds for the four wheels. It’s impressive. Every detail is important and everyone has a very important role — the driver is only there to finish the job.”

This focus on the collective is a natural fit for a Korean marque. Ickx observed that the cultural efficiency of the Korean business mindset is a massive advantage in the paddock.

“[In Korea] ‘bbali-bbali’ means when you decide something, you’re instantly ready to climb the mountain. You go for it. You have no time to lose, no time to argue or discuss. [As soon as] the decision is taken, you behave like a missile,” Ickx said.

The Reality of Modern Racing

The motorsport world that Genesis Magma Racing has entered is vastly different from the era of straw bales and gentleman drivers that Ickx dominated. Back in 1973, Ickx qualified at Spa on the old 13.9-kilometer road course with an average speed of 263.5 kilometers per hour. Today, the tracks are shorter, the safety is infinitely superior, and the nature of the races has fundamentally shifted.

“Today, there is one thing you must learn about long distance. It’s not an endurance race anymore. It’s a sprint,” Ickx explained. “You look at the first 10 cars. There are only few tenths of a second between every car,” Ickx continued. “And when you win in long distance with 25 or 30 seconds [gap], they say, ‘Oh, they had an easy race.’ So, [that] explains why every single detail of the car [matters] and the performance comes down to milliseconds.”

Abiteboul echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the margins for error have vanished.

“In such a long race, you can make no mistakes,” he said, explaining the strategic nuances between different tracks. “For us, the focus of these first two races, in particular, was always going to be focused on reliability and execution. Right now, we are very low risk in terms of approach for the drivers, the setups, and the strategy.”

More than Just a Finish Line

The culmination of this relentless push arrived in April 2026 at the 6 Hours of Imola, 499 days after the announcement of the formation of the Genesis Magma Racing team. Genesis Magma Racing officially debuted in the FIA WEC, proving the engineering resilience of the brand by getting both cars across the finish line. The momentum grew stronger the very next month in Belgium — on Donckerwolke and Ickx’s home turf.

“The 500 days were just enough for us to be ready, because it takes time to develop all the systems,” Abiteboul admitted. “And that’s what we need to get under control so that we can [ultimately achieve] wins.”

“The most important part of the success remains the humans who are composing the team,” Ickx concluded. “The rest is, how do you say, b-------.”

LE CASTELLET, France, June 4, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing expect a tough challenge as it makes its 24 Hours of Le Mans debut. Despite promising results in the first two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including a first points finish at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the team has reset expectations for its first start in the centerpiece of the season.

Team Prepared for Milestone Event

The team, which is entering a pair of GMR-001 Hypercars in the race, will become the first South Korean manufacturer ever to compete in the famous endurance race. To mark the occasion, the team’s two cars will run in a special livery returning to the Magma Orange to red gradient design first shown at Le Mans last year on the GMR-001 Hypercar show car in the manufacturer village.

Recognizing that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a rigorous test of any team and car, and even more so for a squad in its position — going into just its third-ever competition — Genesis Magma Racing has set humble ambitions for the race. The team’s immediate aim is for both its cars to be recorded as classified finishers, requiring the cars to complete 70% of the total distance completed, as well as be running at the end of the race. This goal requires not only reliability from the cars, but also a mistake-free performance from the pit crew, making the race an all-round test for the team.

For the race weekend, Genesis Magma Racing will also host guests from the growing number of Genesis markets around the world, along with the senior leadership across its global organization. In addition to the Genesis booth in the Manufacturers’ Village, Genesis will also have a strong presence in the paddock this year, bringing to the circuit a taste of its hospitality philosophy of treating every customer as its “Son-nim,” or honored guest, at its global network of studios and showrooms.

To complete its preparations, Genesis Magma Racing completed an endurance test at Le Castellet. The test gave each of the team’s drivers, including Official Reserve driver Jamie Chadwick, time at the wheel of the GMR-001 Hypercar. A night stint gave Paul-Loup Chatin his first laps in the car in darkness, gaining his first experience of the strong pool of light created by the car’s Two-Line headlamps — a signature element of all Genesis designs.

As well as the experience of the 24-hour test, the team continues to learn with each session it completes. Through this process the team has been able to implement many small advances — both technical and operational — based on issues encountered in the first two rounds that will benefit the team at Le Mans. 

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “Our debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a huge moment for Genesis Magma Racing. From the moment we made the announcement of the program, there have been a lot of eyes on this date. Becoming the first South Korean manufacturer to compete at Le Mans is a huge honor, and we will have many guests from Genesis around the world that we can show our work to and bring into the world of motorsport and the unique atmosphere of the 24 Hours of Le Mans specifically. However, we know that the race is going to be a massive challenge for us — for the reliability of the car, for our operations as a team — so we have to be realistic with what we expect, even after a good start to the WEC season. If we can bring both GMR-001 Hypercars to the finish, that will be the biggest positive we can take for the rest of the year.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the race for a driver and an iconic race in motorsport. It is a unique challenge. For Genesis Magma Racing, it is our first Le Mans, and being part of it represents another important step in our story. From a sporting perspective, our target is to have a clean race and maximize every opportunity and keep improving throughout the event. The race is not only about speed, but also about managing energy — the car’s and your own — concentration and avoiding mistakes over the 24 Hours. The most important thing for a driver is to be able to arrive at the start of the race fully prepared and 100% physically and mentally. Le Mans is very demanding from the first day at the track until the checkered flag. Every detail matters to make the weekend as smooth as possible. Clear communication between driver and engineer, traffic management and consistency over the length of a stint are all crucial.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “There is no race on the calendar that stresses a program quite like Le Mans. The combination of high speeds, long hours and inclement weather creates a unique set of technical challenges that you simply cannot fully replicate in testing or other WEC events. Reliability is the fundamental requirement for a race of such nature and it is our focus for now. The first two rounds of the season gave us a clearer picture of where our car and our processes needed to mature. We identified specific areas of sensor failure recognition as well as driver interface usability that were holding us back and we've worked hard to implement solutions ahead of Le Mans. We have set up a test plan for the prologue to validate our efforts and allow for adaptation before the race week begins. In the race, our objective is straightforward: finish with the checkered flag waving.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “I’m very much looking forward to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s such a special race. Of course, there’s the World Endurance Championship, but Le Mans is such a special race, if not the most iconic race in the world. We were not expecting the result we had at Spa. We worked hard for it, but as a team we want to keep our feet on the ground and make sure we tackle Le Mans with humility. It's not going to be an easy task. It’s by far the biggest challenge we’ve had so far. But as we’ve already proved, we are ready for any task. Regardless of how difficult it is, we throw ourselves in. We want to gather as much experience as possible, hopefully get the GMR-001 Hypercar to the end, so that we can use all that knowledge to become a better package for the second half of the season and into next year, and any result we achieve this year is a bonus.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “My Hypercar debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is obviously something very special for me. It’s a race every driver dreams about, so to be part of it with the #17 team is a proud moment. I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere, the fans and experiencing the race from inside a Hypercar for the first time. The goal is to have a clean race, maximize every opportunity and bring home a strong result for Genesis Magma Racing. After the strong result at Spa, the team has good momentum, but Le Mans is a different race and we need to stay focused and execute everything perfectly over 24 hours. My LMP2 experience from last year will definitely help because I already know how intense the event is, especially with traffic, night driving and the rhythm of the week. But racing the GMR-001 Hypercar at Le Mans will still be a completely new challenge.”

André Lotterer said: “The 24 Hours of Le Mans means a lot, not only to me, but all the drivers competing there. It has so much history. It has created heroes of brands and drivers. It’s a race where everyone wants to shine. It’s even sweeter if you win, which I’ve been lucky to taste three times, so Le Mans has been good to me. I always love going there. It’s a pleasure to drive on that track, and I’m very excited to go there with our new team and drive the GMR-001 Hypercar there for the first time. The special livery is a real success. The design team did really well. The gradient came out nicely and it will be a nice pop of color on track. For the race we’re focusing on ourselves, trying to do the best with what we have learned so far. It’s always also a big task to be able to reduce the amount of problems and avoid penalties for 24 hours, but who knows? There’s always a lot that can happen at Le Mans.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “Le Mans is special. It’s the most important and most beautiful race of the year. I come from Chartres, which is only an hour from Le Mans, so it’s completely my home race. A lot of the efforts we make the entire year are for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so I cannot wait to be there. My first laps in the GMR-001 Hypercar were really good, a super first impression. The team have done a really good job with the lights — the visibility is impressive. We know that Le Mans by night is magic, but if you are capable to see a tiny bit more than the others you have a bit more confidence. The whole car looks great. I think everybody expected an orange livery for us to start the year, but it was nice to start the year with the liquid metal and black, and now we have arrived at the big one to have the full Genesis Magma color on our car.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “I’m really looking forward to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s the highlight of the year for every single team and driver. I always feel that it is a very special event, especially being French and having a lot of fans there, so you get to feel a bit like a rockstar for a few days. It’s only our third race as Genesis Magma Racing, and our first race that’s more than six hours. Looking at the first two races, we know that the GMR-001 Hypercar has great potential, but we’ve still had small issues here and there that the team has been pushing flat out to solve and be as prepared as possible. As a team we’ve been working well since the start of the season, so we want to keep it that way and have a clean race. Seeing the checkered flag without any issues would be a bit of a win, and if we manage that we should also have a bit of pace to challenge some other cars, so let’s see where we end up.”

Dani Juncadella said: “I’m excited for our debut at Le Mans — it’s the biggest race of the year and to be taking part with a Hypercar is something to be proud of. Le Mans is obviously a highlight of the year. It’s a race that I’m super experienced with — I’ve only done it two times before in LMGT3, so it’s a new challenge for me in the Hypercar class. It’s going to be a long week of preparation with the Prologue, which will help us get some laps already and I can see how it compares to the GT car. Physically, Le Mans is not the hardest race because you have a lot of long straights where you can rest, but it’s nevertheless a 24-hour race so it’s always a big test for everybody. We did an endurance test at Le Castellet, so we think we’ve made some steps forwards to move on from the small setbacks we’ve had at Imola and Spa, so the car should be in a good place.”

LE CASTELLET, France, June 3, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has partnered with Le Mans-based furniture designer and design studio Racing & Emotion, naming them a new Official Licensing Partner. The collaboration between Racing & Emotion and Genesis Magma Racing marks the creation of the team’s first collectible design and lifestyle partnership, with bespoke products from the company incorporated into the team’s hospitality spaces for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Inspired by the Legend of Le Mans 

Racing & Emotion was founded as a tribute to motorsport, based in the city where the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been responsible for creating legends of manufacturers and drivers for more than a century. Racing & Emotion creates motorsport-inspired collectible design pieces and furniture celebrating racing culture, craftsmanship and the heritage of Le Mans. 

Now the Magma livery that will appear on both Genesis GMR-001 Hypercars for their debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans will join some of the most famous liveries in racing as part of the Racing & Emotion collection. The identity and philosophy of Genesis Magma Racing will be translated into several designs from the Racing & Emotion range, including the signature Art Ball Chairs and other limited-edition objects inspired by the GMR-001 Hypercar. 

“Through this multi-year collaboration, our two brands unite around a shared commitment to luxury, craftsmanship and savoir-faire, each within their own field of expertise,” said Benoit Fraylon, Racing & Emotion Founder. “With Genesis Magma Racing, we found a common vision where passion, performance and design naturally converge. Together, our ambition is to transform that racing emotion into collectible design pieces and works of art, extending the experience beyond the track and bringing the spirit of Genesis Magma Racing into living spaces.” 

Four signature Art Ball Chairs — two each carrying the #17 and #19 numbers of the GMR-001 Hypercar in the race — will be part of Genesis’ hospitality setup during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, showcasing the product to the manufacturer’s invited guests and the potential of the new partnership. 

Racing and Design Combine for Genesis Magma Racing 

For Genesis Magma Racing, collaborating with an exciting motorsport-inspired, design-led brand reflects the team’s own values and philosophy and that of the Genesis brand it represents in the FIA WEC competition. 

In contrast with Racing & Emotion’s philosophy of motorsport inspiring design, the GMR-001 Hypercar is inspired by Genesis’ own “Athletic Elegance” design philosophy. In the creation of the team, the manufacturer has been able to take this to the natural extremes allowed within a specially designed race car. The GMR-001 Hypercar features the same simple parabolic lines seen in all Genesis models, as well as the iconic Two-Line headlamps that will be crucial during the hours of darkness on track during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Though only in their first season of racing in the FIA WEC, Genesis Magma Racing have already captured the attention of many fans after its competitive debut at the 6 Hours of Imola and first points-scoring finish at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last month. However, a first visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a further significant challenge for the team, especially coming so early in the history of the team. 

“Le Mans, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, is a central point of the FIA WEC season,” said Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke. “Success at Le Mans can create legends of manufacturers, and that is what Racing & Emotion’s designs celebrate with some of the color schemes that have become timeless symbols and transcended motorsport to become icons of their own.” 

He continued, “This is obviously something we aim for with Genesis, Genesis Magma Racing and the Magma livery the GMR-001 Hypercar will carry at Le Mans. We know we have a lot of work to do before we can earn a place to join the rich heritage legacy of endurance racing celebrated through Racing & Emotion’s creations, but to be included alongside them is certainly a small first step.” 

LE CASTELLET, France, June 1, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has revealed the special livery that will be carried by the team’s pair of GMR-001 Hypercars for the team’s debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The design returns the team’s livery to the Magma-inspired livery shown at the Genesis area of the Manufacturer Village at the 2025 event.

Inspired by Korean Energy and Culture

The livery’s colors take inspiration from the lava at the heart of the Magma name, created in reference to the volcanic origins of the Korean peninsula and the energy that lies below the surface of South Korea. The presence of power below the surface is also present in Korean culture, embodied by the humble confidence shown by the country’s people in the public eye.

Like them, Genesis Magma Racing has high targets and confidence that it can achieve them, but also embodies a humble approach, especially in its debut year in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Despite surprising many by scoring points in just its second race in the championship at last month’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Genesis Magma Racing remains focused on the reliability of the GMR-001 Hypercar and the challenge of reaching the finish in its first 24-hour race.

“For the entire Genesis brand, including of course Genesis Magma Racing, design is one of the foundational pillars,” said Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke. “Fans and supporters have been vocal in their love of the Magma Orange concept livery that was unveiled last year, and, as always, Genesis takes our supporters’ feedback into consideration by bringing it to reality with a bold evolution. More than a race livery, it’s an artful statement — where color and form convey the unique performance identity of Genesis.”

The gradual color shift over the length of the GMR-001 Hypercar flows from the signature Magma Orange at the front — a hue symbolizing Korea’s vibrant energy — to deep red at the rear, evoking a sense of speed and rising intensity, mirroring both the temperature of a high-performance engine and the acoustic shift of the Doppler effect as a car passes at full speed. The livery retains the hangeul lettering for “Magma” (마그마) over the length of the car, now in a contrasting gradient, running from red at the front of the car to Magma Orange at the rear.

