Everyone knew it was going to happen, but when the crowd was finally able to see the GMR-001 hypercar from Genesis Racing fresh in real life, wild applause broke out. Completed in a dynamic orange that blends into a deeper red while the eye moves at the back of the machine, the racing car will make its debut in the world endurance championship in 2026.
If it seems strange for a production car manufacturer like Genesis to create an expensive racing car, know that it was a passionate project for the brand. However, Genesis and GMR (its Division of Automobiles Sports) confirmed its development until 2024. Goodwood Road & Racing called it “the most secret guard of motorsport”.
The GMR-001 Hypercar will participate in the LMDH category (Le Mans Daytona Hybrid) with a double turbo hybrid V8 configuration. If it is clear that the LMDH rules specify a maximum of 670 horsepower at its peak, other details are kept closely under the Wraps for the moment.
Presentation of the first Genesis hypercar
Compared to some of its world rivals, the Genesis of the automaker has not been there for so long. Toyota was created in the 1930s and Honda in the 1940s, and it was nothing compared to Buick, which was founded in 1899. The name of Genesis was introduced in 2003 as a Luxury conceptual vehicle for the parent company Hyundai, then the nickname was attached for the Hyundai Genesis model in 2008. As Brand 2016, the first SUVE and the G80 The US in the US in the end of 2016 and the first suck, the first SUL and the G90 SEDANS in the US in the end of 2016 and the first suck, the first SUL and G90 SEDANS in the Brande 2016 and on the suve la sup GV80, in January 2020.
Creation director Luc Donokerwolke assured hypercar, although very different in the design of cars and SUVs of Genesis, has always mentioned certain brand elements. For example, the GMR-001 hypercar has double-line lighting of Genesis at the front and back of the vehicle. For maximum efficiency, the sub-body has a flat plate and the inputs push the hot air far from the car while the parabolic line along the side directs the air flow to the rear diffuser. True to its Korean inheritance, the hypercar is bundled by geometric designs which integrate Korean lettering for “magma”.
Genesis has created a series of daring concept cars, including its last, the X Gran Equator focused on the road, showing its design chops for the future. Even so, hypercar is far beyond what it has done before. Sokerwolke says that it represents a great change in mentality for research and development for Genesis, but he savor freedom of expression. In motorsport, he explains, you do not do what is authorized, you extend to the limits of what is not explicitly prohibited.
“As a country, Korea is very humble,” he says. “Sometimes we have to be a little more – for example, daring – and I think that motor sport will bring this type of attitude in the company and motivate a lot of people.”
The starting line race
The veterans runners Andre Loterer and Pipo Derani will be at the head of the new Genesis Magma team. They will present themselves to the director of the Cyril Abiteboul team, former boss of the F1 Renault team and regular on the series “Drive to Survive”. The legendary Belgian driver Jacky Ickx, who participated in Formula 1 from 1966 to 1979, supports the team as a mentor.
Endurance races have existed since 1905 on an oval track of a mile in Columbus, Ohio. Now worldwide, endurance races have started with road sports cars and settled on dedicated sports cars when the prototype regulations were set in the 1950s and 1960s. The two mastodons of the segment are the 24 hours of European Le Mans and the 24 hours of Daytona in North America, and GMR aims to triumph over the two.
Starting a new team from scratch is a huge company, requiring design, engineering and development staff, not to mention large sums of money and the team itself. It is a bet, and which could cost Genesis a lot of money with a long game approach for the racing game. Genesis was successful in rally races with the Hyundai Motor Group and thinks that the prestige of endurance race is better suited to the brand. GMR will be against the stopwatch to prepare for next year, and it will be a climb up to the dream of a championship.
“Obviously, we have a catch -up to do,” admits therefore admits. It is however confident that the team as a whole can get there, and the main drivers agree.
“It is a very tight field with many big names, and we will not appear in sport with a mentality not to win,” says Derani, and the Lotor clashes with: “Of course. It will not be easy.”
Standing to see the Hypercar Genesis Magma Racing in famous races such as Daytona 500 and Le Mans in 2026 and beyond, in competition with big names like Lamborghini, Alpine, Aston Martin, Ford, and more. Next year will show if the investment was worth it.
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