Genesis Magma Racing, the motorsport arm of Korean luxury automaker Genesis, is set to make its competitive debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the 6 Hours of Imola, taking place at the legendary Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari from April 18–20.
The milestone marks a significant step in Genesis’s global development strategy and represents a remarkably swift journey from announcement to competition — less than eighteen months after the brand confirmed its entry into the series.
A Hypercar Built for Endurance
The team arrives at Imola on the back of an intensive testing program that, since August 2025, has seen the GMR-001 Hypercar accumulate over 25,000 kilometres on track.
A dedicated pre-event test at Imola itself allowed engineers to simulate race conditions and establish a baseline setup ahead of the official Prologue and free practice sessions — particularly important given the circuit’s demanding kerbs and surface irregularities, which require precise management to fully exploit the car’s G8MR 3.2-litre Turbocharged V8.
Genesis Magma Racing will field two entries at Imola:
- Car #17 — “Liquid Metal” livery — Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert & André Lotterer
- Car #19 — Predominantly black livery — Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet & Dani Juncadella
Expectations
Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul was measured but determined in his outlook:
“We are a debut team and we know we are not yet in a position to immediately chase performance at the start of the season. We will focus on what we can control — reliability and operations — making sure we execute every detail to the best of our ability before we can aspire to results on track. A successful Imola weekend for us means bringing both GMR-001 Hypercars to the finish line, ensuring maximum reliability and working as a cohesive team.”
