On Sunday, 19th October the Estoril circuit in Portugal will host the fifth and final round of the 2014 European Le Mans Series.  Emotions will be running high as the 2014 titles and trophies have yet to be awarded in each of the three classes.

On Tuesday 09/06 June, fans get a chance once again to rub elbows with their favourite drivers at the autograph session and then watch the thrill-ride Pit Stop Challenge among other activities. Which team's mechanics might snatch the trophy from last year's winner, Peugeot TotalEnergies?

Today, the energy at the Le Mans circuit is rapidly growing even before the cars entered in the 94th 24 Hours take the track for the first free practice tomorrow.&nbsp;This is a day designed for those who want to see the race&nbsp;from the inside and catch a glimpse&nbsp;of preparations underway.

<h2>Pit walk</h2>

Pit lane will open at&nbsp;13:45 so&nbsp;spectators can participate in&nbsp;the annual pit walk and check out the garages of&nbsp;the 62 competitors as&nbsp;team mechanics make&nbsp;final adjustments.&nbsp;For many, this is a highlight&nbsp;of race week as an opportunity to discover the Le&nbsp;Mans classic a few metres from those making it happen.

<h2>Pit Stop Challenge</h2>

At&nbsp;14:00, the spotlight turns to those you don&#39;t hear about quite as much, but whose every move can change the fate of the&nbsp;race, namely&nbsp;the mechanics.

The Pit Stop Challenge is back for its fifth year to determine which team can perform the fastest possible wheel change.&nbsp;The contest is physically demanding and technically challenging: a&nbsp;wheel weighs more than&nbsp;20 kg, a&nbsp;pneumatic gun weighs&nbsp;about&nbsp;6 kg and the mechanics have just a few seconds to execute movements repeated hundreds of times throughout the season.

A&nbsp;pit stop at the 24 Hours is&nbsp;a precise choreographed routine. Nothing is left to chance. And when the clock is ticking, every move&nbsp;counts.

Last year, the technical&nbsp;staff assigned to Peugeot TotalEnergies&#39; #93&nbsp;Peugeot 9X8 clocked the quickest time of&nbsp;8.83&nbsp;secondes in the Hypercar class, AF Corse took the prize in LMP2 and Iron Dames&nbsp;in LMGT3. Who will win today?

<h2>autograph session</h2>

The fan-favourite autograph session has changed a bit for the 94th running of the race, promising an even more memorable experience for drivers and fans alike. Each team will&nbsp;first appear&nbsp;on the podium before heading to the pit straight&nbsp;where fans can meet them for autographs, selfies&nbsp;and&nbsp;sought-after&nbsp;interactions.

A baseball cap&nbsp;tucked under one&rsquo;s arm or&nbsp;a poster to get signed, a souvenir photo&nbsp;or simply a few words exchanged &mdash; these are the moments that remain lifelong memories.

<h2>The&nbsp;R&rsquo;Hunaudi&egrave;res</h2>

At a few short kilometres outside the circuit, the party continues from 16:00 to 23:00 in the town of&nbsp;Ruaudin with the&nbsp;10th edition of the&nbsp;R&rsquo;Hunaudi&egrave;res.

The&nbsp;event revisits&nbsp;1976, a year etched in the history of the 24 Hours&nbsp;marking the first victory for a turbo engine, achieved with the Porsche 936, and also the year that saw&nbsp;the start&nbsp;of the extraordinary career of a 30-year-old driven by a massive dream: Jean Rondeau.

The 2026 theme&nbsp;&quot;Rondeau, a Human Adventure&quot;&nbsp;pays tribute to this Le Mans icon thanks to&nbsp;the Jean Rondeau Association&#39;s&nbsp;aim&nbsp;to revive the unique heritage linking the city, the race&nbsp;and its heroes.

Guests&nbsp;can also admire a line-up of exceptional cars representing the marques showcased during the nine previous R&rsquo;Hunaudi&egrave;res. The presentation of the ninth Marshals&#39; Trophy rounds off a day dedicated to legacy&nbsp;and a passion for racing.

Tuesday 9 June Programme

10:00 &ndash; 20:00 | M24 &ndash; Motorsport Museum open 
13:45 &ndash; 17:30 | Pit Walk 
14:00 &ndash; 15:00 |&nbsp;Pit Stop Challenge 
15:30 &ndash; 17:30 | Autograph Session 
16:00 &ndash; 23:00 | The&nbsp;R&rsquo;Hunaudi&egrave;res

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans – Tuesday 09/06 Programme

Get up to speed on who’s who before the practice and qualifying sessions, and Hyperpole. The Official 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans Spotter Guide is your best friend when it comes to telling which of the magnificent cars is which this week (10-14 June 2026).

Get up to speed on who&rsquo;s who before the practice and qualifying sessions, and Hyperpole. The Official 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans Spotter Guide is your best friend when it comes to telling which of the magnificent cars is which this week (10-14 June 2026).

The plot of the 24 Hours of Le Mans unravels at 340 kph. Even the sharpest of eyes will appreciate the help of our Spotter Guide to pick out competitors in the vast 62-car field that will set off for a 24-hour marathon at 16:00 on Saturday 13 June.

Teams began their preparation in earnest at Test Day yesterday, which saw <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/advantage-aston-martin-in-second-free-practice-session-at-le-mans-test-day-60710">an impressive performance from Aston Martin THOR Team</a>. Now it&rsquo;s your turn to get race-ready. The handy guide has all the essential information you need, clearly displayed.

This year&rsquo;s grid is a full 62 cars, split into three classes:

<ul>
	<li>18 Hypercars;</li>
	<li>19 LMP2;</li>
	<li>25 LMGT3.</li>
</ul>

Whether you&rsquo;re seated comfortably in the grandstands, on a bank overlooking a corner, or at home on the sofa, the guide produced by Archim&egrave;de will help you keep pace with the action.

