Hyundai will be entering the top flight of endurance racing with its premium Genesis brand, and it has now shared the first images of its LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) racer – the GMR-001. This car will race under the Genesis Magna Racing name, and will make its World Endurance Championship (WEC) debut in 2026. This project will then expand to the USA-based IMSA championship from 2027.
- Genesis to race in WEC and IMSA
- Hyundai Motorsport president Abiteboul to be Genesis team principal
Genesis GMR-001 Le Mans racer revealed
LMDh cars are loosely based on LMP2 machinery and the whole backbone of the car (minus the internal combustion engine and hybrid system) is supplied by one of four chassis manufacturers – Ligier, Dallara, Oreca or Multimatic. Genesis has opted to use a chassis supplied by Oreca.
The GMR-001 will be powered by a twin-turbo V8. The hybrid unit is common to all LMDh entries and will be supplied by Bosch, Willams Advanced Engineering and Xtrac.
Genesis will join manufacturers like BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini and Alpine in the LMDh category. To prepare for its WEC debut in 2026, the team will collaborate with IDEC Sport to field an LMP2 entry in the 2025 European Le Mans Series.
Genesis endurance racing driver line-up
The team has also announced a start-studded driver line-up, with newly-crowned WEC champion Andre Lotterer confirmed alongside four-time Sebring 12 Hours winner Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani. Lotterer, who has also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans thrice, joins from Porsche. Meanwhile, Derani raced previously a Cadillac for Action Express Racing in the IMSA championship.
Hyundai Motorsport president Cyril Abiteboul will also serve as Genesis Magna Racing’s team principal. “As the backbone of Hyundai Motor Group’s global motorsport activities, Hyundai Motorsport will play a vital role in this latest ambitious program. We are elevating our circuit racing expertise to a whole new level as we prepare to compete in some of the world’s most challenging series,” said former Renault F1 boss Abiteboul.
Genesis Magma Racing will establish its base at Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France, close to Oreca and IDEC Sport’s headquarters to streamline collaboration.
Dipan Sur