The team’s two cars – #17 and #19 – will both carry the design for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The two liveries differ in the #19 sporting white Genesis and Genesis Magma Racing logos and additional highlights compared to the orange and black of the #17 entry.

Working With Technical Partner to Perfect Design

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the biggest weekend of our year,” said Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “It is the toughest test we face during the FIA WEC season, especially as a team in our first season, but it is also our biggest opportunity to show the identity of Genesis and Genesis Magma Racing to the world through racing.”

He added: “Since we launched the team in December 2024, Magma has been a key part of our name and our identity, so to be able to bring Genesis Magma fully to life on track is very important. The cars look fantastic, and as a team we will be working to make sure our performance matches the level of attention that has gone into creating the designs.”

Donckerwolke explained: “As we do for every production car, we will keep innovating and testing new solutions to always be recognized and unique. Genesis global design has worked hand in hand with the racing team to create a striking yet lightweight livery for the biggest race of the 2026 WEC season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

To bring the design to life, Genesis Magma Racing has worked closely with Technical Partner HEXIS to perfect the gradient design to look its best both standing on the grid and racing at full speed. Drawing on the expertise of HEXIS and its latest generation of wrapping films, these ultra-conformable adhesives have been specially developed to enhance the colors from every angle. The specially engineered films are capable of enduring the harsh conditions of endurance racing, from high-velocity airflow and heat to track debris. To guarantee this, HEXIS’s BODYFENCE steps in as an invisible armor; this advanced paint protection film keeps the livery spotless and fiercely glossy, ensuring that gravel and track grit won't dull the design, all without adding unnecessary weight, while meeting the strict design brief for the livery. From the afternoon sun to the dead of night on the Mulsanne Straight, the GMR-001 Hypercar will catch the light in a unique way, ensuring a spectacular visual impact without compromising the car’s performance.

This second installment of the 2026 WEC Season Guide explores the strategy and tactics used in endurance racing.

What Happens During a Race?

Racing teams typically consist of two cars and three drivers per car who take turns driving over the race’s duration. Each turn is called a stint. Physical and mental stamina are crucial; races are a real test of endurance for both humans and machines.

A lot of planning goes into each race. Race strategy goes far beyond mere speed on the track in WEC. Teams must carefully consider everything including tire regulations, fuel management and pit stop timing to optimize performance. This strategic decision-making can significantly impact lap times and overall race outcomes, as teams aim to balance speed with durability.

Tire Trade-Offs

In endurance racing, tires are a critical strategic resource. The WEC strictly regulates every aspect of their use, from the number of sets available for a race weekend (depending on race duration) to the types of tire compounds allowed. Teams are permitted only two specifications of dry-weather tires, soft and hard, and one specification for wet weather. Soft tires provide maximum grip for faster laps but also degrade quickly, while hard tires are slower but last longer.

This creates some crucial strategic trade-offs. Pushing the car too hard will wear out soft tires quickly, forcing an extra, time-consuming pit stop. Conversely, being too conservative by running harder tires might save the need for a pit stop but cost valuable seconds on every lap. Teams must constantly analyze track temperature, weather conditions and driver feedback to decide the perfect moment to change tires, a call that can ultimately determine the difference between victory and defeat.

Pit Stop Precision

Pit stops in WEC races are intense moments that require precision and coordination. With strict rules governing how these stops are executed, every second counts. Each team is limited to 11 crew members, with each person assigned a specific role: one car controller, one refueller, one fire extinguisher holder, one cut-off valve attendant, one cockpit helper, four mechanics and two tire and brake technicians. This structured approach ensures that each aspect of the pit stop is handled efficiently, but it also adds pressure, as any mistake can lead to costly delays. 

Safety is paramount during pit stops. All personnel must remain behind a designated safety line when the car enters or leaves the pit area, and the engine must be turned off before any team member can approach the vehicle. Additionally, teams are allowed only two tire guns — one for each tire-and-brake technician. In a significant change to previous regulations, tire changes and refueling can now occur simultaneously, allowing teams to minimize pit stop duration and maintain competitive momentum.

Driver Swapping

In the WEC, driver-change strategies focus on rotating up to three drivers per car to manage fatigue and optimize performance across race durations from six to 24 hours, with each stint typically lasting 45 minutes to one hour or until a fuel tank is depleted. While there is no specific limitation on how long a single driver can be in a Hypercar, each driver of a team must complete at least one lap to qualify as a member of a racing team during a race.

Strategic timing of swaps is critical, as teams balance driver freshness, especially during night stints or fatigue-heavy periods, with pit stop efficiency to gain or maintain track position. For instance, double or triple stints allow one driver to push longer before handing off. Synchronizing changes with refueling and tire swaps minimize time loss. Poor timing can drop a car a lap behind, making recovery difficult without safety car periods. Swaps occur in the pit lane with the engine off, executed rapidly by limited crews.

Safety Procedures

• Full Course Yellow: When there is an incident on track and all cars must slow to 80 kilometers per hour. Intended for allowing interventions that will take less than one lap.
   

• Safety Car: All cars bunch into a single line at a maximum of 80 kilometers per hour due to an incident on track.
   

• Virtual Safety Car: Similar to a Full Course Yellow, but in WEC races a Virtual Safety Car period is always followed by a Safety Car period.

Reading the Race: Flag Signals

Flags enable Race Control to communicate with drivers on the track.

Green Flag

Signals the start of the race or the end of a caution period, indicating that drivers can race as normal. 

Checkered Flag

Marks the end of the race.

Yellow Flag

Indicates that there is a hazard on the track, requiring drivers to slow down.

Blue Flag

Indicates that faster cars are approaching, and the driver should let them pass.

Red Flag

Means the race is stopped due to an accident or bad weather resulting in dangerous racing conditions. Cars must either return to the pit road or stop on the track immediately.

Yellow/Red Flag

Signifies that something on the track could cause cars to lose control, such as oil or debris.

Black Flag

Displayed with a car number, indicates that a driver has violated a rule and must return to the pit stop.

Black and White Flag

Displayed with a car number, it signals unsportsmanlike conduct.

Black Flag with Orange Circle

Displayed with a car number, indicates that a vehicle has serious mechanical issues or loose bodywork that poses a risk to others. The car must make a pit stop for inspection.

Penalties

Failure to comply with sporting rules or safety regulations will result in penalties for teams.

• Drive-Through: The driver must enter the pit lane and exit back onto the track without stopping.
   

• Stop-and-Go: The driver must enter the pit lane, come to a complete stop in their pit box, and then exit to rejoin the race.
   

• Pit Stop Time Penalty: The driver must enter the pit lane, stop in their pit box for a specified amount of time, and only then exit and rejoin the race.

Other Useful Terms

• Chicane: A sequence of corners where drivers must go left, then immediately right – or vice-versa. (e.g., Ford Chicanes at Le Mans, Variante Alta at Imola).
   

• Cockpit: The space in the car where the driver sits. 
   

• Energy: A combination of fuel and hybrid power. The maximum amount of energy used defines a stint’s maximum length. 
   

• Free Practice: The first session of any race weekend, where teams set up their cars for the specific needs of each individual circuit. 
   

• Garage: Where each car is worked on between sessions and where teams will complete any major repairs during the race. Also often referred to as the “box.” 
   

• Hairpin: A sharp 180-degree – or near 180-degree – corner, often the slowest point on a circuit (e.g., La Source at Spa).
   

• Hypercar: The premier class of the FIA World Endurance Championship, where Genesis Magma Racing is competing in 2026. Also, the name of one of the technical regulations to which cars can be built. 
   

• Hyperpole: The final part of Qualifying where the fastest 10 (eight at Le Mans) from each class compete for Pole Position. 
   

• LMDh: Another set of technical regulations that cars in the Hypercar class can be built to. The GMR-001 is built to LMDh regulations. 
   

• LMGT3: Alongside Hypercar, the other full-time class in the FIA World Endurance Championship for cars more closely based on road-going sports cars. 
   

• LMP2: A secondary class of Prototype racing that only joins the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but is the top class in the European Le Mans Series where Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers have been competing in since 2025. 
   

• Pass Around: When cars on track between the Safety Car and their class leader may overtake the Safety Car and join the back of the line. 
   

• Out-braking: When one driver overtakes another by braking later than a rival before a corner. 
   

• Paddock: The area of any racetrack where the teams are based, including where hospitality areas are often based. 
   

• Pit Lane: The area away from the main racetrack where teams complete their pit stops or wait before the start of a Free Practice or Qualifying session. 
   

• Pit Wall: The wall between the pitlane and racetrack, where the Race Engineer, Team Strategists and other key figures often work. 
   

• Pole Position: The first position on the grid, awarded to the fastest car in the Qualifying sessions. 
   

• Qualifying: The session where speed really counts and the grid is decided by each car’s fastest lap during the session. 
   

• Race Engineer: The team member who leads the team on track, deciding the strategy for each car – when to pit for fuel, new tires or a driver change. 
   

• Slipstream: When one car follows closely behind another, often to gain time and complete an overtake. 
   

• Stint, Double Stint, Triple Stint: A driver’s turn in the car between pit stops. The minimum and maximum length of a stint are set by the regulations. When a driver drives two or more of these durations it is called a double or triple stint. It can also apply to tires.

Endurance racing is a multifaceted sport where strategy, precision and teamwork are just as important as pure speed. With these fundamental ideas in mind, new fans of the sport can better understand and appreciate the drama and excitement of GMR’s WEC journey.

Stay tuned for part 3.

STAVELOT, Belgium, May 10, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing scored its first points in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), as Pipo Derani brought the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar home in eighth place at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The team took advantage of an aggressive strategy decision in the final hour of the race, with the Brazilian able to defend his position in the final part of the race.

Result Highlights Team’s Early Progress

The two starting drivers, André Lotterer and Dani Juncadella, held their positions at the start of the race. Good pace and a strategy decision to only partially fuel Jaubert for his second stint of the race allowed the #17 car to climb up to tenth before the Frenchman made way for Pipo Derani with just over 2:30 remaining in the race.

Facing an issue that left the car down on power, the team made another aggressive strategy decision at the final stop under a Virtual Safety Car that, though giving the team track position, left Derani at a disadvantage compared to those around him. Taking the restart with 34 minutes remaining in eighth place, he was able to move up as others suffered incidents ahead. After a brief exchange of positions on a final restart ten minutes later, where Derani briefly ran as high as sixth, he settled into eighth place. Defending superbly through the closing stages against drivers with newer tires, he held on to score Genesis Magma Racing’s first points in just the second start for the team.

A fix to an electrical issue lost the #19 entry seven laps after the opening hour of the contest. However, with the problem solved efficiently by the team, they were able to use the remainder of the race to gather crucial data about the balance of the GMR-001 Hypercar in different situations. With this goal in mind, Jaminet took two rear tires at his stop mid-way through his double-stint, reporting the effect on balance back to the garage.

In line with the team’s goals before the race, the focus in the final hours became bringing the car successfully to the end, maximizing the experience gained from the weekend and repeating their achievement from the season opener.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul, said: “In only our second participation in an Endurance race, we could not have dreamt of a better place than Spa to score the very first points in the history of Genesis Magma Racing. We are still a very young team and this result is an extremely emotional moment for all its members, and I hope that will make the entire Hyundai Motor Group proud. As we had some issues with power and with energy consumption, we decided to make an aggressive strategic move towards the end of the race with a very short stop with the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar perfectly executed by the pit crew and Pipo, and it played out very nicely. We need to  continue to consolidate our foundation so that we can be here and beyond on a regular basis, but it's great that it's coming now because it also gives us  the momentum to tackle as many of the issues we have been facing before the next major milestone in our program in Le Mans.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “This is an amazing result for all of Genesis Magma Racing and the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar team. We were under a lot of pressure at the end. Pipo did a fantastic job because we had some issues. He deserved his position because he protected his position superbly at the end. He did a fantastic job, as did André Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert, who drove before him. Despite improvements since Imola, the #19 car unfortunately had some problems again. Step by step we need to climb the hill.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “My heart is still racing from the last two hours. It wasn't easy. We faced some technical difficulties, and we worked through them as a team. This is just going to be a super motivational factor for us moving into the big race next. I am absolutely thrilled with the way that we worked together, the way all the drivers performed. We were really a two-car team with an army of people behind, and we all worked together. We learned a lot of things as well on the operational and technical sides. We learned that we still have some weaknesses. We were able to limp through, but we need to be stronger for the next one.”

Anouck Abadie, Genesis Magma Racing Team manager, said: “Finishing the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was a challenge. We will have a full season full of challenges, but this one was certainly a tough one. I think we are showing that we are capable of working together to face whatever comes at us. We had some scary moments but in the end the guys did an amazing job and we crossed the finish line with both cars, and the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar in a very good position. So now it's very positive. We still need to work on some procedures to see how we can optimize some issues that we have faced, but we need to learn from that and then get the best out of it.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “We were battling some issues from the moment I got in the car. From that moment, I was trying to survive, understand what we could do to improve, and get the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar to the checkered flag. I kept pushing Mathieu Leroy for a strategy to get track position in order to try and maybe hold the cars behind, because it was the only way we would get to the points. I was fighting to manage the energy, asking the engineers the numbers, but at the end we did just that, and I was able to hold quite a few cars behind. I just kept my head down. I'm very proud of the team, and to be able to bring the first points home to Genesis Magma Racing. It's been a long time coming, but yet so early days for us.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “The race was amazing. As we did in ELMS last year, Mathieu Leroy [#17  race engineer] did a mega job on the strategy. We might have been a bit lucky with the last full course yellow, but we had to be in the right place to be lucky. What a race. We did a pretty good job. For me, the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar was great, no issues at all. We were able, like in Imola, to keep the other cars behind when we were fighting for top ten positions. So, the first points is a good step. Now the next race is Le Mans. It's going to be a new one for the team and the longest one. It's a bit harder and we need to keep working to improve. We will take many lessons from this one, because now the focus is to take the experience we have and prepare for our 24 Hours race.”

André Lotterer said: “It‘s very emotional for the whole team to have this result. The strategy came towards us, we were a bit aggressive, but we take it. It's a very big day for Genesis Magma Racing and the whole brand to be able to score our first points so early in this journey. Pipo did some amazing defending. It was really a tough job for him, to be longer on the tires and also we had issues with the car that he had to manage, but he kept his cool and really, really did a good job. What we did in Imola was a great achievement for the team. We had similar aims to be at the finish line and establish ourselves in this championship. But secretly, I had hopes for our first points and they came.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Dani Juncadella said: “It was a difficult race for the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar, of course, because we had the electrical issue. But after that, a bit like in Imola, we drove to the end and we completed a lot of mileage, and we had encouraging pace. It’s amazing for the #17, they get this result. That's a win for everybody in the team. So early in the development phase and the first time racing in Spa with the car, and we score points, that's just incredible. It’s really good for all the team. We drove both cars to the finish line, got a lot of mileage and we were fighting other cars already on a difficult track. I feel every race we're making steps forward.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “It was a bit of a tough day for us with the issue at the start and another small issue again with me. After that, we ran actually pretty smoothly. We drove to the end, so that was good and we had some good pace at stages. We can take some really good learning from the weekend, which is a good thing. We tried some different tire strategies with me.  I’m happy that we leave Spa with a lot more knowledge than before we arrived. So I take that as a really good positive and on a good note, the sister car scores some points which is very good for the spirit of the team. It's a pretty amazing achievement. Hats off to that, and this should only give us a big push to work even harder for the future.”

