Genesis Magma Racing Targets 2026 WEC With GMR-001
Genesis Magma Racing has launched a full push towards a 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship entry. The team unveiled the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar, featuring its new V8 engine, set its structure, recruited talent, and banked hard-earned race mileage. It is now preparing to test itself against the strongest endurance racing rivals.
Genesis Magma Racing moves at full throttle towards its WEC debut. The team unveiled the Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh)-spec GMR-001 Hypercar and its brand-new V8 engine while driver and crew training progressed under the Genesis Trajectory Programme. By partnering with French outfit IDEC Sport, Genesis entered the European Le Mans Series, giving drivers and engineers a fierce baptism of fire. The campaign already includes an LMP2 class win at the season opener, an overall victory in Round 2 at Barcelona, and valuable lessons from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Engine development began in June 2023 and reached its first milestone in February 2024, when the V8 engine fired up in Alzenau, Germany. On 9 July, engineers installed it in the ORECA-built chassis at Le Castellet, France, creating the first complete GMR-001 prototype.
Hypercar engines typically use V6 or V8 turbocharged layouts. Genesis based its new V8 twin-turbo on Hyundai Motorsport’s proven 1.6-litre inline-four turbo from the World Rally Championship, sharing around 60 per cent of components. Under LMDh regulations, the GMR-001 combines an ORECA chassis, an Xtrac gearbox, a Bosch MGU and a Williams Advanced Engineering battery pack.
Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison explained: "With the time we had available to develop the engine, we immediately knew we did not have enough time to 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 kilometres, 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."
Development has since accelerated. The first completed GMR-001 chassis moved to GMR’s new Race Base facility at Le Castellet, where it completed an initial shakedown in bare carbon. Lead drivers André Lotterer and Luís “Pipo” Derani have already finished simulator sessions and baseline setup work ahead of full-scale testing.
With chassis, V8, hybrid system and gearbox united, the GMR-001 now embarks on a gruelling European test programme targeting a 2026 WEC debut. Engineers and mechanics pore over data while drivers verify setups in the simulator, steadily sharpening the car into a race-ready weapon.
"We are at a time where we seem to be passing milestones every day, but this is exactly what we must be doing,” said GMR 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.”
The GMR-001 Hypercar has moved beyond design and build into the critical phase of proving durability and performance in real-world conditions. Genesis turns every step into a chance to accelerate development, laying the groundwork for its first attack on the world stage of endurance racing.
The LMDh formula, short for Le Mans Daytona hybrid, originated in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with technical rules aligned with those of the WEC to facilitate crossover competition. While Le Mans Hypercar manufacturers must design every element independently, LMDh focuses on cost efficiency. Entrants choose one of four chassis suppliers — ORECA, Dallara, Multimatic, or Ligier — and pair it with a spec hybrid system that utilises a Williams battery, a Bosch MGU, and an Xtrac gearbox. Unlike LMH cars, which can temporarily run all-wheel drive, LMDh machines channel both engine and hybrid power solely to the rear axle.
Although LMH cars may hold a slight performance edge, LMDh offers clear advantages through lower costs and faster development. It also brings a marketing boost in the United States, a crucial market for premium brands. Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, Lamborghini and Acura already compete. Even Alpine, without a US sales presence, has committed, while Ford and McLaren are preparing LMDh entries for 2027.
Developing the car is only half the battle, and building the team proves equally vital. Genesis established GMR at Le Castellet, at a test track adjacent to Circuit Paul Ricard, rather than Hyundai Motorsport’s rally base in Alzenau. To accelerate experience, Genesis partnered with endurance veteran IDEC Sport and launched the Genesis Trajectory Programme. Collaborations between automakers and specialist racing teams are common in top-level motorsport, allowing manufacturers to leverage expert personnel, facilities, and the knowledge they have gained. The same model underpins many current WEC efforts, with Porsche aligned with Penske, Aston Martin with Heart of Racing, BMW M with Team WRT, and Ferrari with AF Corse.
Founded in 2015 by Patrice Lafargue, IDEC Sport won the 2019 ELMS title and competes in LMP2, LMP3 and the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Nicolas Minassian, a former Peugeot factory driver, serves as Sporting Director. For this season, IDEC’s #18 LMP2 car wears GMR’s signature magma-orange livery, acting as a rolling testbed for Genesis drivers, engineers and mechanics.
The driver lineup is taking shape. Three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer and Brazilian ace Pipo Derani anchor the squad. Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert and Daniel Juncadella support them. Endurance racing typically requires at least three drivers per car, meaning that two vehicles require a minimum of six drivers. Rotation is common among drivers as they juggle commitments across series.
