Hyundai’s luxurious arm, Genesis, goes racing in a giant manner. On Wednesday, it launched Genesis Magma Racing and confirmed off a imaginative and prescient for its first race automobile, the GMR-001. It is a top-flight prototype that Genesis goals to enter the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with in 2026, and the IMSA WeatherTech collection right here in North America in 2027. Sure, meaning Genesis goes to Le Mans.
The GMR-001 is constructed to the LMDh ruleset, a joint creation of IMSA and the ACO, the governing physique of Le mans. LMDh automobiles are constructed round a carbon chassis from one in all 4 chosen suppliers, and use frequent hybrid elements—a battery from Williams, a motor from Bosch, and a transmission by X-Trac. Genesis will associate with French constructor Oreca for the chassis, and group IDEC Sport for its WEC entry.
Its first two manufacturing unit drivers are three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer and 2023 IMSA GTP champion Pipo Derrani. GMR’s group principal shall be acquainted to many Components 1 followers—Cyril Abiteboul, who ran the Renault program for years. Extra not too long ago, he is helped convey Hyundai World Rally Championship titles. To prep for its debut season, GMR will subject an LMP2 entry within the European Le Mans Sequence subsequent 12 months, with a group consisting of Logan Sargent, Jamie Chadwick, and Mathys Jaubert.
Photograph by: Genesis
LMDh has offered a comparatively low-cost answer for automakers to get into top-level sports-car racing. Vehicles constructed to this ruleset embrace the Acura ARX-06, Alpine A424, BMW M Hybrid V-8, Cadillac V-Sequence.R, Lamborghini SC63, and the Porsche 963. They compete towards one another, in fact, but in addition Le Mans Hypercars (LMH) just like the Toyota GR-010, Peugeot 9X8, and Ferrari 499P. Oreca at the moment provides chassis for Acura and Alpine.
As a part of the laws Genesis designs the automobile’s bodywork and gives an engine of alternative. Whereas the Korean firm hasn’t revealed something on its deliberate energy unit, most trendy prototypes use small, turbocharged V-6 or V-8s.
Genesis is seeking to up its sporting credentials with its Magma venture, a line of sporty highway automobiles that are not fairly aiming on the likes of BMW M and Mercedes-AMG, however do sit above the usual Genesis line. Genesis Magma Racing is the model’s manner of tying highway to race. “This entry into motorsport is a pure evolution for Genesis,” stated Genesis chief artistic officer Luc Donckerwolke in a press release. “As we glance to push the boundaries of our model, motorsport permits us to convey the spirit of hyperspeed—which drives how we create and innovate—in a manner that aligns completely with our core values: Audacious, Progressive and Distinctly Korean.”