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “My stint at the end was good. The car behaved well. We were unfortunately a few laps done with a small issue we had at the beginning, but one more time, I think we confirmed that we have a strong and nice car in the GMR-001 Hypercar with good potential and the best is ahead of us, but shows us what we still need to work on to not lose time with the small issue. It's part of motorsport, but we need to be capable of solving it. But it's a learning curve. I'm super happy for our sister car to score the first point for Genesis Magma Racing. They built this story and they made history today. I think it was really important to get those points before Le Mans. I'm super proud of the entire team and I can't wait to be back at Le Mans in a few weeks.”

2026 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Results – Hypercar class

2026 FIA World Endurance Championship standings – Manufacturer Hypercar class

LE CASTELLET, France, May 7, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has entered the realm of esports and sim racing for the first time with the launch of GMR Esports. The expansion into esports is a key part of Genesis’ goal to increase awareness of the brand and Genesis Magma Racing among a diverse audience, including further raising the profile of the team in South Korea. 

Esports Squad Supports Main Goals of Team 

The team will compete in official esports events organized on the official game of the series, Le Mans Ultimate, developed by Motorsport Games, including Online Championships, World Endurance Championship Special Events and future official esports competitions. 

In joining these events, GMR Esports will support the work of Genesis Magma Racing. The Esports team will compete in virtual models of the same GMR-001 Hypercar from the WEC, carrying a similar distinctive livery as their on-track counterparts. The team’s presence in the events will help further expand the awareness of the Genesis brand outside of the traditional motorsport audience, just as Genesis Magma Racing aims to expand the following of the manufacturer with its more performance-orientated image and approach. 

Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Genesis Magma Racing is a large project and we want to be successful everywhere we compete, including with GMR Esports. The creation of GMR Esports makes the team, GMR-001 Hypercar and the Genesis brand more accessible to a wider audience and the success of our drivers in online competition will complement the work of the race team on track.” 

He continued: “Esports is increasingly becoming an entry point to motorsport, so it is very important to have Genesis and Genesis Magma Racing represented there. Esports provides a gateway for would-be drivers to develop their talents, prove themselves to teams in official events, and build a professional racing career. If GMR Esports and our work with Le Mans Ultimate can provide a route for new drivers and fans, then we can certainly take that as a positive, on top of any event results.” 

The launch of GMR Esports builds on Genesis Magma Racing’s existing partnership with Motorsport Games, with Le Mans Ultimate branding featured on the GMR-001 Hypercar. This close collaboration has already enabled the GMR-001 Hypercar to be brought to Le Mans Ultimate ahead of its first competitive outing, giving fans an early opportunity to experience the car in action and underlining a shared commitment to authenticity. 

Virtual and Real-world Racing Experience Combined 

GMR Esports is made of a stable of seven drivers — six main drivers and one reserve, similar to the makeup of the Genesis Magma Racing FIA World Endurance Championship team. The esports drivers are a mix of European and Korean talent and blend proven professional virtual racing and real-world experience, including competing in some of the biggest races in the world. 

The team is led by Dutchman Collin Spork. A former Formula Sim Racing World Champion and a Virtual Endurance World Championship winner in the Hypercar category, Spork combines elite-level sim racing with ongoing work supporting professional race teams as a Simulation and Development Driver. He brings a strong focus on detail and collaboration, helping translate simulator learning into actionable performance gains. 

As well as a driving role, Spork will also take on the technical and development lead within the team. Spork said: “This program is about more than just results — it’s about building a team that can push the limits of the GMR-001 Hypercar in the virtual world and feed that learning back into everything Genesis Magma Racing stands for. Le Mans Ultimate gives us a platform that rewards detail, discipline and teamwork, and that’s exactly the environment we want to develop in. My focus is to make sure we arrive prepared, keep improving every session and represent the Genesis brand with the same professionalism and ambition you see on track.” 

Further leadership is provided by Nissan GT Academy alumni Jesper Pedersen and Slovenian Jernej Simončič, two of endurance sim racing’s most established competitors. Pedersen is an Endurance eRacing World Champion and a Virtual Endurance Championship Division 1 GT3 champion and also a Le Mans Virtual Bahrain 8 Hours overall winner. Alongside his esports record, the Dane brings real-world experience including Formula Ford and national endurance racing. 

Simončič has built a reputation as one of the standout drivers in global esports, with multiple Formula Sim Racing World Championship titles and a record of winning at the highest level across formats, including major LAN finals. He also brings proven endurance credentials highlighted by podium finishes in virtual editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and front-running results in the Virtual Endurance Championship. 

Korean Talent Expands Aims of Program 

Genesis Magma Racing’s expansion into esports also provides a new avenue for the team to connect with its growing Korean audience. “GMR Esports and Genesis Magma Racing will work together to achieve our shared goals,” said Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “There is no WEC round in the country, but esports are very popular in South Korea. GMR Esports gives us a new, key way to engage with our Korean audience, making Genesis Magma Racing, Genesis and motorsport far more accessible to the new fans we aim to create.” 

Taking advantage of a strong talent pool in the country, four South Korean drivers have been selected to be part of the GMR Esports lineup: Hyukjin Kwon, Gyumin Kim and Youngchan Kim. All three have virtual racing experience, including representing South Korea in the esports disciplines of the FIA Motorsport Games, where Gyumin Kim claimed the Bronze Medal in the F4 class. All three drivers are also regulars in the Hyundai N Festival race series. 

Hyukjin was a four-time race winner in the N2 class of the Hyundai N Festival last year. Gyumin is a former N1 class champion, the highest category in the series, having claimed the title in 2024 before Youngchan went on to secure the championship last season. The success of Gyumin and Youngchan has also led them onto the international stage: in 2025, Gyumin made his debut in the U.S.-based TC America series, while both drivers have become regulars at the Nürburgring 24 Hours where they will make their third and second starts respectively next week. 

The team is completed by Reserve Driver Rokyeong Kang, a 17-year-old rising talent. With experience in virtual competition such as the Hyundai N Virtual Cup, Kang also gained real-world race experience in the Hyundai N Festival, including competition in the N1 class where he secured a victory in the N1 Club category last season. He is viewed as a high-potential prospect for the future of the program. 

LE CASTELLET, France, May 3, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella scored a second consecutive fourth place finish in the European Le Mans Series at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. The team rose through the order, running in podium contention for much of the race at the home event of the IDEC Sport team.

Team in Podium Contention from Rear of Class

Jamie Chadwick was forced to start the #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 from the back of the LMP2 class field following a penalty in qualifying which led to the team being stripped of their result from the session. Despite the setback, she immediately made good progress — taking two positions on the opening lap and a further two before the first Virtual Safety Car period of the race less than 30 minutes into the contest.

She continued her progress up the order, combining overtakes on circuit and a strategy decision to extend her stint beyond several rivals to rise to third before pitting to hand driving over to Rinicella. The Italian, who had qualified the car, kept the team in position through the calmer middle part of the race, remaining in contact with the podium places as gaps on track ebbed with traffic and strategy decisions.

Hörr took over the car during another Virtual Safety Car intervention with a little over an hour remaining, taking the restart in fourth. The German showed the best pace of the car, setting the team’s fastest lap in pursuit of a podium. The racing of the final stint was frantic, with several leading teams making mistakes allowing Hörr to first take third and then inherit second when the two leaders clashed. However, Hörr had himself picked up damage on the front of the car. A slower final pitstop resulted from the team examining the damage but deciding not to replace the nose of the car. The extra time dropped the #18 from the podium places, now completed by the sister IDEC Sport entry. Instead, as the damage worsened through the final run — Hörr was unable to remount a challenge for third place, instead turning to concentrate on a successful defense to protect his own position.

Post Race Quotes - #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07

Jamie Chadwick said: “It was good fun. Obviously starting at the back, we had some ground to make up, but I was able to make the most of the traffic and make up a few positions. It was a bit of max attack to get as far forward as possible, which made my stint a bit more fun in a way. Given the penalty and where we started, we can be pretty positive, but we always want more, especially because we were fighting for the podium for so long and it was small things at the very end. Equally, I’m happy for the #28 – they did a great job all weekend -and for us, I think it’s just going to make us hungrier. Two fourth places are good points, but you always want to stand on the podium.”

Valerio Rinicella said: “I think for where we started, fourth place is a mega result. We struggled a little bit with the set-up during Free Practice, but Qualifying was really strong from my side, but we had an issue with the weight, so we had to start last, which messed up a bit of our strategy. With Jamie, we recovered a lot, and my stint was very strong. Some laps in my stint I was lucky with traffic, some lap unlucky, but that’s endurance racing. Laurents also did a mega job fighting for podiums. I’m really happy we managed to make a good recovery, so we just need to be proud. P4 is good points for the championship, and we have to keep working for the next one, so let’s see for Imola.”

Laurents Hörr said: “Generally, we had a strong package this week. We could have made the podium. It was a pity about the last pitstop where we lost a lot of time. The last two strong were just full push, with a lot of track action. One car in front of me had a technical issue and slowed down quite abruptly. The two cars between us saw him in time, but for me it was too late. I touched him slightly. We still had great pace, and I fought for the podium, but with the damage we pushed the tires too hard and I really had to fight in the end to keep P4 which is a solid result for us. It was a really tough race, including some damage at the end, due to some contact. We managed everything well. The team did an incredible job. We had a great car, and a day like today is good for us as a team.”

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “Jamie, Valerio and Laurents can be incredibly proud of their performance at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. The penalty after qualifying was unfortunate, but they and the team responded very well. Jamie had one of her best stints in the car to attack from the back of the class and get the team in contention for the podium, and Valerio and Laurents were able to keep the car in position. The last part of the race was really intense with mistakes and problems for other teams and Laurents moving up to second. Unfortunately, the damage at the end forced him to defend for the final laps. He kept the position well despite the pressure for another strong result.”

FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, May 1, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing aims to build on an encouraging debut weekend in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) when the series resumes at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. 

Team Aim to Maintain Momentum After Fast Turn Around 

Coming just three weeks after the team made its competitive debut at the 6 Hours of Imola, the race in Belgium gives Genesis Magma Racing a near-immediate opportunity to build on the learnings and momentum gained for the team’s first competitive outing. The pair of GMR-001 Hypercars showed good reliability and pace against the more experienced manufacturers on the grid after a combined Prologue and race weekend. 

However, though obviously wanting to capitalize on a positive first event, the team are wary of over-confidence and remain focused on its own performance – continuing the work they began in Imola. In the short time between the two events the team has been able to analyze its own performance, finding ways to improve its operational processes throughout the team, while keeping the on-track focus on confirming the reliability of the GMR-001 Hypercar. 

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is a formidable challenge for any team, especially one still taking its first steps. The Ardennes circuit is one of the most challenging in the world. The seven-kilometer track features long flat-out sections and famous high-speed corners such as Raidillon and Blanchimont, but also a tighter, more technical, second sector that necessitates a constant compromise on setup. The track is also infamous for unpredictable weather, capable of generating a mix of conditions over the course of single day, let alone a race weekend, giving the team’s engineers another variable to consider in every decision. 

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday, May 9. As in the first race of the season both GMR-001 Hypercar will be shared by the full three-driver lineup – Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer in the #17 entry and Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella in the sister #19 car. 

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes 

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: “What we achieved in Imola was obviously encouraging, but we need to keep building on the foundations we have built. There have only been a few weeks since our first race, but that has given us time to reflect on our debut weekend and take some lessons which we can apply right away at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. We saw we have the performance and reliability in the GMR-001 Hypercar, and the ability in the team to compete in the Hypercar class; now we have to make sure we can do that for a full race. For Spa we stay focused on delivering on the things that we can control – confirming what we saw at Imola, while beginning to push a little for performance. If we can repeat all the things that we did well in Imola, while taking the extra forward steps that we are aiming for, then we will be able to take our challenge further up the order and keep making the forward steps we need to reach our goals for our first year of racing.” 

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: “Imola gave us some positive signs and showed the work we have done is moving in the right direction. However, it was only the first race, so we need to stay realistic and keep focused on improving step by step. Spa is a very demanding circuit, both for the car and drivers. The combination of high-speed corners, long straights and changing weather conditions makes it one of the biggest challenges of the season. Not having tested our car at Spa beforehand is an extra challenge for us, but the experience that some of our drivers have at the circuit could help us compensate for that. We are still very early in our program, so every event gives us another valuable opportunity to understand more about the car, improve our package and continue building confidence as a team. Our target for the weekend is clear: to confirm the progress we made in Imola, keep learning and take another step forward in performance and consistency.” 

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: “Our focus in our first race was on learning and executing the basics of an FIA WEC weekend. We were successful in gathering a tremendous amount of data, something which was never possible in testing, and we can now use this information and our extra experience to adjust our approach for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Spa will bring new challenges with the big compression at Eau Rouge and the speed through Pouhon. It’s a very different challenge to what we faced in Imola, due to the lower downforce nature of the track, so we’ll be able to get some important information about how the handling balance and, undoubtedly, we will gain more information about the 2026 tire. Our focus in Spa will again be on execution and maximizing mileage with the GMR-001 Hypercar to give us as much data as possible to take into the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.” 

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar 

Pipo Derani said: “With our first race and finish completed, we are now preparing for Spa-Francorchamps with the goal of making further progress and advancing the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar. Completing the race in Imola with both cars without significant problems has eased some pressure and allows us to concentrate more on performance and execution moving forward, which is particularly important as we move further into the season. There is still much to improve, but we are satisfied with the outcome of the weekend in Imola and aim to maintain a steady pace of progress for Spa. It is quite a different circuit from Imola, so adapting quickly to the track will be important for our learning. I am interested to see how our car performs on this type of track and am ready to get back on track.” 

Mathys Jaubert said: “From Imola I think the biggest takeaway is how strong we were operationally as a team. We executed a clean, controlled race with no major issues, and that’s the kind of foundation we want to carry forward. Personally, I really enjoy racing at Spa. It’s one of the most iconic circuits with a great flow and some very challenging sections. You need commitment and precision, especially in high-speed corners, and the changing weather can make things even more complex. For the car it’s a real test in terms of balance and efficiency over a long lap, so getting everything right is key. The goal is to repeat what we did well in Imola: a clean, well-managed weekend, maximizing every session and putting ourselves in a strong position for the race. If we do that, the result will follow.” 

