ARMES FORCES : AN INDEFECTIBLE LINK

The ACO maintains strong ties with the armed forces. Spectators always admire the French Navy’s Rafale fighters aircrafts that fly over the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the handover of the “Tricolore” national flag to the official starter by a soldier abseiling from a French Army helicopter and the red, white and blue-striped flypast by the Patrouille de France display team for some editions. In addition to providing entertainment value, the armed forces are always present at “24 Hours” events to meet potential recruits in the race village. The Gendarmerie Nationale also gets involved through “road safety” initiatives that the ACO holds dear.

Army

Army - 24H Backstage | 24h-lemans.com

Earlier this month, Oreca’s south of France workshop was the stage for the successful fire-up of the GMR-001, the Genesis Magma Racing hypercar. This represents a key phase in the South Korean manufacturer’s programme that is expected to lead to a FIA World Endurance Championship entry in 2026. The final construction phase is now underway, ahead of the first track tests in August.

Genesis Magma Racing reached a crucial stage in its Hypercar programme on 9 July, with the first fire-up of the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/fr/actualites/genesis-magma-racing-devoile-la-livree-de-sa-gmr-001-hypercar-59514" target="_blank">GMR-001</a> at Le Castellet site in the south of France. This landmark step launches the final phase of the development chassis build process carried out at partner Oreca&rsquo;s premises. The maiden track outing is slated for late August and that will in turn signal the start of an intensive testing programme with a view to homologation in time for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.

<h2>The GMR-001 springs to life</h2>

The initial fire-up was completed smoothly and on time, underlining the efficiency of a schedule that has been planned for several months. &ldquo;In a project like this, you have certain dates circled and this was one of them,&rdquo; said Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul. &ldquo;The car fire-up was the GMR-001 coming to life &ndash; a huge step in the story of Genesis Magma Racing. To reach this point on schedule is already a huge achievement and a perfect way to start the next stage of the development process.&rdquo;

The entire powertrain, including the hybrid system, was tested on this occasion. Engineers ran the engine through its full rev range in each of the seven gears while testing battery recharging from the engine and the transfer of energy to the rear driveshafts &ndash; the set-up that will be used on the track.

Development work on the powertrain began in June 2024. It is based on an engine designed initially for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). It was first fired up in February 2025 and has since undergone several bench tests to bring it up to the expected performance levels. Its successful integration into the chassis paves the way to the next phase of full-scale testing, starting with the first track run planned for late August.

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<h2>Teamwork involving Genesis Magma Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and Oreca</h2>

Work on building the GMR-001 chassis began immediately after the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is conducted by Oreca, with engineers from Genesis Magma Racing and Hyundai Motorsport involved at key stages.&nbsp;Close three-way collaboration has been vital in ensuring that the tight development schedule required to be on the grid in 2026 is not derailed.

&ldquo;The car build has been about bringing everything together &ndash; all the expertise we have within Genesis Magma Racing and at ORECA,&rdquo; said Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director Fran&ccedil;ois-Xavier Demaison. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s now when we can start physically connecting all the different strands of development work that we&rsquo;ve been following for the last year with our Powertrain and Design teams. The successful GMR-001 fire-up is confirmation of our work so far, but also the start of the next stage of the development that comes with testing.&rdquo;

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<h2>Now for track testing</h2>

The final construction phase is now in progress. Once finalised, this development chassis will be rolled onto the test track before additional chassis builds are produced to ramp up the technical validation process. The target is to prepare the GMR-001 for homologation for its d&eacute;but FIA WEC season&hellip; with Genesis Magma Racing&rsquo;s sights firmly set on <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-94th-24-hours-of-le-mans-will-take-place-from-10-14-june-2026-59796" target="_blank">the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans</a>.

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Genesis fires up the GMR-001 for the first time

Major road resurfacing work began today (21 July 2025) on the Mulsanne Straight from the Daytona Chicane to Mulsanne Corner. This iconic stretch of the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans will be treated to a new high-performance pavement.

The&nbsp;Syndicat Mixte du Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans &ndash; the public organisation responsible for managing large investments for the track &ndash; is in charge of the work that will see the wearing course renewed on two roads: the D338 (Route de Tours) and a portion of the D140 (Route d&rsquo;Arnage). The programme&rsquo;s clear objective is to guarantee a track surface that meets motor racing&rsquo;s stringent technical standards of safety and performance.

The surface used is a thin asphalt overlay with outstanding mechanical properties. This type of asphalt, specially designed for race circuits, comprises high quality aggregate and a special bitumen to guarantee grip and consistency. The mix must be carefully applied at temperatures of over 5&deg;C to ensure an optimum result. 
Beforehand, a 34,800&nbsp;m&sup2; area of road surface will be milled&nbsp;and the resulting rubble taken away by the contractor for reuse as aggregate in future asphalt.

