<\/p>\n
Genesis held a press conference during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, outlining the brand\u2019s bold vision for Genesis Magma Racing. Major highlights included the announcement of key team management roles, an update on vehicle development progress, and new market entries for the Genesis brand.<\/p>\n
The event was held at the Genesis Magma Racing booth in the Manufacturer Village at the Circuit de la Sarthe.<\/p>\n
Genesis Magma Racing is also participating in the race itself, represented in the LMP2 category with the #18 car driven by Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, joined by three-time Le Mans winner Andr\u00e9 Lotterer.<\/p>\n
Accelerating Development and Market Expansion<\/p>\n
Addressing the Press Conference, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul, provided an update on the latest progress of the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar. He shared news of a successful endurance dyno test for the combined engine and gearbox.<\/p>\n
This test validated the team\u2019s decision to adopt a V-8 powertrain, a choice made to streamline development by leveraging Hyundai Motorsport\u2019s existing World Rally Championship engine technology. The team based the V-8 on the Group\u2019s competitive 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine, effectively combining two units to create a high-performance V-8 configuration.<\/p>\n
Abiteboul also gave details on the expansion of Hyundai Motorsport as part of the creation of Genesis Magma Racing. The new team will operate from a race base at Le Castellet, close to Oreca\u2019s factory, where parts continue to arrive in France for the building of the first two cars that will be used in development testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expansion of Hyundai Motorsport is essential to create a strong foundation for Genesis Magma Racing and the establishment of a new subsidiary in France is an essential step\u201d said Abiteboul. \u201cThe team is being created from very strong parts. A strong chassis from Oreca, an ideal Race Base location in Le Castellet an international, experienced team of people from around motorsport and, of course, the best of the influences from Korean culture to drive us all forward at Hyperspeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Genesis Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke and Managing Director of Genesis Motor Europe Xavier Martinet also joined the press conference, revealing that the Genesis brand will officially enter four new European markets\u2014France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy\u2014with first customer vehicles launching in 2027.<\/p>\n
With Genesis Magma Racing, we are turning our design philosophy into pure performance. Every line, every surface, every decision on the GMR-001 reflects the same discipline and emotion we bring to our cars,\u201d said Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Creative Officer of Genesis. \u201cAs we enter more markets in Europe, Genesis Magma Racing becomes more than a motorsport initiative\u2014it\u2019s a powerful expression of who we are, engaging with a region that has long defined automotive excellence.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Team Members Bring Vital Experience to Team<\/p>\n
In addition, three new team members were revealed during the press conference. Anouck Abadie will take the role of Team Manager, Justin Taylor becomes the Chief Engineer and multiple Touring Car champion Gabriele Tarquini will take up the role of Sporting Director.<\/p>\n
The three bring experience in their roles from different realms of motorsport and will integrate into the existing team structure lead by Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul and Technical Director Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Demaison.<\/p>\n
Abadie has experience of working within the FIA and with leading endurance teams in both Team Manager and Sporting Director roles, most recently with GT squad Kessel Racing. \u201cThis new project with Genesis Magma Racing gives us the opportunity to start from a white board, and we can build a strong team of motivated people who share our vision. It will be challenging for sure, that\u2019s why it\u2019s even more exciting. I can\u2019t wait to see our car in action on track,\u201d said Abadie<\/p>\n
Taylor, from the USA, will arrive at Genesis Magma Racing having recently acted as Race Engineer in two of the leading teams in the Hypercar and LMDh categories. \u201cJoining Genesis Magma Racing is very exciting for me,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cComing onboard in the Chief Engineer role allows me a chance to develop our team and the GMR-001 Hypercar from the ground up, to be ready for the 2026 WEC season and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
He brings crucial experience of not just WEC, but also IMSA competition \u2013 critical as Genesis Magma Racing sets its sights on entering the North American-based championship in 2027.<\/p>\n
Sporting Director joins from Hyundai Motorsport\u2019s Customer Touring Car squad<\/p>\n
Tarquini is one of the most successful Touring Car drivers of all time. The Italian has won the British, European and World Touring Car titles, as well as the inaugural WTCR \u2013 FIA World Touring Car Cup title in 2018 with Hyundai Motorsport.<\/p>\n
The three will fit into the team structure alongside the existing members of the team, including those coming from Hyundai Motorsport as part of Genesis Magma Racing\u2019s Trajectory program. Abadie and Taylor will take up their roles immediately to be in place for the first on-track tests planned later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnouck, Justin and Gabriele are fantastic additions to the Genesis Magma Racing team,\u201d said Abiteboul. \u201cThey all have great experience in motorsport, which will complemented by additional endurance racing expertise of the other team members we will recruit in the coming months. This mix, and the management structure we announce today will be at the centre of the team through our testing this year with the GMR-001 Hypercar and our race team in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trajectory Drivers and First Le Mans Experience<\/p>\n
On track in 2025, Genesis Magma Racing\u2019s LMP2 entry\u2014run by IDEC Sport\u2014features the #18 Oreca 07 car, with Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert joined by endurance legend Andr\u00e9 Lotterer. Chadwick and Jaubert, both in their first full season of prototypes, are part of the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory program. They have already claimed LMP2 class victory in the ELMS season opener in Barcelona and an overall win in Le Castellet.<\/p>\n
The 24 Hours of Le Mans provides both drivers and Hyundai Motorsport personnel from the Trajectory program a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the unique environment of Le Mans, further preparing the team for 2026.<\/p>\n
On-site with Genesis at Le Mans<\/p>\n
Genesis is hosting fans and media at the Manufacturer Village with a bold showcase:<\/p>\n
\u009f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The full-scale GMR-001 Hypercar model\u2014revealed in Europe for the first time\u2014features an eye-catching livery inspired by Korean culture, with the word \u201cMagma\u201d written in Hangeul (\ub9c8\uadf8\ub9c8).<\/p>\n
\u009f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A Brand Wall details Genesis\u2019 10-year journey, connecting its luxury design legacy with the innovation behind Genesis Magma Racing.<\/p>\n
A selection of limited-edition Genesis and Le Mans merchandise is available for purchase and prizes, created exclusively for this event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Genesis held a press conference during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, outlining the brand\u2019s bold vision for Genesis Magma Racing. Major highlights included the announcement of key team management roles, an update on vehicle development progress, and new market entries for the Genesis brand. The event was held at the Genesis Magma Racing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":9204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9203","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-english-news"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9205,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9203\/revisions\/9205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/investn24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}