André Lotterer said: “Very excited to race in Spa as always, as I grew up in Belgium since I was 1 year old. I was playing there a lot as a kid in my father’s race team, and then later on my go-kart tuner was based at the track. I have great memories there, winning WEC races and my only F1 race there, so it’s always a highlight of the year for me. I can’t wait to see all the fans, because there are always a lot there. What we can take from Imola is that we did well on operations and we were effective in everything with almost no problems, so now we can focus more on performance after the debut was ticked off. Spa a demanding circuit, with one of the most exciting corners of the season in Eau Rouge. It’s a high-energy track for the tires, so it’s really interesting for the car setup. We would like to aim for the points. We are still learning how we compare to our rivals, but we saw in Imola that we could compete a little bit, so it would be great if we can push for a bit more.” 

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar 

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “Spa is an iconic circuit that we all look forward to visiting every year, so I’m really looking forward to driving there for the first time with the GMR-001 Hypercar. It’s a circuit that requires the best compromise between aerodynamic performance and top speed. From a driving perspective, confidence is key, as well as tire management, which remains a real unknown with the new 2026 tire. First, we need to confirm the positives from Imola and continue progressing in terms of execution and operations. It’s also important to freeze certain processes to build strong routines as a new team. Once these are in place it means we can arrive at any track with a real sense of confidence and calmness and be better placed to react to unexpected things. Our overall package should allow us to fight with the others in the race, and crossing the finish line around tenth position would be a great reward and motivation for the whole team.” 

Mathieu Jaminet said: “I’m looking forward to the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. It’s a very short turn-around after Imola but I think we had a pretty strong first weekend, so I hope we can keep the momentum and the spirit we had in Italy for the second round. It’s important to see where we are in Spa. It’s a very different track – it’s very fast compared to Imola, so it will be a good place to learn more about the characteristics of the GMR-001 Hypercar. I know Spa really, really well, but I’ve never had the chance to race a Prototype there before – I’ve always raced in GT. I have some really good memories from those races, so I’m looking forward to my first Hypercar race there, and to see how we go as a team. It will be a very important weekend to learn, so every session and lap is going to be important, and I hope we can bring the two cars to the finish again.” 

Dani Juncadella said: “Spa is a really good place. It’s one of my favorite tracks and one of the highlights of the WEC season. I really enjoy racing there. I’ve won the 24 Hours of Spa in GT3, so it’s a place I have fond memories of. Last year in ELMS we crossed the line second after a very strong race – but unfortunately got a penalty. Spa is a track that has a lot of different characteristics, such as a long straight and a good combination of high- and low-speed corners. That makes it very challenging as a driver, and it’s not easy for the engineers to set up the car. You need to think about where you want to maximize the performance. We can take a lot of positives from Imola. We were not expecting to be so competitive so early in the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar. However, we need to keep on learning the class, learning the car so we’ll take the weekend in Spa session-by-session and try to maximize what we have.” 

What is Endurance Racing?

Endurance racing is a marathon rather than a sprint. It is a thrilling motorsport discipline that tests not only the speed and skills of drivers but also the durability of vehicles and teamwork over extended periods.

It involves teams of drivers who share a car, rotating in stints over race durations that commonly range from 6 to 24 hours. The core challenge is not just to finish first but also to cover the most distance in the allotted time while managing fatigue, pit stops, car reliability and changing track and weather conditions.

Why is Genesis Getting into Endurance Racing?

Endurance racing provides an unparalleled platform to push automotive engineering to its limits, serving as the ultimate testing ground for innovation. Genesis Magma Racing (GMR) serves to validate Genesis’ capabilities and credibility under the most extreme competitive conditions. Endurance racing demands high-speed aerodynamics, advanced cooling systems and durability over grueling hours-long competitions — conditions that cannot be replicated through conventional development.

For Genesis, this is a pathway to refine technologies and transfer those learnings into the design and performance of its mass-production vehicles. Motorsport is not just about making the podium. It is about putting design principles and institutional knowledge to the ultimate test and, through that test, refining them to enhance quality and engineering excellence across the entire Genesis lineup.

Forging a New Legacy

Genesis will become the first South Korean automobile manufacturer to compete in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Genesis Magma Racing carries a dual mission: to compete at the highest level of endurance racing and to serve as a cultural ambassador, bringing the excitement of this global sport to Korea.

The team is fielding two GMR-001 Hypercars in each race, numbered 17 and 19. Each car is piloted by a team of three drivers, a blend of decorated veterans and exceptional young talent.

The #17 Hypercar is piloted by André Lotterer, Luis “Pipo” Derani and Mathys Jaubert. Lotterer brings a wealth of prototype experience as a three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and former WEC champion. Derani has previously conquered the top class of the North American International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). And Jaubert was just promoted from the GMR Trajectory Program, proving his readiness with three ELMS victories in 2025.

The #19 Hypercar is shared by Paul-Loup Chatin, Dani Juncadella and Mathieu Jaminet. Chatin is a two-time European Le Mans Series champion with recent race-winning experience in the Hypercar class. Juncadella is a versatile winner in both GT and prototype machinery, while Jaminet has several IMSA wins on his record.

GMR Trajectory Program driver Jamie Chadwick will serve as reserve driver this season.

About FIA WEC

WEC is a racing series governed by FIA. It is made up of a set of races spanning the globe, with this year’s season having begun in Imola, Italy.

The 2026 FIA WEC race calendar consists of 8 races this year. The 6 Hours of Imola started April 17 and the final race, the 6 hours of Monza, ends November 8.

The races, dates and car classes allowed in WEC

WEC features a multi-class format where cars with different technical specifications race on the track simultaneously. Although they all share the same circuit, each class is effectively in its own race, competing for separate honors.

A comparison of the different endurance racing car classes.

Hypercar

The Hypercar class, in which Genesis Magma Racing competes, features the most technologically advanced prototypes from major manufacturers and heritage marques. Hypercars include both Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) specifications. Regulations are defined jointly by FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). LMDh regulations are also defined jointly by the ACO and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA).

LMH allows manufacturers freedom to design their cars from the ground up, while LMDh mandates the use of a standardized chassis and hybrid engine system.

LMGT3

The LMGT3 class is based closely on production grand tourers (GT) but with heavy modifications for racing. Usually, any extraneous frills are stripped out of the cars and replaced with a full roll cage and advanced safety systems.

LMP2

LMP2 is a secondary prototype class that only appears once in the WEC calendar, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Each one is powered by the same standard engine on the same chassis to maintain affordability and tight competitions. This class is often used as a proving ground for teams and drivers aspiring to move up to the Hypercar class.

Genesis Magma Racing has an ongoing collaboration with French racing team IDEC Sport, which competes in the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the European Le Mans Series. Since 2025, GMR Trajectory Program drivers have been placed in the IDEC Sport cockpit to fine-tune their endurance racing skills and prepare them to potentially ascend to the Hypercar category.

Race Weekends Explained

Each race typically takes place over a three-day weekend, except for the four-day 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Day 1: Free Practice

The first day of the event consists of three timed practice sessions. Teams and drivers use them to fine-tune their car for the track and make any necessary last-minute adjustments.

Day 2: Qualifying

Qualifying races determine each car’s starting position on the grid on race day. Races consist of relatively short qualifying and Hyperpole sessions for each car class. After the first qualifying round, the top 10 finishers get a chance to race again in the Hyperpole qualifying race to vie a second time for Pole Position.

Day 3: Race Day

Race day begins with cars lining up on the grid based on their qualifying results. The cars are positioned at a slight angle next to the pit wall known as “ear of corn” or “echelon” style, with Hypercars in front of the LMGT3 class. After a single formation lap behind the safety car to warm up, the timed race officially begins as the safety car exits the track via the pit lane and the first race car passes the starting line a second time.

The Path to Victory

Pole sitters in reach class receive a point each ahead of the race. Race points are awarded based on the number of laps completed in the race timeframe. The car with the most laps completed in its class gets 1st place and the most points. The next nine cars each score a decreasing number of points.

Points earned by cars in each class based on finish position across different race durations.

In the event of a tie in the number of laps completed, the times in which the cars cross the finish line determine the order. Any car after 10^th place, or that has covered less than 70% of the distance of the 1^st car, does not receive points. At the end of the season, five different championship titles are awarded across the Hypercar and LMGT3 categories.

As a manufacturer team fielding two cars, Genesis Magma Racing qualifies to compete for two of the titles: the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship and the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Driver's Championship.

For the Manufacturers’ title, only points from its highest-finishing car in each race will contribute to this championship. The drivers of each car share the points awarded to their respective entry.

Stay tuned for part 2 explaining what happens during the race.

Milanese luxury, a style epitomized by Larusmiani for over a century, is defined by its focus on timeless elegance over fleeting trends. It champions superior quality, meticulous craftsmanship and an unwavering attention to detail. This philosophy aligns perfectly with the core principles of Genesis, especially the concepts of “Athletic Elegance” and the “beauty of white space,” where every line and surface is intentional and minimalistic.

Genesis Debuts in Italy

The partnership celebrates two new milestones for Genesis. It officially launched in Italy on Jan. 22 with two retail locations opening this spring in Rome and Padua. Genesis also made its racing debut with its motorsport team Genesis Magma Racing (GMR). GMR drivers competed in the GMR-001 Hypercar at the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener, the 6 Hours of Imola 2026 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.

The Genesis X Larusmiani collaboration kicked off during Milan Design Week, blending the heritage of Italian fine lifestyle goods with Korean automotive design, creating a new vision for the modern “gentleman driver.” It is a story of two cultures finding common ground in the pursuit of understated luxury.

Genesis x Larusmiani

The Genesis x Larusmiani collaboration is part of The Automotive Gallery project by Larusmiani, stemming from the passion for cars of the brand’s president, Guglielmo Miani. It is a multifaceted initiative that celebrates both fashion and automotive design. The partnership centers around the GMR-001 Hypercar, which symbolizes a bold step in Genesis’ global motorsport ambitions and translates Genesis’ Athletic Elegance design philosophy into raw racing power.

Leaning into the Athletic facet of the brand’s defining design aesthetic, the GMR-001’s sweeping parabolic line creates a sleek yet aggressive visual while optimizing airflow to improve performance. The sculpted form houses a mid-mounted turbocharged V8 engine, framed at the rear by an active spoiler that adjusts to balance drag reduction with stability for high-speed racing. The GMR-001 Hypercar also features Genesis’ signature Two-Line headlamps, which it shares with the luxury marque’s road car range, making it instantly recognizable.

The GMR-001 Hypercar’s livery marries intensity with subtlety, dominated by the signature Magma orange — a hue symbolizing Korea’s vibrant energy. Integrated into the design is the Korean lettering for Magma (마그마), with its consonants “ㅁ,” “ㄱ” and “ㅁ” forming geometric motifs that are echoed in the team’s insignia. This visual language reflects Genesis’ fusion of cultural authenticity and innovation, ensuring the GMR-001 Hypercar stands out as a moving emblem of Korean identity.

The GMR-001 Hypercar prototype is on display in Larusmiani’s historic boutique from April 17-30, in the heart of Milan’s luxury shopping district during Milan Design Week, the same time as the WEC’s Imola race weekend. This places Genesis at the intersection of automotive performance and luxury living, creating appeal for both global motorsport enthusiasts and international design connoisseurs during one of the most culturally relevant moments of the year.

“The GMR‑001 Hypercar represents more than our entry into global motorsport — it embodies Genesis’ belief that performance and beauty should never be separated. Bringing this car into Larusmiani’s world during Milan Design Week places racing, craftsmanship and culture on equal footing, and reflects our ambition to build a brand that moves fluidly between the track and the wider creative landscape,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis.

A Translation of Design

For the Larusmiani creative team, translating the Genesis design language was an exercise in shared philosophy. The maison’s approach began with identifying the essence of Genesis’ design — the surface tensions, the way light flows across the bodywork and the coherence between form and function. The team transformed those elements into wearable design.

The process begins with direct observation of the vehicle, focusing on its physical presence. A hand-drawn sketch captures its essence, which is later adapted to the final product. Screen printing is used for the limited-edition T-shirts, while skilled artisans in Milan hand-paint the image of the GMR-001 onto the French Limoges porcelain pocket emptier, or “svuotatasche” in Italian. The goal is not to represent the car precisely, but to evoke it, ensuring that the owner of the object perceives in it the same formal care found within the bodywork of every Genesis.

The collection draws inspiration from the vehicle’s most intentional details: the texture of carbon fiber, the pattern of the air intakes and a color palette calibrated with tailored precision. Larusmiani team members recognize the same care in the vehicle design that they take with every stitch; choices that serve to signify, not just to fulfill a function. It is this layering of intention — design, craft and cultural — that elevates an object to a luxury piece. In this way the collection finds its meaning as a dialogue between two cultures of precise detail and overlapping design codes.

Larusmiani imagines the person using their capsule collection as someone who has no need to announce themselves. This modern gentleman driver is curious, not nostalgic. This individual appreciates tradition as a method to be applied to the present and does not hesitate to pair a Milanese tailored jacket with a Korean-designed car. This collaboration says it clearly: luxury is no longer a matter of origin or accumulated heritage, but of shared intention. And the one between Larusmiani and Genesis is a conversation between equals. 

Celebrating Heritage and Innovation

To mark the significance of the collaboration, Genesis and Larusmiani co-hosted an exclusive gala dinner within the breathtaking halls of the iconic Bagatti Valsecchi Museum. Contrasting beautifully with the classical architecture were the Genesis X Gran Racer Concept and GV60 Magma on display in the museum courtyard.

This juxtaposition was not about creating a clash between old and new, but about revealing a shared spirit. “The dialogue between the neo-Renaissance surfaces of the museum and the lines of the Genesis cars generates not contrast, but recognition,” explained Larusmiani President Guglielmo Miani. “Both things are born from the same intention, that of those who create with permanence in mind, not the impression of the moment.”

Through their embodiment of Athletic Elegance, the two Genesis models on display told a facet of this story of modern permanence. The Genesis X Gran Racer Concept, derived from the standard of excellence set by the Genesis X Gran Berlinetta Concept, merges purposeful racing derived elements with a refined aesthetic. The GV60 Magma beside it commands attention with its bold Magma Orange exterior, symbolizing the hidden potential energy bubbling unseen beneath the earth’s surface. The GV60 Magma is Genesis’ first production vehicle of its luxury high performance Magma Program.

Placing these vehicles in such a historic setting was a deliberate statement about the evolution of luxury and art. “The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is a place built on the conviction that beauty deserves to be preserved regardless of the era,” Miani reflected. “Placing the Genesis X Gran Racer and the GV60 Magma in that space is not a provocative gesture — it is a question: does a brand capable of bringing a hypercar to Imola and these models to Milan in the same month, weaving motorsport and design culture together with equal ease, deserve the same gaze reserved for things that endure?”

The Unexpected is Most Interesting

For Miani himself the most interesting collaborations arise from the unexpected. He believes that Genesis embodies this; it arrives not with the weight of motoring mythology, but with something rarer — an aesthetic philosophy built from scratch, free from legacy expectations and full of raw determination.

“It is this convergence between track and culture, between performance and formal beauty, that Larusmiani recognized as an authentic hallmark,” Miani explains. “Not a commercial operation, but an act of shared identity.”