<h2>Modernising a strategic section of the circuit</h2>

The portion concerned stretches from the Daytona Chicane to the Mulsanne roundabout &ndash; a crucial section for the straight-line performance and intense braking phases coming into the Mulsanne Corner. The works budget amounts to &euro;656,300 and will be fully financed by the Syndicat Mixte

To ensure optimum working conditions, the D338 will be closed between the Antar&egrave;s and Mulsanne roundabouts and traffic diverted for the duration of the programme which is scheduled to run from 21 July to 1 August.

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Several ancillary jobs will be carried out concurrently. Twenty-one timing loops will be fully restored, finishing work will be conducted on the track joints, road markings will be made with special circuit paint, and the plates used for the installation of safety barriers &ndash; when the road is switched to race format &ndash; will be replaced at the Leroy Merlin roundabout.

This modernisation operation is all part of a regular circuit maintenance programme harnessing technical requirements, innovation and driver safety. It will result in an ideal surface for prototypes and GTs to push the performance envelope even further at next year&rsquo;s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mulsanne Straight resurfaced from Daytona Chicane to Mulsanne Corner

In winning the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans with the #83 Ferrari 499P, AF Corse showed that maintaining perfect control over the tyre strategy throughout the race can make all the difference. Let’s look at the simple, yet effective plan that led the Kubica/Ye/Hanson trio, and Michelin, to victory.

To clinch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/af-corse-team-take-ferrari-into-the-history-books-at-le-mans-59792" target="_blank">overall victory in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans</a>, AF Corse adopted a rigorous tyre strategy for the #83 Ferrari 499P that the team executed superbly. Using only yellow-walled Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance Medium tyres throughout, and maximising the number of triple stints while adapting the stints to how the race was panning out, the Italian outfit successfully constructed its performance over the long haul. This smart choice was undoubtedly one of the keys to the success of&nbsp;Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye&nbsp;and&nbsp;Phil Hanson.

<h2>Mediums from flag to flag</h2>

Unlike its rivals, AF Corse gambled on regularity by opting for Medium tyres from the start and sticking with them throughout the 24 hours. These versatile compounds were perfectly suited to the moderate weather conditions encountered during the race. 
This approach simplified the team&rsquo;s in-race decision making, offered a stable performance window for all three drivers and helped them to better anticipate wear management and the car&rsquo;s behaviour over the duration of the race.

<h2>Nine triple stints</h2>

The other remarkable aspect of AF Corse&rsquo;s strategy was the ability to produce triple stints &ndash; almost 500&nbsp;km covered with a single set of tyres. The yellow Ferrari 499P completed nine in total. All four tyres were replaced at each pit stop, guaranteeing consistent driveability and balance for the car. This game plan reduced the time spent in the pits and optimised each stint in terms of performance.

The Italian Hypercar covered an average of 12 laps on each stint, matching the fuel consumption pattern. During the night, however, Yifei Ye managed a safety car-assisted 15-lap stint when the Nielsen Racing LMP2 entry (#24 Oreca 07-Gibson) crashed out.

<h2>Two double stints under pressure and a decisive final pit stop</h2>

As Porsche Penske Motorsport stepped up the pressure with the #6 Porsche in the final hours of the race, AF Corse altered its usual sequence by switching to two double stints between 12:25 and 15:20. This change in strategy can be explained by the warmer track temperatures and the objective of keeping the car in an optimum performance window through the final stages.

With just one hour to go, the #83 Ferrari held a mere 36.5-second lead over the #6 Porsche. At that point, the team wheeled out a new set of tyres for the final stint. This decisive move allowed Robert Kubica to withstand the fightback from Porsche and retain first place through to the chequered flag.

This tactic, coupled with the rapidity and reliability of the 499P Hypercar and the durability of the Michelin tyres, proved to be a prime contributor to the quest for victory.

Further reading: <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/michelin-designs-a-greener-more-durable-hypercar-tyre-for-2026-59712" target="_blank">Michelin designs a greener, more durable Hypercar tyre for 2026</a>

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2025 24 Hours of Le Mans – Focus on AF Corse’s Ferrari 499P tyre strategy

With more than 8,000 participants and 16 million points collected at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Impact Challenge is a hugely successful and innovative initiative returning in 2026.

The Impact Challenge a massive success at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans

The race highlights of the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, round 5 of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

24H LE MANS

Army

ARMES FORCES : AN INDEFECTIBLE LINK

Le Mans Magazine

Genesis fires up the GMR-001 for the first time

Mulsanne Straight resurfaced from Daytona Chicane to Mulsanne Corner

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans – Focus on AF Corse’s Ferrari 499P tyre strategy

The Impact Challenge a massive success at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans

Race Highlights | Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo 2025 | FIA WEC

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