Genesis has revealed that its 2026 World Endurance Championship contender can be powered by a twin-turbo V8 that builds on sister marque Hyundai’s expertise within the World Rally Championship.
Francois-Xavier Demaison, technical director of the Hyundai Motorsport organisation masterminding the Genesis LMDh programme, defined that the interior combustion element of the hybrid powertrain was being developed out of know-how employed in its inline four-cylinder 1.6-litre turbo used within the Hyundai i20 N Rally 1.
“We will say that the pistons, the cylinder liners, conrods, the combustion chamber and all of the valve prepare is a one-to-one from the rally engine to the LMDh V8 – however modified, in fact,” Demaison instructed Motorsport.com within the wake of the launch of the Genesis programme on Wednesday.
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“We should change the cylinder spacing, for instance, however the principle components of the engine can be very related, simply to keep away from any points.”
Demaison revealed that the brief timeline for the Genesis LMDh mission resulted within the choice to make use of confirmed know-how in an eight-cylinder powerplant that at 3.2 litres may have a capability double that of the Rally 1 four-pot unit.
He confused that designing an engine from scratch wouldn’t have been potential given the 16 months between the sign-off of the mission on 1 September and the scheduled homologation of a automotive to be generally known as the GMR-001 Hypercar on the finish of subsequent yr forward of its race debut within the 2026 WEC.
“With the time we have now it will have been too dangerous: we actually shortly determined to play it secure,” he mentioned.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Staff Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Work began on the LMDh V8 shortly earlier than the sign-off of the mission and it’s deliberate to run on the dyno for the primary time in February previous to a scheduled roll-out of a automotive in the summertime.
Hyundai Motorsport president Cyril Abiteboul defined that the identical rationale had resulted within the choice to develop an LMDh primarily based on the ORECA chassis backbone reasonably than a bespoke Le Mans Hypercar.
“The preliminary expression of curiosity from company headquarters was to have bit extra freedom and authority on the design [which is allowed by the LMH rules],” Abiteboul instructed Motorsport.com.
“However I mentioned it depends upon what sort of timing we’re speaking about: when you give us three years, sure; when you give us one yr, it is a no-go.
“We’ve been very pragmatic and humble, and I used to be very clear that from the place we’re beginning the suitable route was positively an LMDh.”
However he confused that Genesis could be protecting its choices open for what’s being billed as a long-term involvement on the pinnacle of endurance racing, each when it comes to the chassis and the engine.
“We’re already considering of a long-term plan and what could possibly be the subsequent powerplant after this one,” he defined.
The brief time to develop the GMR-001 was additionally behind the choice to go for what Abiteboul described because the “staged strategy” of getting into the WEC in 2026 adopted by an enlargement into the IMSA SportsCar Championship in yr two in 2027.
Cyril Abiteboul, Staff principal Hyundai World Rally Staff
Picture by: Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport
It made sense to affix the WEC first, he added, as a result of the automotive can be run by an in-house staff to be generally known as Genesis Magma Racing, whereas when it enters IMSA it’s going to work with a associate staff.
He defined that he needed Hyundai Motorsport to be “as shut as potential to the product” throughout its first yr of racing.
“I don’t wish to have any filter or firewall between us and the automotive,” he mentioned. “That’s behind the choice to do WEC [first]; we all know that in IMSA we’ll by no means be capable to do it in a such a method.”
Genesis will work with the French IDEC Sport staff subsequent yr, collectively working an LMP2 ORECA-Gibson 07 within the European Le Mans Collection, because it gears up for its WEC entry, however Abiteboul confused that this has been devised as a step on the highway to having what he referred to as a “self-sufficient” race staff in GMR.
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Abiteboul revealed that there have already been discussions with potential companions for IMSA, however acknowledged that the formal means of figuring out a staff to work with won’t start till the brand new yr.
Chip Ganassi Racing, which has ended its four-year collaboration with Cadillac in IMSA and WEC, has been rumoured to be one of many groups involved with Genesis.
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Gary Watkins
WEC
IMSA
Hyundai Motorsport
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