The Automotive Gallery was born from Miani’s conviction that the automobile, when designed with true intention, is art, and he immediately recognized in the GMR-001 Hypercar that Genesis spoke that language too. “Larusmiani’s clients are people who read details,” Miani notes, “and what convinced them, as it convinced me, was precisely that integrated vision: a brand that designs racing cars with the same care it devotes to luxury interiors.”

This approach also addresses how to introduce a futuristic marque to a clientele steeped in classic heritage. The answer lies in the method. The capsule collection pieces are made like every other Larusmiani item, with first-choice natural materials and established techniques, yet they draw inspiration from the carbon fiber surfaces of the GMR-001 Hypercar.

In a world where heritage often dictates the rigid rules of luxury, the collaboration between Genesis and Larusmiani offers a compelling vision of the future. This partnership is more than a mere intersection of automotive design and high fashion; it is a testament to a shared philosophy. Both Genesis, with its audacious challenge to the automotive hierarchy, and Larusmiani, with its legacy of innovation, have proven they are not content to simply participate in the status quo. They are here to disrupt it.

By weaving together their respective crafts, they have created a narrative of a new kind of luxury — one that is defined not by adherence to tradition, but by the courage to innovate and the relentless pursuit of a different, more dynamic, standard of excellence. This collaboration doesn't just place a car next to a suit; it places two forward-thinking manifestos in dialogue, leaving us with the resounding impression that the most exciting frontier of luxury is the one still being designed.

IMOLA, Italy, April 10, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing will make its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the 6 Hours of Imola less than 500 days after publicly announcing their intent to enter the series. Though the team is satisfied with the progress made during testing, the event at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari represents a new step, joining the established teams and manufacturers of the grid on track for the first time.

Race Debut Builds on Foundations Laid During Testing

The team’s main focus is on building on the foundations laid during the 25,000 kilometers of track testing completed by the team with the car since August 2025. Recognizing the scale of the challenge of joining the highly competitive championship, Genesis Magma Racing places a two-car finish high on its list of goals for the race while focusing on managing aspects of race weekend operation that lie fully within its control.

The change to the WEC calendar gave Genesis Magma Racing an extra three weeks to prepare for its first event at the highest level of endurance racing. The team’s engineers took full advantage of the opportunity as they have done throughout the testing and development of the GMR-001 Hypercar.

Final preparations for the race debut included a day of testing at the Imola circuit – something that was planned prior to the calendar alterations. As well as giving the team an opportunity to simulate race runs on a WEC race track, the running with two cars provided the drivers with a chance to establish a base setup for the car, which they can work from during the Prologue test and Free Practice sessions.

This is especially important for the technical demands of the Imola circuit, including a need to ride bumps and curbs well to make the most of the power from the GMR-001 Hypercar’s G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8 engine.

Both of the team’s entries will be shared by three drivers – Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer sharing the “liquid metal” liveried #17; and Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella in the predominantly black #19 GMR-001 Hypercar.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal said: “The FIA World Endurance Championship weekend at Imola is a huge moment for Genesis Magma Racing and Genesis as a manufacturer. I am very proud of the work we have done as a team to reach this occasion, and I am personally very proud of the faith placed in us by our Chair, Vice Chair and Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke to take Genesis racing. As a new entrant, we know that we are not in a position to pursue performance at the start of the season. Instead, our focus will be on things we can control in our reliability and operations, making sure we can do the small things right first, before we can expect performance and race results. A successful weekend in Imola will be if we get both our GMR-001 Hypercars to the finish with minimal technical problems or penalties and the entire team working well together. Once the race starts, I’ll be nervously waiting for the checkered flag — certainly not for the last time with Genesis Magma Racing.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “Imola is not just a race weekend for Genesis Magma Racing, but our first ever race. It’s a very important moment in our history. The entire team is excited to start, and once we begin, I’m sure we will find even more motivation for the season. Even after a long time for testing – even if any time spent testing is never enough – we really miss the stress and adrenaline of real competition. Our goal for the first race is to put both GMR-001 Hypercar on the grid with no mistakes, and to finish the race with both cars. This is the first step for us to climb, and I want to see how our drivers, who worked together very well during testing, will perform in a race situation. We know that our competitors are very strong and very experienced, but I am sure we have everything we need to start fighting with them very soon.” 

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “Imola is a unique circuit, not only because of its history but also some of its characteristics, namely the curbs and bumps. To be fast in Imola means using the curbs and absorbing the bumps, which means a compromise on the aerodynamics. We gained invaluable experience at the track during a test in February and will be building on that foundation during the official Prologue, focusing on adapting the GMR-001 Hypercar to the challenges of a full WEC event with other Hypercar and LMGT3 traffic, something impossible to test otherwise. There’s a mix of feelings about finally going racing after an intense development. Obviously, anxiety coming from the uncertainty of how the car will perform when compared to the rest of the field. At the same time, we have great excitement to cross a significant milestone to where lap times and results matter.”

Driver Quotes - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “The additional month before the start of the season was definitely helpful for us. On the other hand, we would have preferred to race in Qatar as it would have provided an extra 10-hour race before Le Mans. Imola is one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, making it a significant test for us as a team for our first race. If we perform well at Imola, it should boost confidence for the next rounds. I believe our first target is to finish without any major issues. I'm not setting any expectations. I want us to focus on doing well with the things we can control. If we succeed in that, we might end up with a positive outcome. From a personal perspective, my goal is to accomplish small wins each day and review the weekend with the sense that we worked effectively as a team. There will be moments we might consider as underperformance but recognizing those areas will be important for our development.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “The test we completed at Imola gives us a strong foundation heading into the race weekend. It allowed us to define key elements such as the gearbox ratios, work on setup, and for us drivers to get comfortable with the track, but without traffic. The Prologue will be especially valuable, particularly for me as a rookie, to adapt to traffic management with the GT3 cars. It will also give us our first real benchmark against the other teams and help us understand our strengths and areas to improve, giving our first true indicator of where we stand. The priority will be to stay consistent, avoid mistakes, and not pick up any penalties. It will also be important to identify any weaknesses in the car so we can improve for the upcoming races and build a strong foundation for the season. On my side, the focus will be on delivering a clean and consistent race, avoiding errors, and staying in the right rhythm throughout my stints. Being on the pace is key, and I’m confident we will be there.”

André Lotterer said: “Imola is one of the tightest tracks on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar. It is very demanding in terms of traffic management and quite busy for the drivers. The baseline setup we have for the GMR-001 Hypercar is quite good, but you need a very particular setup for Imola. It is one of the bumpiest tracks we visit and requires a car that is nimble and able to go on the curbs and absorb the bumps. As a driver, you always try to maximize what you have, but in this case we don’t know what we have compared to the competition, so it will be a revelation to see where we are. We don’t have crazy expectations. We want to finish the race and gain as much experience as possible. We’ll focus on ourselves and our solutions and learn as much as we can so we can continue to build the team and leave Imola stronger. We’ll see our weaknesses, but the more we see them, the clearer our solutions will be, so we can address them quickly.”

Driver Quotes - #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I’m very pleased to see the 2026 season finally getting underway. It represents the start of a new personal challenge for me, but also a significant milestone for everyone at Genesis Magma Racing. Since the team was announced in December 2024, the entire team has worked relentlessly and made the most of every second. I’m extremely proud of what they have achieved in such a short space of time. Imola marks the first step of this new chapter. The circuit increases the level of difficulty due to its characteristics, particularly the bumps and aggressive curbs, which require specific qualities from the car. It’s a real challenge that will teach us a lot for the rest of the program. Our primary goal will be to focus on ourselves and execute a clean race from start to finish. We are not facing a single mountain, but an entire mountain range. It will be essential to remain humble and united throughout this journey if we want to reach our objectives.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “I’m super excited to finally go racing. It’s been a while since I had the chance to race against someone, and I think it’s the same for my teammates. I’m looking forward to starting the season, the competition and seeing where we are. Starting Imola after Qatar was postponed could be seen as a good and bad thing for us. It would have been interesting to see where we were compared to the competition already in Qatar, but it gave us more time to prepare, which we took full advantage of. For me, Imola is one of the highlights of the calendar. It’s a very old-school track. It’s fast, really demanding for the car, so I’m looking forward to driving there and seeing how close – or far – we are from the top runners. The main target is to finish the race with no technical issues, no penalties and we can build from there. Get some mileage, learn more about the car, and get the team working together.” 

Dani Juncadella said: “Starting the season in Imola is quite a challenge as a driver, and for the whole Genesis Magma Racing team. It’s a very challenging track, very technical as a driver and very narrow, so it’s going to be fascinating managing the GT traffic, which will be a first for me. We got the chance to test at the circuit and make a few laps, which gave us a bit of a head start to know what’s coming. To be fair the aim for the weekend is go step by step, day by day with the Prologue test, practice, qualifying and race. For me, it’s my debut in Hypercar, so I’m massively excited, but I’m not expecting much in terms of results, but it’s not our main focus. There’s a lot of things we need to work on before focusing on pure results. I’m very excited to start the journey with my two teammates in the #19 GMR-001 Hypercar. Imola is a great place to kick-start the season. It’s going to be hectic, and let’s see if the weather also plays a role. There’s going to be a lot happening.”

LE CASTELLET, France, April 2, 2026 — As Genesis Magma Racing and the GMR-001 Hypercar prepare to join the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) grid at the 6 Hours of Imola later this month, the virtual version of the team’s first car has already been added to the lineup on Le Mans Ultimate.

Team’s Engineers Work Closely with Game Developers

The addition of the GMR-001 Hypercar, which is available now for free to all players, comes after a close cooperation between Genesis Magma Racing and Motorsport Games, the developers of Le Mans Ultimate, the Official Game of the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The two groups worked hand-in-hand to model the car directly from Genesis’ own renderings of the design. Engineers have also provided data and feedback on the suspension settings, aerodynamic balance and gearing of the GMR-001 Hypercar to create a realistic handling model for the car’s launch – which comes before the car’s competitive debut, an impressive first for Le Mans Ultimate and a major accomplishment in any racing simulation.

In game, the GMR-001 Hypercar carries the #17 and “liquid-metal” based livery first revealed on March 31. The livery carries the same traditional Korean hangeul lettering for “Magma” – “마그마” – that will be seen on the real cars. The sound of the car’s G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8 engine completes the package, created with recordings of the motor from some of Genesis Magma Racing’s latest development tests.

The GMR-001 Hypercar is the headline of Motorsport Games’ V1.3 Update for the game, which also features the addition of ELMS content, including the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as part of DLC, as well as a number of smaller additions and fixes. The Update also introduces a Korean translation of the game, supporting Genesis Magma Racing’s position as the first South Korean manufacturer to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Chance to Win Workshop Visit in GMR Sim to Sim Contest

To mark the arrival of the GMR-001 Hypercar in game, and the collaboration between Genesis Magma Racing and Motorsport Games, the car will be the focus in the “GMR Sim to Sim” competition – Silver Daily Races taking place in Le Mans Ultimate online March 31-April 7.

In the races, Le Mans Ultimate players will take the GMR-001 Hypercar to the fearsome Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Faced with the kind of changing track conditions the Ardennes venue is notorious for, as well as specially created challenging fuel usage and tire wear parameters, players will compete not only for victory in their 45-minute race, but for the fastest lap of all drivers worldwide competing across all splits over the full week.

The fastest five (age 18+) will win an all-expenses-paid visit to Genesis Magma Racing’s workshop at Le Castellet, France, to see where the team prepares the cars for the WEC season and will also experience a session in the team’s F1-bred Dynisma simulator.

Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar driver Dani Juncadella said: “I’ve been part of Team Red Line and Verstappen Sim Racing for the last five years, and I know some of our Pros are involved in Le Mans Ultimate, so it’s clearly a great platform that is only going to keep growing. It’s already been extremely popular with sim racers and teams, and to have the GMR-001 Hypercar included in the game before our first race is very exciting, and I’m very happy to be part of the event to celebrate the introduction of the car to the game. Our engineers have worked closely with the developers to create the in-game model, and I’m looking forward to trying it out.”

Juncadella will provide coaching to the winning drivers during their time in Genesis Magma Racing’s simulator. “With a session in our simulator, the top drivers will get a chance to see what it is like to work with a real-world, professional Hypercar team,” he said. “The top sim racers are so talented and dedicated, driving every day and putting so much effort into their own rigs. So, the fact that they will get to experience our sim will be a great moment for them, and a great opportunity because, I believe, something like that can open chances for the future.”

For full terms and details of the GMR Sim to Sim contest, please see here: https://lemansultimate.com/competition-time-gmr-sim-to-sim-challenge/

LE CASTELLET, France, March 31, 2026 — Genesis Magma Racing has unveiled the GMR-001 Hypercar that will represent the manufacturer in its first season of motorsport, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The car is the product of a tightly packed schedule of design, building and development.

Design Shows Close Connection Between Road and Race Cars

The GMR-001 Hypercar is proudly “Designed by Genesis” – a statement carried on the front bodywork of the car. The design – the result of cooperation between Genesis’ own design center and chassis partner ORECA – takes Genesis’ commitment to Athletic Elegance in its designs to the extremes permitted by designing a high-performance race car for the highest tiers of motorsport. The aerodynamic requirements provoke long, simple flowing lines interrupted only where necessary, emphasizing the Genesis brand’s luxury credentials.

Most noticeably, the GMR-001 Hypercar features Two-Line headlamps similar to those found on Genesis road cars. These were specially designed for the race car – a risk given the importance of good lighting in WEC competition. Happily, the design of the lights, and their performance, were quickly validated during the first endurance test of the car, which took drivers through the night at the Circuit Internacional do Algarve in Portugal in September.

The connection between road and race cars is underlined as the GMR-001 Hypercar carries the Genesis wing logo prominently on the center of the nose – truly representing the manufacturer on track.

Team Hit Development Schedule on Tight Deadlines

Despite the tight time frame dictated by a 2026 debut, Genesis Magma Racing has reached every milestone on schedule. The first Genesis G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8, based on Hyundai Motorsport’s in-line 4-cylinder engine from the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), was fired up in February 2025, exactly as planned.

While testing of the first power plants was underway, adding further powertrain components as the work progressed, the first GMR-001 Hypercar chassis were built to the LMDh technical regulations by chassis partners ORECA, close to Genesis Magma Racing’s own base at Le Castellet. Chassis and powertrain were united for the first time in August 2025, and testing began later that month.

“From the start we wanted to be working with the best partners and resources we could,” said Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “Working with ORECA and the experience they have was a natural choice, while using the base Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC engine gave us strong, proven high-performance engine. These choices were very important in the early development to help us meet the deadlines we had set ourselves.”

Early Reliability Targets Passed During Testing

The first running specifically took place at Circuit Paul Ricard to allow ORECA technicians and Genesis Magma Racing’s own engineers to quickly find solutions to any issues that arose during the first runs. Over the course of track testing the GMR-001 Hypercar completed nearly 25,000 kilometers on circuits representative of those on the WEC calendar, with one engine completing nearly 9,000 kilometers – a vital target.