Jamie Chadwick, a British driver, became the youngest-ever GT4 champion in the British GT Championship at 16 in 2015. She won the inaugural W Series title in 2019 and has since taken a victory and two podiums in Indy NXT. Mathys Jaubert, only 20, finished runner-up in the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup France and first sampled LMP2 at the ELMS rookie test at Portimão in 2023, marking him as a promising newcomer. Daniel Juncadella, a seasoned 34-year-old Spaniard, progressed through the Master Junior Formula, Formula BMW, GP3, and European F3 series, testing in F1 and later serving as a reserve driver for Force India. Most recently, he claimed LMGT3 class victory in the 1,812 km WEC season-opener at Qatar with TF Sport.
Genesis has also adopted an advanced driving simulator from UK-based Dynisma. This high-end system, sophisticated enough for Formula 1, delivers a near-real experience that accelerates development and supports driver training. With real-world testing limited, the simulator becomes essential.
The partnership with IDEC Sport began strongly at the ELMS season opener, the 4 Hours of Barcelona, marking a successful launch of the Trajectory Programme. The ACO organises the ELMS as the entry tier of endurance racing. If WEC is Formula 1, ELMS is Formula 2. The ACO ladder runs from the Le Mans Cup and Ligier European Series, through ELMS and the Asian Le Mans Series, to the WEC at the top.
In early April, 31 teams and 131 drivers lined up at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. IDEC Sport’s #18 LMP2, in GMR orange, was driven by Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert and Daniel Juncadella. The sister, #28, featured Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Job van Uitert. The #18 started outside the top ten yet joined the lead battle by mid-race. Jaubert, driving the final stint, surged into first. A late call for used tyres opened the door for the chasing #83 AF Corse on fresh rubber. Overall victory slipped away, but the team still secured the LMP2 class win, a milestone first step for Genesis Magma Racing and the first ELMS LMP2 class victory by a female driver, Jamie Chadwick.
Round 2, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet at Circuit Paul Ricard, carried extra meaning on IDEC Sport’s 10th anniversary season. Pre-race rain created chaos at the start. Chadwick’s bold choice to start on slicks led to a spin at Turn 2 and a drop to the back. A switch to wets left her 18th, yet she calmly fought back. As the track dried, pit-stop timing became a high-stakes gamble. In the final hour, Jaubert seized the lead as rivals pitted and held off Nielsen Racing’s late charge to take the chequered flag. The result delivered the first overall win of the Genesis partnership and IDEC Sport’s first at its home track, a fitting moment in the anniversary year. For Chadwick, it was another milestone, the first overall ELMS win by a female driver. Both driver and team standings vaulted into the championship lead.
From mid-May into June, the ELMS calendar paused, but the team focused on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Genesis targeted the Le Mans 24 Hours as the ultimate benchmark while preparing for the WEC; the IDEC Sport LMP2 entry featured André Lotterer, Jamie Chadwick, and Paul-Loup Chatin. Originally, Dani Juncadella was due to take the seat, but a prior LMGT3 commitment meant Lotterer ultimately drove. Early setup issues kept the crew out of Hyperpole, leaving a start from 14th in class. Once the race began, they carved through the field. By the time the opening driver, André Lotterer, handed over to Jamie Chadwick, they had moved up to eighth. At around 4 a.m., the IDEC Sport duo was running in fourth and fifth place. Two hours later, disaster struck when the right-rear wheel came off, forcing Lotterer to retire on the Mulsanne Straight.
Le Mans ended in heartbreak, yet Genesis stayed on course by announcing key hires before the race. Newly appointed team manager Anouck Abadie arrived from renowned GT outfit Kessel Racing. Chief Engineer Justin Taylor brings experience from the WEC Hypercar and IMSA LMDh programmes, an invaluable addition as Genesis eyes an IMSA entry in 2027. A familiar face also returned. Italian veteran Gabriele Tarquini, who helped Hyundai secure a WTCR title, has joined as sporting director.
Three weeks after Le Mans, ELMS Round 3 moved to Imola. The Genesis Magma Racing entry showed strong pace in practice, but a downpour before qualifying meant a start from ninth. Jamie Chadwick navigated early chaos and saved fuel to climb to second. Daniel Juncadella gambled on slicks in the rain, slid off and damaged the car, then limped back to the pits. Subsequent incidents prevented the team from capitalising on its speed, and it finished 11th, missing out on points. The setback handed the championship lead to VDS Panis Racing by a single point.
The first half of the ELMS season wrapped at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps on 24 August. The series now heads to Silverstone in the UK before closing out in October at Portugal’s Algarve circuit. The championship fight remains essential, but Genesis focuses on the bigger prize, an official debut in the FIA WEC. It is the brand’s first purpose-built race car, taking on the sport’s top class —a battleground stacked with manufacturers boasting decades of experience and cabinets full of Le Mans silverware. For Genesis, these remain the opening steps, and the combined charge of Hyundai Motorsport and Genesis Magma Racing shows no sign of slowing.
