Draped in a smooth, grey-black livery with orange accents, the Genesis GMR-001 has formally been introduced forward of its 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship debut. The LMDh challenger is tasked with taking the primary win for the Hyundai Group on the Le Mans 24 Hours in the long term.
For the second, the bar is about to a decrease stage because the GMR-001 is about for its baptism of fireside within the 6-hour race at Imola, which is able to present how good the meticulous preparation actually was.
The GMR-001 has seen at least seven check periods in as many months since its rollout at Circuit Paul Ricard in late August 2025.
For Andre Lotterer, who joined the mission in December 2024, constructing the infrastructure from the bottom up has been a novel profession milestone.
“We basically began from zero. It’s been rewarding to be greater than only a title in a longtime workforce — I’ve been capable of become involved and really deliver my expertise to the desk,” Lotterer advised Motorsport.com.
“By August, we have been turning our first laps. The crew was nonetheless fairly small then, however having Oreca’s help ensured we didn’t lose any time.”
Whereas the three.2-litre twin-turbo V8 and the complicated software program suites are in-house developments, Genesis opted for an Oreca chassis beneath the LMDh rules, making the GMR-001 the third LMDh entry to utilise the French constructor’s backbone, following the Acura ARX-06 and Alpine A424, with Ford set to hitch that listing in 2027.
Following the preliminary “child steps” in Le Castellet, the workforce headed to the Algarve Circuit in September for its first true endurance simulation. Over 30 gruelling hours, the GMR-001 confirmed the sort of reliability that has turn out to be an indicator of the LMDh platform.
“We managed to run for very lengthy durations throughout that first huge check. There have been minor gremlins — a sensor mounted too near the engine getting heat-soaked and failing, that kind of factor—however nothing that required a elementary redesign. It was spectacular for a brand new outfit,” Dani Juncadella advised Motorsport.com. He had joined the mission on the Algarve Circuit.
The principle focus in these checks was on the software program aspect of issues, basically the one factor that doesn’t get ‘BoP-ed’ in WEC and which due to this fact is the most important battleground.
“Software program is every part on this championship. It’s important to grasp the torque sensors on the driveshafts to remain completely on the 520 kW energy restrict,” Lotterer mentioned.
Genesis GMR-001
Photograph by: Genesis
Testing continued by way of Magny-Cours in October, Aragon in November, and a desert stint in Qatar in January. A ultimate pre-season run at Imola adopted in March.
“The rain in Magny-Cours was a blessing. Generally, it’s important to get moist and soiled to really perceive the tyres and traction management,” Lotterer added.
In Qatar, the primary focus shifted to correctly warming up the brand new Michelin tires rapidly. “I raced on the circuit with a GT3 automotive. However with a Hypercar, the high-speed corners and downforce make it a totally completely different beast,” Juncadella defined.
Genesis GMR-001 vs. Porsche 963: Two completely different beasts
Lotterer, a veteran of the Porsche 963, offered an intriguing comparability between the 2 LMDh philosophies. Despite the fact that being constructed to very restrictive rules, the 2 vehicles supplied utterly completely different driving philosophies.
“The automotive is a pleasure to drive. In comparison with the Porsche, it feels very completely different — extra exact, extra linear, and it provides you a bit extra confidence. It appears like a ‘purer’ driving expertise,” Lotterer mentioned.
Mathieu Jaminet, one other driver becoming a member of Genesis from Porsche, echoed these sentiments. “It’s stunning how completely different two vehicles can really feel given how tight the LMDh rules are. The GMR-001 already has clear strengths, and I’m making an attempt to make use of my previous expertise to assist the engineers iron out the weaker factors to create a winner,” the Frenchman mentioned.
Regardless of the hundreds of miles lined, the workforce awaits the second of reality on the Imola 6 Hours with pleasure.
Pipo Derani in contrast the journey to “climbing Mount Everest,” noting that the main target should now shift: “Now we’ve to shine every part – have the pitstops accomplished proper, folks understanding precisely what they should do.”
Paul-Loup Chatin was equally cautious, stating it will be “unrealistic” to anticipate speedy dominance in such a high-stakes area. “I’d truly favor to have a tough race in Imola after which an excellent Bahrain weekend on the finish of the 12 months”, the previous Alpine driver mentioned.
With the workforce clearly eyeing victories sooner or later, the targets stay humble for the primary races of the mission. “A terrific season would imply ending the primary race with out main points,” Lotterer mentioned.
“A few podiums can be improbable, however we gained’t really know the place we stand till we share the observe with the remainder of the grid for the primary time.”
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