“We set some high mileage targets for various components and we achieved most of them, but more importantly, the mileage has been productive,” said Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “As well as endurance, we also focused on making sure we could run consistently to our full potential within the WEC technical regulations.”

Good progress on those targets during early testing allowed the team to increasingly hone the performance of the car, including simulating the demands of WEC events and runs in different conditions, including on a wet Magny-Cours circuit in October.  

“Our first target this season is to finish races,” Taylor looks ahead to the start of the 2026 season. “No problems. No penalties. Then we can start to look to move forward in the Hypercar class, step-by-step, Hyperpole appearances, achieving finishes on the lead lap, challenging for top fives on pace.”

Livery Brings Korean Identity to the Track

The two GMR-001 Hypercars that will take to the track for the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship season will proudly carry the Korean flag, announcing Genesis as the first Korean manufacturer to enter the series. As well as the national flag, the car livery also features the traditional Korean hangeul lettering for “Magma” – “마그마.” The characters are central to Genesis Magma Racing’s identity, with its consonants “ㅁ,” “ㄱ,” and “ㅁ” inspiring the geometric Genesis Magma Racing logo that will be carried in the team’s signature Magma color on the engine cover of both GMR-001 Hypercars.

Hyundai Motor Group President and Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke said: “The design work started during the very first test at Paul Ricard circuit in August where we had a full naked carbon fiber car as canvas. While applying our design philosophy principle Athletic Elegance to the livery, we focused on respecting the shapes of the GMR-001 Hypercar and its details such as the Two-Line headlamps and the parabolic line in the body. As a Korean manufacturer, we also wanted to honor our roots and heritage by utilizing the word ‘Magma’ written in hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Throughout the design evolution, this element became a strong graphic identifier that we decided to use not only for the GMR-001 Hypercar but also for our garage, structures and team uniforms.”

LE CASTELLET, France, March 30, 2026 — For the team’s debut season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Genesis Magma Racing have assembled a driver lineup that combines championship winning experience, development expertise and the ambition of youth. However, all involved recognize the scale of the challenge ahead of the team.

Driver Lineups Balance Experience and Ambition

Though satisfied with the outcomes of the on-track testing and development, the team is aware that the proof of the progress made will only come with the first competitive sessions of the 2026 season. The efforts of Genesis as a manufacturer and work the team has completed have secured a place on the grid of the 6 Hours of Imola. However, on track, Genesis Magma Racing have to earn the right to truly compete with the more experienced teams and manufacturers it wishes to count among its rivals.

“We have focused on the things we can control,” said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini. “In engineering, that’s the reliability and performance of the car, in team management, it’s the processes and for me, it’s the driver lineups.”

He explained: “Each of our drivers brings something different, and that’s exactly what makes a strong endurance lineup. We have drivers whose extensive Hypercar experience has been extremely valuable in developing the car, and others who, with the enthusiasm of rookies, will help us overcome the difficulties we will certainly face during our first season. But beyond individual strengths, what really matters is how they work together. Endurance racing is about trust, communication and shared responsibility for the result.”

The relationship between the drivers has been critical in assembling the three-driver lineups for each of the team’s GMR-001 Hypercars. Most notably, when named as the team’s first two drivers in December 2024, André Lotterer and Pipo Derani were expected to drive different cars in competition. However, as the team saw how well they worked together during the earliest stages of testing, it became clear that the strongest option for the team was to pair the two in the #17 GMR-001 Hypercars, where their combined experience is complimented by Hypercar debutant and Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program graduate Mathys Jaubert.

The #19 sister car will be shared by Daniel Juncadella, who drove alongside Jaubert in the European Le Mans Series last year, Mathieu Jaminet and Paul-Loup Chatin. All three start new challenges in their careers with Genesis Magma Racing, aiming to add to successes including IMSA titles — Jaminet —  GT racing success —  Juncadella —  and a FIA WEC race win in a car built around the same ORECA spine as the GMR-001 Hypercar —  Chatin at the 2025 6 Hours of Fuji.

Driver Quotes and Profiles - #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Luis Felipe ‘Pipo’ Derani

Place of Birth: São Paulo, Brazil
Date of Birth: Oct. 12, 1993
FIA Driver Grading: Platinum

Career Highlights:

Pipo Derani said: “Our first goal for the season has to be for us to become a proper team. There are so many great people in the team. What we’ve already done is a massive achievement, like climbing Mount Everest, only higher, and now we get to live what one-and-a-half-years ago was a dream. Now we have to polish everything – have the pitstops done right, people knowing exactly what they need to do. The reality is we need to create small targets for ourselves. For the first race we can hopefully make as few mistakes as possible and finish the race, the second race finish a little better, results-wise, and slowly push the targets further and further towards the front. The mentality I’m taking into the season is to tick those boxes bit by bit. I think if we do that, we will eventually be surprised with where we can get.”

Mathys Jaubert

Place of Birth: Salon-de-Provence, France
Date of Birth: March 3, 2005
FIA Driver Grading: Silver

Career Highlights:

Mathys Jaubert said: “For me, honestly, my first target is to make a good year, as I did in 2025 in the European Le Mans Series. If I can go without mistakes, with good performance in all my stints, then I will be proud of what I have done at the end of the year. This is my main target, and the most important thing for the team. I think a good aim for us is finishing in the top five in one race; this – for the first year of the team, that would be very strong. For me, personally, my ambition is to be the best rookie in the WEC. That’s always the first aim to be best of the group like you. But, for that you need to have good teammates, a good car and a good team around you.”

André Lotterer

Place of Birth: Duisburg, Germany
Date of Birth: Nov. 19, 1981
FIA Driver Grading: Platinum

Career Highlights:

André Lotterer said: “For most of us who have been in the sport a long time, the ultimate goal is to win and until then you’re not too happy. The dynamic is obviously different when you join as a new manufacturer against teams that have been racing for years. So, you have a humble approach. It would be amazing to finish our first race without problems and issues and accumulate maximum experience, would be a very great achievement. But as we know, and as all ambitious people in motorsport, we are very competitive. So, for sure, we will do our best to be as competitive as possible. The car has run without problems in testing and life has been pretty good. But in the racing scenario, it can be different. We will definitely face things that we try to simulate, try to expect, but they will come. And let's see how we can manage them and tackle them. And that is how we will be challenged.”

Paul-Loup Chatin

Place of Birth: Dourdan, France
Date of Birth: Oct. 19, 1991
FIA Driver Grading: Gold

Career Highlights:

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “I’m really looking forward to being part of the Genesis brand, building the reputation of the brand in Europe. That’s part of the goal for Genesis Magma Racing, and if we are good on track then that will be good for the brand. It will be super cool to see the benefit of what we do on track in the wider market. As a race team, we want to progress during the season. What I don’t want to see is a decent first race and a decent last race. I’d actually prefer to have a difficult race in Imola and then a good Bahrain weekend at the end of the year. I don't know where we’ll start compared to the other teams. We'll know soon, but at the moment I still don’t know where we are exactly in terms of performance. We dream about it, but it would not be realistic to say we’ll arrive, and we’ll be straight away fast and reliable.”

Mathieu Jaminet

Place of Birth: Hayange, France
Date of Birth: Oct. 24, 1994
FIA Driver Grading: Platinum

Career Highlights:

Mathieu Jaminet said: “The GMR-001 Hypercar is very different from the Porsche I’ve driven before. It’s quite surprising, knowing how tight the LMDh regulations are, that two cars can feel so different, but at the end of the day they all make more or less the same lap time, even if it’s in different ways. There are definitely some strengths in the GMR-001 Hypercar, even though we are still very early in the Genesis Magma Racing project. On the other hand, there are some weaker points, and this is where I try to bring my experience to the engineers, having developed a previous car before and raced it for a couple of years, to work to create a winning racecar. I think a realistic target is progression - that the car gets more reliable over the year, that we start to gain performance and slowly catch up to the front and really see progression from race one to race number eight.”

Dani Juncadella

Place of Birth: Barcelona, Spain
Date of Birth: May 7, 1991
FIA Driver Grading: Platinum

Career Highlights:

Dani Juncadella said: “There’s many different things playing into a result that we, or at least me as a driver, cannot control. We need to focus on what we control and that’s why we’ve worked during testing on being better every day on the aspects that can just gain you performance, whether it is reliability, drivability or lap time. It could be, at the end of the season, we look back and, even if we haven’t scored a good result, we could probably say, ‘OK, here we had a chance and something happened.’ But if you give yourself opportunities to score big results, that’s already something you can be proud of. If we’re in a position to fight for a strong result already in our first year, I think that’s something we can be satisfied with.”

LE CASTELLET, France, March 27, 2026 — When Genesis Magma Racing was announced in Dubai in December 2024, it marked the first public steps in a huge task. With only 499 days between the announcement and the first race of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), it was not just a car and an engine that needed to be built, but a whole team.

“No Alternative” to Entering WEC as a Full Manufacturer Team

The scale of the challenge was made even greater by the decision that Genesis would enter the WEC paddock as an in-house manufacturer team, rather than partner with an existing outfit. “Given the long-term objectives, there was absolutely no alternative,” explained Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “It was mandatory for us to do everything ourselves, instead of giving responsibility to a partner team, which would have been the easier thing to do.”

He continued: “This is the start of a long-term project for Genesis Magma Racing, and we wanted to start with our own soul, skill and people. Genesis also wants to understand motorsport as a manufacturer and bring that high-performance culture to the company. The only way to do this is to remove the firewall between the race team and the brand and take full control ourselves.”

What has been built is a team of 75 people representing 16 different nationalities. They are split between Genesis Magma Racing’s race base at Le Castellet in France, Hyundai Motorsport’s Headquarters in Offenbach, Germany, and the company’s nearby Technical Centre in Fechenheim, where the Genesis G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8 at the heart of the GMR-001 Hypercar is built. For the eight rounds of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, starting with next month’s 6 Hours of Imola, they will join together in the paddock for Genesis Magma Racing’s debut season.

Team Assembled from Scratch Without Compromise

Within the team are specialists with a range of backgrounds representing not only endurance racing but across the motorsport spectrum, including 15 team members from Hyundai Motorsport, who moved to Genesis Magma Racing as part of the Trajectory Program. The assembled team brings a range of experience and approaches to an organization started from a blank sheet of paper.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Manager Anouck Abadie said: “Starting from a white page does have advantages. We could do what we thought was best for the team’s structure, without having to follow anything that had gone before. We were only focused on what we thought would work best. For the people too, we had everyone starting new, so we could put the right people in the right roles without any compromises or politics.”

The team structure was tested alongside the GMR-001 Hypercar through the second half of 2025. This culminated in the December test at Barcelona where 80% of the on-event team was present, validating Genesis Magma Racing’s operational plans for the 2026 season.

Setting up an entirely new facility, Genesis Magma Racing was also able to avoid compromise on the location for the race base. Specifically choosing a location close to both chassis partner ORECA and Circuit Paul Ricard, where the GMR-001 Hypercar completed its first tests, the team is run from a 2,900-square-meter workshop where the race cars will be prepared between races.

Genesis Magma Racing Operations Director Sebastien Metz said: “At the Genesis Magma Racing race base we have all the key departments and requirements of the team in one place. We have a dedicated area for the mechanics’ pitstop practice, and a space for remote engineering operations during each race weekend. It was important for us to have as much capability as we could within the team and workshop, and we have a perfect opportunity to do that.”

Team Clothing Design Features “Distinctly Korean” Hallmarks

Genesis Magma Racing team members will be instantly recognizable in the paddock, sporting team clothing featuring the signature combination of black and Magma Orange. Supplied by the team’s Official Team Apparel Partner, Kappa, the kit features the now-familiar geometric Genesis Magma Racing logo, with the traditional Korean hangeul writing that inspires it included as a subtle tone-on-tone repeating design as the team remains true to its “distinctly Korean” philosophy.

The combination of colors holds strong meaning – the black representing the humble attitude and the brighter shade symbolic of the self-confidence and passion of Korean culture – as the team prepares to be the first manufacturer in the championship from the country.

Genesis recently unveiled its first high-performance car that embodies this spirit, the GV60 Magma — inspired by the hidden potential energy of magma bubbling unseen beneath the earth’s surface. Sharing this DNA trackside is the GMR-001 Hypercar that will be piloted by the Genesis Magma Racing (GMR) team when Genesis makes its official motorsport debut at the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Qatar this March.

Both the GV60 Magma and GMR-001 will be making a joint appearance at Davos, Switzerland, during the annual World Economic Forum from Jan. 19 to 23. The display will take center stage at the entrance of the Ameron Hotel.

The exhibition follows the Genesis Magma World Premiere in November 2025 and celebrates the start of sales of the GV60 Magma in Korea, which began on Jan. 13. By showcasing both the production model and the Hypercar together, Genesis reinforces the inseparable relationship between its luxury road cars and its elite racing program.

The Genesis Trajectory: Luxury Meets High Performance

Since its inception, Genesis has cultivated a reputation for luxury and innovation. At the 10-year anniversary of the brand in November 2025, Genesis unveiled the GV60 Magma, a car engineered to reflect Genesis’ strategy of luxury high performance.

At the Genesis Magma World Premiere on Nov. 20, 2025, José Muñoz, President & CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said, “Magma represents our declaration that the next ten years will be even more significant. We're not just building high-performance vehicles; we're redefining what a luxury high performance brand can be when Korean innovation meets global ambition."

This trajectory is about more than just endurance and performance — it’s about legacy.

Shared DNA On and Off the Track

Motorsport serves as the ultimate proving ground for advancing automotive innovation in mass-production vehicles. The extreme conditions encountered during high-speed racing — such as advanced aerodynamics, demanding cooling requirements and the sheer durability needed to endure grueling 24-hour competitions — create the perfect environment for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in vehicle technology.

Through Genesis Magma Racing’s entry into motorsport and subjecting vehicles like the GMR-001 to the rigorous testing needed to succeed in racing, Genesis can uncover new ways to elevate performance, resulting in meaningful, long-term advancements across its entire product lineup.

These track-bred innovations are seamlessly integrated into the Magma DNA, establishing a strategic pathway for enhancing performance, driving technological breakthroughs and setting new benchmarks for luxury vehicles.

Manfred Harrer, Head of the Vehicle Development Tech Unit at Hyundai Motor Group, explained this at the Magma World Premiere: "The GV60 Magma stands as the bridge between Genesis and our Genesis Magma Racing team. What we learn from GMR feeds back into Magma Road cars, and future Magma models will help power our racing future. It’s a continuous loop of improvement."

From aerodynamics to handling precision, everything learned through racing refines the vehicles that customers bring home.

To illustrate the Magma DNA shared on and off the track, Genesis has produced a short film titled “Le Switch” featuring GMR drivers Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani. It depicts the seamless relationship between the GV60 Magma production car and the GMR-001 Hypercar.

