- Genesis has launched the new race team Genesis Magma Racing
- The team will compete with an LMDh car in the FIA World Endurance and IMSA United SportsCar Championships
- The LMDh car has been revealed as the GMR-001 Hypercar
Genesis is making a major splash in the world of motorsports with the launch of its new racing team, Genesis Magma Racing, whose premier program is an entry in top-level endurance racing with the new GMR-001 Hypercar race car.
Revealed on Wednesday, the race car is built to LMDh rules, making it eligible for the respective GTP and Hypercar classes of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.
Genesis stated that the GMR-001 will start racing in the World Endurance Championship as soon as 2026 and in the SportsCar Championship the following year. This means the car will compete against race cars from the likes of Acura, Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche, and Toyota. It also positions Genesis to chase outright wins at prestigious events such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Genesis Magma Racing will field two cars in each series. The first confirmed drivers are Le Mans winner and current World Endurance Drivers’ Champion André Lotterer, as well as Pipo Derani. Both drivers will assist with the car’s development through 2025 and beyond.
Genesis Magma Racing logo
Genesis has not revealed many details about the car but confirmed it will use a chassis from Oreca, one of four sanctioned chassis suppliers for LMDh. Constructors have considerable freedom in choosing the powertrain under LMDh rules, though maximum output is limited to 670 hp.
Most existing LMDh cars use a combination of a gas engine and a single motor-generator. A similar setup was featured in the Genesis X Gran Racer Vision Gran Turismo race car concept unveiled in June and could eventually influence new Magma models.
Genesis X Gran Racer Vision Gran Turismo concept
Hyundai Motorsport, which manages Hyundai N’s efforts in various rally and touring car series, will oversee the Genesis Magma Racing team. Cyril Abiteboul, a senior manager formerly with the Caterham and Renault Formula 1 teams, heads Hyundai Motorsport and will serve as team principal for Genesis Magma Racing.
French racing team IDEC Sport will also support Genesis Magma Racing. The partnership will begin as early as next year with an LMP2 entry in the European Le Mans Series. America’s Logan Sargeant, who was recently dropped from the Williams F1 team, will be one of the drivers, alongside Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert.
Genesis Magma concepts
Genesis has previously said the LMDh program will help development of future technology for road cars, while also promoting the brand in a performance light, something that has become more vital as Genesis prepares to launch cars under the new Magma performance sub-brand.
The Magma sub-brand is being developed as a rival to the likes of BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG, and Genesis has confirmed plans to launch a Magma version of every vehicle in its lineup. Performance upgrades are expected to include additional power, track-tuned suspension, and functional aerodynamic features. Racing legend Jacky Ickx is helping with the development of the cars.