Genesis GMR-001 completes first successful start-up at Le Castellet

Genesis Magma Racing met the planned schedule for the development of the GMR-001 by successfully completing the prototype's first fire-up on July 9th at the Le Castellet facilities. This moment represents a key milestone in the project that will take the South Korean brand to the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026.

Successful first fire-up at Le Castellet

The fire-up was conducted at the workshops of Oreca, the technical partner for chassis development, located near Genesis Magma Racing's operational base at Circuit Paul Ricard. Oreca technicians worked alongside the team's mechanics and engineers to complete the installation and integration process of the powertrain.

"In a project like this, you have certain key dates marked, and this was one of them," stated team principal Cyril Abiteboul. "The fire-up was the GMR-001 coming to life, a huge step in Genesis Magma Racing's history. Reaching this point according to schedule is already a great achievement and the perfect way to begin the next stage of the development process."

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Proven base: The 1.6L turbo engine from WRC

Genesis chose as its base the 1.6-liter turbo engine from the Hyundai i20 N Rally 1, a unit with 12 years of development since 2014. This four-cylinder engine has accumulated 32 victories, over 90 podiums, and 600 stage wins across more than 150 rallies. It gave Hyundai three manufacturers' titles (2019, 2020, 2024) and the first drivers' title to Thierry Neuville in 2024.

Creation of the biturbo V8 for LMDh

For the GMR-001, engineers merged two 1.6L engines from the Hyundai WRC into a 3.2-liter twin-turbocharged V8 configuration. The resulting V8 reuses 60% of the proven components from the WRC engine: pistons, cylinders, connecting rods, combustion chamber, and valve system.

The development of the LMDh-specific V8 began in June 2024. Since then, the unit underwent months of testing and validation until reaching the successful fire-up on July 9th with the engine installed in the GMR-001 chassis.

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Successful hybrid system tests

During the initial tests on July 9th, engineers tested the engine through all seven gears of the transmission. The team also verified that the LMDh hybrid system works correctly: charging the batteries with the engine and delivering power to the rear wheels as in race conditions.

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Schedule towards track debut

The final construction stages continue as Oreca and Genesis Magma Racing complete the first car for testing. The initial track tests are scheduled for late August, when the GMR-001 will begin its development program at European circuits that will continue through the rest of 2025.

Genesis will debut in WEC 2026 including Le Mans, while participation in IMSA GTP is planned for 2027. The prototype's exterior design incorporates characteristic brand elements like the dual-line lights and was developed by Luc Donckerwolke and Samir Sadhikov.

Technical director François-Xavier Demaison explained that the project aims to integrate all available expertise between Genesis Magma Racing and Oreca. "Now we can begin physically connecting all the different aspects of the development work we've been following over the past year with our Powertrain and Design teams," he added.

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