The video begins with Derani driving a GV60 Magma through the scenic coastal roads of the French countryside. Meanwhile, Lotterer finishes a test drive of the GMR-001 Hypercar overseen by GMR Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France — the home base of the GMR team. Derani arrives at the circuit and parks in one of the pit lane garages at the same time Lotterer pulls over in the pits after completing his laps. Both men exit their vehicles, and the pit crew begins preparing the GMR-001 for Derani’s stint. Lotterer spots the GV60 Magma and grabs the key fob. As Derani steps up to the Hypercar to take over racing test duties, he notices the GV60 Magma is already gone. Lotterer is already enjoying the drive to a villa for much-needed rest and relaxation. Le Switch is seamless.

The GV60 Magma introduces a new expression of the Magma identity, bringing a more defined performance character to the Genesis lineup while maintaining the brand’s commitment to luxury, refinement and progressive design. As the first production model in the Magma program, it reflects Genesis’ approach to high performance across both road and race.

Genesis Magma Racing drivers Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani will lead the brand’s Hypercar effort in the 2026 WEC season. As key figures within the program, they represent the performance expertise and competitive mindset that connect the GV60 Magma with the GMR-001 Hypercar, reinforcing the shared intent behind both production innovation and top-level endurance racing.

Together, the GV60 Magma and the GMR-001 Hypercar signal the future direction of the Magma program as Genesis expands its presence across performance, design and global motorsport.

As José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, said, "What we learn on the track will continue to shape not just Magma, but the future of our brand as a whole."

LE CASTELLET, France, Dec. 15, 2025 — Genesis Magma Racing wrapped up an intense year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with a three-day test from Dec. 10-12 that included an important milestone for the GMR-001 Hypercar’s development. 

Final Test of 2025 Gives Team Chance to Test Operational Processes 

Coming just over a year after the formal announcement of the team in Dubai, the successful test showed how far Genesis Magma Racing and the GMR-001 Hypercar have progressed in 2025. 

A team of personnel has been built from the ground up, bringing together technicians and engineers from endurance racing and staff from Hyundai Motorsport, who were part of the Trajectory Program, embedded within the IDEC Sport LMP2 team. The Barcelona test was a key evaluation of operational processes, involving full crews of mechanics and engineers for the two test cars as well as team management and six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, serving as the team’s Racing Advisor. 

Team Manager Anouck Abadie said, “It's like a rehearsal before you go on stage, so that was very important to do it. To know that everybody works well together, because when you pick up people from different teams and environments you don't expect them to know each other at the first race. So, it was really important for us, before closing 2025, to at least do one test with almost a full team. We had 75 people, about 80% of the team here, so now we can see if we need to make some adjustments. Overall, I am very satisfied and optimistic when I see the team working together.” 

The test also brought a significant milestone in the development of the Genesis G8MR 3.2l Turbo V8 engine at the heart of the car. The motor, designed and built by Hyundai Motorsport, was first fired up in February, beginning a series of dyno tests to achieve efficiency, power and reliability targets. During the days at Barcelona, the engine of car #17 surpassed 8,000km — a key reliability goal — before the end of the test. 

“It's a massive deal for us to reach our reliability target,” said Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “If you go into the season knowing that you can't complete the longest, most important race, then it would be hard to stay motivated. The power unit guys had the biggest task of anybody with this project, so this speaks to the job they’ve done.” 

Successful Test Completes Remarkable Year 

The team completed three full days of running at the circuit with both cars. Following the confirmation of the team’s driver lineup for the 2026 WEC season, the test was a further opportunity for drivers and engineers to work together as they will next year. #17 GMR-001 Hypercar drivers André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert shared a car sporting a new “liquid metal” livery, overlaid with the Korean Hangeul lettering for “Magma” which inspired the geometric Genesis Magma Racing logo carried on the car’s engine cover. 

Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella shared the second car with 2026 Reserve Driver Jamie Chadwick, continuing to gain experience in the GMR-001 Hypercar. Paul-Loup Chatin, who will complete the #19 line-up for 2026, was not cleared to drive the car until the new year.

On track, the running focused on optimizing reliable performance within the WEC’s technical regulations on a track representative of many on the FIA WEC calendar. Having two cars on the track also provided the team double the amount of data. 

André Lotterer said, “We have come a long way with since the first test, especially on reliability. So, we were at Barcelona with two cars focused on performance and in particular software optimization. We came with a new aero package, taking what we have learned and also got to try the new tires on one car. We maximized our time on track and collected a lot of data so we leave smarter than when we arrived.” 

Taylor said, “I think we go into the Christmas break with positive spirits, because we know that we can now start working on other things and have a little bit less to worry about. Certainly, there's a lot of people who have a lot of work left to do next year, but I am confident.”

MAGNY-COURS, France, Nov. 18, 2025 — Fresh from her race-winning season in the European Le Mans Series, Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program driver Jamie Chadwick took another step in her journey with the team last month at Circuit Magny-Cours, as she completed her first laps in the GMR-001 Hypercar. 

Hypercar Test Continues Rapid Progression with Genesis Magma Racing 

Jamie’s first laps, which took place during a three-day development test at the French circuit, were the latest step in an intense 10 months since she was named as part of the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program in December 2024. With the team, she has completed her first full season in Prototype Racing, winning three ELMS races alongside Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella and finishing third in the LMP2 class championship. 

She joined her ELMS teammates — who will be part of Genesis Magma Racing’s driver lineup for the FIA World Endurance Championship next year — as well as André Lotterer and Pipo Derani at the test. After a short initial stint running wet tires on a drying track, she returned the following day for a longer run in the GMR-001 Hypercar in fully dry conditions. 

Chadwick said: “My first laps in the GMR-001 Hypercar were amazing. It’s a really impressive car and so fast in a straight line. There’s a lot of different systems available to you as a driver, tools that you can use to make a difference. Obviously, so much is changing and evolving with every test that the team does. But it’s just a super car to drive, but also just a great team to be part of.” 

In joining the test, she became only the second woman to drive a Hypercar class WEC challenger, placing her again among an elite group of female racers in the upper reaches of the sport. 

“I think it said everything when I saw her face the first time she jumped out of the car,” said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini. “She was very, very happy. I think she enjoyed the laps at Magny-Cours, even if it was just a short test.” 

First Laps Prepare Chadwick for Reserve Driver and Car Development Role 

Her time in the car heralded the beginning of the next stage of Jamie’s personal trajectory with Genesis Magma Racing. Through the final part of 2025 and during the 2026 season she will take on more responsibility for development work within the team, working in on-track and simulator sessions driving the GMR-001 Hypercar. 

Jamie will also become Genesis Magma Racing’s Reserve Driver for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season alongside her own racing program, which will be confirmed at a later date. 

Tarquini said: “It's always very good to have feedback from a new driver who doesn’t know the car at all. Jamie has had a fantastic season with our Trajectory Program in the European Le Mans Series. As a development driver for the GMR-001 Hypercar, she will be a vital part of our team for the future in helping us prepare for events and make the progression we will need during our first season.” 

“It's hugely special to be involved in the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar,” said Chadwick. “It's another progression in my career and one I'm really proud of. Becoming a Reserve Driver in Hypercar is one step closer to my ultimate goal. The opportunity to test and drive more is something that I'm really looking forward to and a role that I'm going to try to relish and make the most of.” 

She added: “The development role can also be a huge help to my racing. Obviously, Hypercar is a step up in terms of everything that you're learning, but you can still take that back to other categories and series just from the constant testing and working with the engineers.”

LE CASTELLET, France, Nov. 6, 2025 — Testing of the Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar entered a new phase last week, with three days (Oct. 28-30) of running at Circuit Magny-Cours in France. The running was dominated by wet conditions, giving the team the opportunity to gain information on the car’s handling balance in all conditions. 

Previous Progress Allows Focus to Turn to Performance For the First Time 

The test added another strand to the already busy development plan. Following the initial running to calibrate systems and the first endurance test to begin to work on component reliability, the three days at Magny-Cours broadened the focus to include maximizing performance for the first time. 

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “We are continuing to develop the GMR-001 Hypercar, but we are also working on a different area and starting to think about performance. We need to build a sort of ‘toolbox’ for the setup in all conditions making sure the drivers are able to adjust the car to always be able to be pushed in any condition.” 

“From our previous tests, I think we have made big progress on the system side,” said Pipo Derani. “As we get to the part of the development where things have been stabilized, we can switch focus to getting the maximum from the package we have in the GMR-001 Hypercar and begin to look at performance a bit more.” 

The test featured all four drivers who are currently confirmed as part of the Genesis Magma Racing lineup for the FIA World Endurance Championship, with Derani joined by André Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella. 

“It was a good test for me personally to get more mileage in the car,” said Juncadella, “But it was also a very good test because it's the first time where we have had a range of conditions at the same circuit to try things with the mechanical setup. We were always moving in the right direction.” 

Wet Weather Plays Perfectly Into Testing Plans

 
The team intended to deliberately wet the track to gather data on the GMR-001 Hypercar’s behavior in wet conditions. However, Mother Nature played along with the testing plan, delivering rain to circuit, particularly during the middle day of the test. 

“Wet-weather testing is always important with any new car,” said Tarquini. “We know we will face wet conditions in race circumstances at some track, and it could easily be the biggest race of the year, so the team and drivers need to know how the car reacts in difficult conditions.” 

“It was perfect timing,” said Tarquini. “It was planned to test in the wet on the third day, but fortunately, the second day was completely wet, so we didn't have to wet the track artificially. It actually helped us a little, because we got to run on a very wet track, but also while the circuit was drying as well.” 

Jaubert said: “The car was really nice in the wet conditions. We did some running in damp conditions, but also when it was really wet during the night. Overall, we made a lot of systems improvements in the traction control. It's difficult to compare because we are the only ones on track, but the car balance feels great.” 

The relatively low air and track temperatures, both peaking at 17-18°C on the coldest day, also gave the chance to gain experience with the tires in starkly different weather to what the team have seen in previous tests. 

“We got a chance to play a little bit outside the box in terms of what you would need to do warming up a tire to have it ready to race,” said Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “We can learn things which we wouldn't get a chance to do during a race weekend and start to build strategies to get heat into the tires.” 

“We ran a near 2026-spec tire for the first time, so we got some experience of how the wet tires behave with our car,” said Lotterer. “We worked on our systems for first time in the wet, which was very important. We learned about our traction control and all the up- and downshifts to make sure everything works correctly in the wet.” 

Tarquini said: “We still want to do a lot more kilometers, but this was a very positive three days. Everybody is happy about the car behavior in the wet, and the drivers were able to give good feedback. We had some small problems which we were fast to solve, and we know the direction to go for the next tests, which will be very important.” 

With only a handful of days on track remaining before the GMR-001 Hypercar begins the homologation process, there remains a lot of work to complete. The remaining tests will combine the dual targets of reliability and performance but also act as the first dress rehearsals for the team’s race weekend procedures in preparation for their FIA WEC debut.

LE CASTELLET, France, Sept. 23, 2025 — Genesis Magma Racing have completed a successful first endurance test with the GMR-001 Hypercar, using three days (Sept. 16-18) of running at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve to test the reliability of every aspect of the car.

Endurance Test Places Maximum Stress on Components Early in Development

The visit to the Portuguese circuit, which allowed for 32 hours of continuous running, was a key step in the car’s development before its debut in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026. The running aimed to confirm the reliability of all aspects of the car, testing them up to – and even beyond – breaking point.

“The main target of an endurance test is to put miles on the car and see what problems you can generate along the way,” explained Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “We’re still only six or seven test days into the development of the car, so at this stage you're hoping to have problems show up so that you have a chance to solve them.”

He continued: “I think we can be satisfied with the outcomes from the test. We did a lot of mileage, but we’re very early in the development of the car, so we were learning something new with every stint, which we can take away and on to our next tests.”

Time in the car was shared between André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and new Genesis Magma Racing WEC drivers Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella, who got their first laps in the GMR-001 Hypercar as part of the test. “As a driver, you want to do good lap times so you can properly stress components with the intention of finding failures,” said Derani. “It's a brand-new car and we need to see if the parts can last long enough. If we find any weak points, then work out what we can do to improve. Next year our big race is a 24-hours, so we try and prepare ourselves for that.”

Running Provides Test of Cooling Package, Headlights and Stint Management

Relatively high temperatures – more than 30 degrees at their hottest – provided a thorough test for the GMR-001’s innovative cooling package, as well as the 3.2-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and the rest of the powertrain components.

As the car ran throughout the night, attention also focused on the illumination provided by the specially designed headlights, which echo the Two-Line design of Genesis brand road cars. The spread and quality of the light thrown out are critical in the WEC’s longer events, giving the drivers the confidence to push in all conditions.

“We quickly realized that our lights are very good,” said André Lotterer, who was the first driver to climb aboard after sunset. “It is very satisfying, because I know it's been a big topic. We decided to develop our own lights to keep the Genesis design identity, but we knew we also needed the quality. So that was very positive to be able to sign off so easily.”

During the long-distance running, drivers completed double or even triple-stints at the wheel of the GMR-001. The long periods in the cockpit – especially on such a physically demanding track as the undulating Portimão circuit – allowed them to provide important feedback on driver comfort. The same long stints allowed engineers to gather data needed to efficiently manage race stints. The team could measure the tire wear of different compounds in different track temperatures and manage the amount of energy to match the levels mandated by the WEC regulations.

New Recruits Provide Further Enthusiasm and New Feedback 

Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella arrived at the test following their confirmation as part of Genesis Magma Racing’s WEC driver line-up. The two drivers, who have been racing in LMP2 as part of the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program quickly adapted to the more powerful GMR-001 in their first stints, supporting the decision to add them to the Hypercar line-up. Their feedback brought new perspectives but also backed up the earlier feedback provided by André and Pipo – confirming the direction taken by the team.

“Driving the GMR-001 Hypercar for the first time was something very special,” said Jaubert. “It's very powerful, much more powerful than anything else I’ve driven, but it is easy to drive. It's easy to find the rhythm in it. It was like I was dreaming. Since I was very young, I’ve aimed to enter the highest class of the endurance racing, and I'm very happy to be there and to share the car with amazing drivers such as Dani, Pipo and André.”

“I think as new drivers to the project Mathys and I can support a lot with feedback” said Juncadella. “Even though I have no experience in the Hypercar class, I do have a lot of experience in endurance racing with different manufacturers, so I’ve been working in high-performance environments for many years in my career and can bring those different experiences to the development.”

Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “Mathys and Dani were very enthusiastic to jump in the GMR-001 Hypercar because it was their first time in the car. They really enjoyed their stints. They did a great job, especially as this track is very tough for driver fatigue in this type of car, and provided very good feedback to help confirm our early development.”

The next steps of testing place more emphasis on extracting maximum performance from the GMR-001 in all conditions, before combining this with further endurance runs and full operational tests to prepare the team for their race debut.

“Our next tests are going to be more adding performance. We're going to have more opportunities to change calibrations, change software, change parts and then just keep on pushing. Then we get to put that through our next endurance test,” said Taylor.

