During a show in Dubai Wednesday (Dec. 4), Hyundai’s Genesis brand announced their new GMR-001 LMDh prototype. This car is designed to race in both the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTP class. It is Hyundai’s first foray into prototype racing.
The car will be run in both series by a new factory outfit, Genesis Magma Racing. The team will debut in the WEC starting in 2026 with an effort in IMSA following in 2027. The team will run in collaboration with ORECA and IDEC Sport, indicating that the GMR-001 will be based on the new ORECA chassis.
“This entry into motorsport is a natural evolution for Genesis,” said Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’ chief creative officer. “As we look to push the boundaries of our brand, motorsport allows us to bring the spirit of hyperspeed—which drives how we create and innovate—in a way that aligns perfectly with our core values: Audacious, Progressive, and Distinctly Korean.”
For 2025, Genesis Magma Racing will take on two forms. One is a rigorous development program for the new GMR-001. To that degree, Genesis has acquired the services of Pipo Derani and Andre Lotterer to help develop the car.
“I am beyond thrilled and thankful to join the Genesis brand for its entry into endurance racing,” Lotterer stated. “After winning the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship this year, this opportunity is the perfect fit for me to channel my work, experience, passion and motivation into a new project with a team of highly ambitious individuals. I am excited to start working on this project and build a successful future from the very beginning.”
Lotterer comes to Genesis after being a Porsche factory driver since 2019. He is the current Hypercar champion in the WEC, having won the title with teammates Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor with Porsche Penske Motorsport.
“The ambition behind Genesis’s endurance racing project and the track record of those involved was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse,” Derani stated. “As a driver, being involved in a project from the start is highly rewarding. I look forward to bringing my experience of developing cars and winning titles to the team. Given the competitiveness of LMDh, it will be a big challenge, but I believe all the necessary ingredients are here to make this endurance journey successful.”
Derani comes to Genesis after spending the past five years racing Cadillacs for Action Express Racing. In that time, Derani had eight overall victories and won two championships. These were the DPi championship in 2021 and the first GTP championship in 2023.
In addition, the team will run an ORECA 07-Gibson in the European Le Mans Series under the IDEC Sport banner to get the new team used to racing prototypes. This car (No. 18) will be shared by three-time W Series champion/current Firestone Indy NXT racer Jamie Chadwick, former Williams Formula 1 racer Logan Sargeant and Mathys Jaubert.
Genesis Magma Racing will be run by Cyril Abiteboul, the current president of Hyundai Motorsport. Abiteboul has spent the past two years running Hyundai’s efforts in the FIA World Rally Championship. Prior to that, he was the managing director of Renault F1 Team (now Alpine) from 2014-2020 and was the time principal of Caterham team from 2013-2014.
“The official launch of Genesis Magma Racing is a momentous occasion,” Abiteboul stated. “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.”
Additional drivers for the Genesis effort will be announced at a later date. When the team enters the WEC in 2026, they will be required to run two GMR-001s as per WEC rules.
About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
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