LE CASTELLET, France, Sept. 1, 2025 — Genesis Magma Racing has completed its first full tests with the GMR-001 Hypercar (GMR-001). The car completed more than 500 laps at Circuit Paul Ricard over five days of testing in late August to start the exhaustive development schedule to prepare for the team’s debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026.

First Running Concentrates on Confirming Major Systems

The focus of the tests was calibrating the GMR-001’s major mechanical and electrical systems. The drivers concentrated their feedback on the behavior of the car when running different configurations of software controlling the power delivered by the car’s 3.2-liter twin-turbo V-8.

“We had a program that we were able to follow, so that's very promising for the whole team,” said Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director FX Demaison. “At the moment, we’re purely focused on software, especially on the powertrain. It’s a hybrid car with many features that we need to manage properly.”

Beginning the first testing phase at Circuit Paul Ricard allowed the Genesis Magma Racing engineers to work together closely with chassis builder ORECA, taking full advantage of the track’s proximity to both the team’s race base and the workshop where the GMR-001 was built.

While the car’s systems remained the primary goal throughout the test, the team could also start to work on the handling balance of the car, assessing its behavior after each adjustment.

“We're getting to the point already where we are talking about the performance of the car, which I didn't honestly expect to be doing,” admitted Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “The drivers are giving us the feedback we need on all the systems and on the side, they're already looking at how to make the GMR-001 fast.”

Drivers Take Positive First Impressions from Test Running

The tests were the first opportunity for the team and drivers André Lotterer and Pipo Derani to assess the car on race tires and at a circuit that was far more representative of WEC venues than the small facilities used for the initial running.

“On our first shakedowns, there were just baby steps to see that the car could move under its own power, could shift its own gears,” said Taylor. “Now we've been trying to push more towards being a real race car.”

“We had some driving on the smaller tracks, but you can't really push there,” said Lotterer. “The GMR-001 is obviously well born — the feedback is very natural, instinctive and it's fun to drive, but we are still working on everything.”

“It’s always an unknown when you jump into a new car,” added Derani. “You have high expectations, but with the GMR-001 we have a good base to start working from.”

Genesis Magma Racing Engineers Tackle Minor Issues at Circuit and Workshop

After initial short runs, the team was able to begin completing longer runs as early as the first morning of the test. As expected at any first test, minor issues were identified by the team. “It's a new car and new engine,” explained Demaison. “It's normal to have issues, but we have a good team of engineers to solve them as quickly as possible.”

He added, “This is why you go testing. We're here to see as many problems as possible and to be able to fix them as quickly as possible.”

The break between test days gave the team’s engineers time to work with their ORECA counterparts on solutions away from track, before confirming them on their return to the circuit. The testing and development work with the GMR-001 will continue over the coming months, with the next phases of work aiming to ensure the car’s reliability over a race distance, maximize performance, and confirm Genesis Magma Racing’s operational structure at the circuit.

LE CASTELLET, France, Aug. 13, 2025 — Genesis Magma Racing is preparing for the first full test of the GMR-001 Hypercar (GMR-001), following the completion of the first car by chassis partner ORECA, and a successful shakedown.

Appearing in bare carbon fiber, the car is the first of three development chassis to be built in the coming months to support the development and homologation of the GMR-001 ahead of its race debut in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Finished Car Brings Different Strands of Development Together 

The completion and shakedown of the first functioning GMR-001 chassis is the latest milestone for Genesis Magma Racing since the official announcement of the project last December. The rapid progress as the project continues according to schedule is the tangible sign of the ‘Hyperspeed’ philosophy at the heart of the team.

“We are at a time, where we seem to be passing milestones every day, but this is exactly what we must be doing.” said Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “After planning for and talking about these moments for the last eight months, to be able to see a finished car running exactly as we planned is incredibly exciting.”

He continued: “We are also starting the process of moving into the new Genesis Magma Racing facility at Le Castellet. The start of testing is the beginning of bringing the different streams of work together — the design and development of the chassis, the design and development of the engine, equipping a workshop and building the team.”

Preparations for First Tests Underway

Following the installation of the engine, hybrid system and gearbox, along with the successful fire-up of the car last month, ORECA mechanics completed the build, before delivering the car to Genesis Magma Racing engineers, who will take the lead in testing the car. As the chassis partner, ORECA will remain part of the long-term project, supporting the development of the GMR-001.

Genesis Magma Racing drivers André Lotterer and Pipo Derani, who will drive in the upcoming tests, have undertaken sessions in the simulator, completing calibration of the virtual model of the GMR-001 and establishing a baseline set-up to maximize the benefits from the first running. The final preparations for the first full test were completed at a successful shakedown of the car to check the mechanical and electrical systems, which gave both Lotterer and Derani their first chance to drive the GMR-001.

After the initial running, the team will embark on an extensive testing schedule at circuits around Europe, with findings from each test analyzed and applied by the team’s engineers and mechanics at the Genesis Magma Racing facility and confirmed by the drivers’ continuing simulator work.

Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director FX Demaison said: “Every bit of running we do with the GMR-001 Hypercar in 2025 is extremely valuable. The work in preparation that André and Pipo have done on the simulator and during the shakedown means that we have a good starting point for the first tests. Working with our chassis partners at ORECA throughout the testing and development, we can quickly take the data from each test, find a solution and validate it to be able to take full advantage of every moment.”

LE CASTELLET, France, July 24, 2025 — Development of Genesis Magma Racing’s GMR-001 Hypercar passed another major milestone on July 9, with the first fire-up of the car taking place at Le Castellet, France, exactly on schedule.

The moment was not only a key stage in the overall project, which will bring Genesis Magma Racing into the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). It was also a pivotal moment in the build of the first development car that will be used during the team’s on-track testing during the rest of the year.

GMR-001 Hypercar Comes to Life in Latest Landmark Moment

Work to build the GMR-001 Hypercar development chassis began immediately after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Taking place at ORECA's workshop, close to the location of Genesis Magma Racing’s race base and Circuit Paul Ricard, the initial build work was completed by ORECA's experienced technicians, with mechanics and engineers from Genesis Magma Racing involved at key stages.

The installation and fire-up of the V-8 twin-turbo engine was one such vital point. “In a project like this, you have certain dates circled and this was one of them,” said Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. “The car fire-up was the GMR-001 Hypercar coming to life — a huge step in the story of Genesis Magma Racing. To reach this point on schedule is already a huge achievement and a perfect way to start the next stage of the development process.”

The car fire-up marked the latest landmark in the development of the powertrain of the GMR-001 Hypercar. As well as running the engine though a rev range in each of the seven gears in the transmission, engineers were also able to test the car’s hybrid system, charging the batteries from the engine and then directing the energy to the rear driveshafts, as would happen on track.

Work on the engine began in June 2024 with Hyundai Motorsport’s Powertrain Department starting work on the design, which is derived from the motor in the team’s championship winning FIA World Rally Championship entries. The engine was first successfully fired up in February. Since then, the company’s engineers have put the engine and transmission through months of testing on different dynos to validate simulations of performance and efficiency. The successful integration of the engine into the GMR-001 Hypercar chassis now opens the way to the next stage of testing and development work, with the first track running planned for the end of August.

Car Build Process Combines Expertise of Different Departments and Partners

The close cooperation between Genesis Magma Racing and the team’s chassis partner, ORECA, has been central throughout the car build and fire-up process, with the two groups working in tandem to meet the tight deadlines dictated by the GMR-001 Hypercar's development schedule.

Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison said, “The car build has been about bringing everything together — all the expertise we have within Genesis Magma Racing and at ORECA.”

He added, “It’s now when we can start physically connecting all the different strands of development work that we’ve been following for the last year with our powertrain and design teams. The successful GMR-001 Hypercar fire-up is confirmation of our work so far, but also the start of the next stage of the development that comes with testing.”

The final stages of the car build are still continuing, with ORECA and Genesis Magma Racing staff members now completing the first car for the start of testing, before switching focus to further chassis to accelerate the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar before the homologation process for the 2026 season begins.

FRANKFURT, Germany, April 17, 2025 — The V-8 twin-turbo engine that will provide power to the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar has completed a successful first fire-up at Hyundai Motorsport’s headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, passing a major milestone for Genesis Magma Racing.

Hyundai Motorsport Experience Behind Engine Development Process 

Overseen by Hyundai Motorsport’s Head of Powertrain Julien Moncet and Engine Workshop Leader Rob Benson, the fire-up procedure went exactly as planned in late February, greeted by applause from the gathered engineers and designers responsible for bringing the engine to life. 

The event — described by Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul as the first “heartbeat” of the project — marked a key milestone in the development of the engine and for the entire GMR-001 Hypercar that will take Genesis Magma Racing into the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026. 

The engines for Hyundai’s FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) cars have been produced in-house by Hyundai Motorsport since 2017. Having begun as a handful of engineers in 2013, the team’s powertrain department has grown to encompass design, workshop, testing and software departments, giving them the breadth of knowledge and experience necessary to design and build the engine for Hyundai Motorsport’s first steps in endurance racing. 

“Hyundai Motorsport is the backbone of Genesis Magma Racing," said Abiteboul, "and the development of the engine for the GMR-001 Hypercar is the perfect demonstration of this. We have a huge wealth of expertise at Hyundai Motorsport, so to develop the powertrain for the GMR-001, it was only natural to call on the people we have.” 

Moncet added, “We have a very strong team in Hyundai Motorsport. We have everyone working on the powertrain all together, so the communication is very good between the departments, feeding information back between simulations. This can speed up the development process and it means we can immediately adapt as soon as we see something, without losing time.” 

Engine Design Drawn From WRC Strengths 

The basic architecture of the V-8 powerplant is derived from the inline-four cylinder motor that powers Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC challenger, the two units sharing roughly 60 percent of their parts. The inline-four engine, in turn, is based on the FIA’s Global Race Engine regulations, providing a strong and thoroughly tested foundation for the GMR-001 Hypercar’s engine. 

“The inline-four engine is a very, very sophisticated, very efficient engine,” said Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison. “It's a proper race engine, so it's a very good base for developing an engine for WEC. Rallying is a sort of endurance race, so for an engine to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s a good place to start from.” 

Demaison continued: “With the time we had available to develop the engine, we immediately knew we did not have enough time to completely design a new engine from scratch. For the main part of an engine, you need a long time to design, validate, and of course, to produce. Every part needs to be tested over many kilometers, and the inline-four engine from our World Rally Championship car has already been well proven. It became the logical step to carry over as many parts as possible from the four-cylinder engine.” 

Design work on the V-8 engine began in June 2024 and was completed four months later. The assembly of the first engine was undertaken early this year in time for the scheduled fire-up. 

“The first part of the project was to extrapolate what we knew from the WRC engine into endurance racing," said Moncet, "and then we focused on making improvements to aspects like efficiency and reliability, design and simulation, working hand-in-hand to define the engine. The assembly of the first engine always takes a bit more time, as we pay extra attention to the details because we don't know the engine. We had to learn and build the documentation together. It took about three or four weeks, but we completed the first fire-up exactly as scheduled.” 

Further technical details of the engine and powertrain will be revealed later in the development process. 

Next Stage of Engine Testing 

The successful first fire-up marks the end of the first phase of development while simultaneously kicking off the next stage. Hyundai Motorsport engineers, working with their Genesis Magma Racing colleagues, will now focus on completing a series of bench tests with the engine, before connecting it first to the car’s gearbox and finally to the hybrid unit common to all Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh)-specification cars. 

Abiteboul expanded on the future steps for the engine development, saying, “After the first crank and the first revs in a steady state, we will progressively add more heat into the system, performing long runs. Then with different dynos, we can test in a more dynamic way, reproducing closer the cycles that the engine will do around a race track like Le Mans. We can test equipped to the gearbox and the hybrid system until we have the full powertrain.” 

Facing a relatively short period of time before the planned competitive debut for the GMR-001 Hypercar at the start of the 2026 WEC season, these tests will prove critical in developing the powertrain — and solving any minor issues — before the start of on-track testing later this year. 

NEW YORK, April 16, 2025 — Genesis Magma Racing (GMR) today unveiled its full-scale GMR-001 Hypercar and team identity, including livery and race suits, marking a bold step in the brand’s global motorsport ambitions. The global reveal of the GMR-001 Hypercar ahead of the 2025 New York International Auto Show lays the groundwork for the team’s 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) debut, culminating in the ultimate challenge: the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Building on Genesis’ signature “Athletic Elegance” design philosophy, the GMR-001 Hypercar and its striking livery embody the brand’s commitment to blend Korean heritage with motorsport innovation, setting a new standard for creativity on the global racing stage.

GMR-001 Hypercar: Sculpted for Speed

At the heart of Genesis Magma Racing’s ambitions lies the GMR-001 Hypercar, a vehicle that translates Genesis’ design philosophy into raw racing potential. Inspired by the brand’s Magma performance line-up, the GMR-001 Hypercar combines aerodynamic precision with sculptural fluidity, balancing elegance and aggression.

The GMR-001 Hypercar features Genesis’ signature Two-Line lighting, wrapping horizontally around the front and rear to emphasize width and aerodynamic intent. The inclusion of the design ensures visual brand consistency with Genesis’ road-car range, without comprising the nighttime visibility vital in endurance racing.

The GMR-001 Hypercar’s bodywork, crafted at Genesis Design Europe under the guidance of Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke, features a Parabolic Line along the side profile. A flat underbody plate supports aerodynamic efficiency, while integrated inlets extract hot air to enhance thermal performance.

While final specifications remain under wraps, the GMR-001 Hypercar’s hybrid powertrain and chassis — developed in partnership with ORECA Motorsport — promise to deliver highly competitive performance and speed.

GMR-001 Hypercar Livery: A Nod to Korean Heritage

The GMR-001 Hypercar’s livery marries intensity with subtlety, dominated by the signature Magma orange — a hue symbolizing Korea’s vibrant energy. Integrated into the design is the Korean lettering for “Magma” (마그마), with its consonants “ㅁ, ㄱ, ㅁ” forming geometric motifs that echo the team’s logo. This visual language reflects Genesis’ fusion of cultural authenticity and innovation, ensuring the GMR-001 Hypercar stands out as a moving emblem of Korean identity.

The distinctive livery blends performance with artistic expression. A gradient that flows from vibrant Magma orange at the front to deep red at the rear evokes a sense of speed and rising intensity — mirroring both the temperature of a high-performance engine and the acoustic shift of the Doppler effect. Toward the rear, bold hangeul script for “Magma” emerges, reinforcing the concept’s emotional energy. More than a race livery, it’s an artful statement — where color and form convey the unique performance identity of Genesis.

GMR Race Suits: Wearable Heritage

Complementing the GMR-001 Hypercar, the Genesis Magma Racing team’s suits feature the brand’s signature Two-Line in combination with G-Matrix graphics. The suits’ design reinforces the connection between driver, machine and brand identity.

Wearing these suits are the individuals tasked with bringing Genesis Magma Racing’s vision to life on track — the driver roster includes three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner André Lotterer and Luis “Pipo” Derani, a four-time victor at the 12 Hours of Sebring, both of whom are central to shaping the team’s performance ahead of its 2026 WEC debut.