<h2>Check out the new 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans liveries</h2>

The Spotter Guide displays each car&rsquo;s livery so you can tell them apart.

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-magma-racing-unveil-a-spectacular-livery-for-their-maiden-24-hours-of-le-mans-60650">Genesis Magma Racing&rsquo;s GMR-001 Hypercars #17 and #19</a> sport one of the most striking decorations this year for their maiden Le Mans. The <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/a-neon-livery-for-dkr-engineering-at-the-2026-24-hours-of-le-mans-60598">DKR Engineering</a> #3 Oreca 07-Gibson, the #32 and #69 BMW M4 LMGT3 Evos of Team WRT, and the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-porsche-911-gt3-rs-commemorate-porsche-s-1951-victory-at-the-2026-24-hours-of-le-mans-60674">Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3</a>s fielded by Manthey DK Engineering (#91) and The Bend Manthey (#92) are also crowd favourites.

As the hours tick by, some colours will be clearly imprinted on our minds. Who will have the starring role in this year&rsquo;s high-speed saga?

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/courses/2026/24-heures-du-mans/spotter-le-mans-2026.pdf?utm_source=social&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=pack_vip_promo_fb&amp;utm_content=ap_b9lc9oxiry" target="_blank">Download your 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans spotter guide</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

Check out the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans Spotter Guide

The Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar taking the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans next weekend is revealing its potential. This machine is designed for performance, styled with character and intended for endurance. Its fiery livery turns heads even before it takes the track. Then the sound of its engine adds to the magic.

Its fiery livery turns heads even before it takes the track. Then the sound of its engine adds to the magic. The GMR-001-Hypercar is not just the first Hypercar entered by Genesis Magma Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The culmination of painstaking design and engineering, it represents long-term vision. An attitude that merits respect, especially here in Le Mans. This car is the beginning of an adventure.

<h2>A Hypercar honed by several hands</h2>

The GMR-001-Hypercar was launched just after the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans as a collaborative project involving Oreca, and the engineers of both Genesis Magma Racing and Hyundai Motorsport. Three entities with the same aim.

In a Hypercar programme, every detail is important. Every millimetre of bodywork, every technical choice, every air flow influences the result. Building a car for Le Mans can be like assembling a puzzle with pieces that change as you place them. Oreca&rsquo;s contribution is the constructor&rsquo;s knowledge of prototypes. Hyundai Motorsport brings racing experience to the table, while Genesis (Hyundai&rsquo;s premium brand) confers the vision. The result is a machine conceived in a particularly short time, without compromising attention to detail.

Flowing, smooth, taut lines suggest contained energy. Air seems to slide over the bodywork like water on a polished pebble. Nothing is there just for show. Everything has a function. Yet the prototype has all the elegance associated with Genesis.

Aesthetically, the most impressive stylistic choice is the signature lighting. The race car sports the same two horizontal lines as Genesis road cars. A big statement. Especially for a discipline in which lighting plays a part in performance. Their effectiveness was confirmed early on, during night tests at the Algarve circuit in Portugal. 
The car also wears the Genesis wing emblem on the nose like a stamp of approval.

<h2>A V8 tried and tested in the FIA World Rally Championship</h2>

Under the bonnet, the GMR-001-Hypercar hides a 3.2-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine.<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-fires-up-the-gmr-001-for-the-first-time-59881"> The engine was started for the first time on 9 July 2025</a>. Always a spine-tingling moment for anyone involved in the programme. Suddenly, the project has a sound.

The powertrain was developed from the V8 tried and tested in the FIA World Rally Championship. It was reworked and bench-tested to meet the demands of enduring racing. 
Coupled with a Bosch hybrid system on the rear train, it embodies current Hypercar philosophy: power, efficiency and endurance. 
At the start of the 2026 season, one of the engines had already covered 9,000 kilometres!

Listen to the sound of the Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar:

The Sound of the GMR-001 Hypercar

Découvrez le son de la Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar

<h2>A Hypercar that learns a lesson per lap</h2>

Before its first track session, the GMR-001 had already undergone thorought testing. Genesis Magma Racing put the highly-reputed world-class <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-magma-racing-how-to-develop-a-hypercar-without-leaving-the-office-59602">simulators by Dynisma Ltd</a> to good use. The aim was to generate feedback on the car and its environment that was as lifelike as possible.

At Le Mans, experience cannot be bought. It has to be built: in simulations, tests, by covering ground, and by trial and error. Its short development time means the GMR-001-Hypercar has a steep learning curve.

Cyril Abiteboul sums up the situation: &ldquo;We had good feedback from the start. The car has a good pedigree. It&rsquo;s sound and well-balanced. There are no unwelcome surprises at the wheel, and it responds well to new settings. It&rsquo;s remarkably well built. Oreca&rsquo;s experience really shows. We&rsquo;ve done a lot of work on the engine. It&rsquo;s powerful, with plenty of torque.&quot;

Paul-Loup Chatin, driver of the #19 Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar, adds: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a superb, precise car. It&#39;s trustworthy. It delivers the goods. Such a car helps you deploy sharp driving skills. The potential we saw in the tests was confirmed in the first two rounds. There&rsquo;s still a long way to go, but the foundations are excellent.&rdquo;

<h2>Climbing a mountain step by step</h2>

Genesis Magma Racing have been competing in the Hypercar for real since the beginning of this season, sampling the intensity and gruelling demands that rapidly sort the wheat from the chaff.

After the team chalked up the first points on the FIA WEC scoreboard at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Gabriele Tarquini, Sporting director of Genesis Magma Racing, said: Step by step, we&rsquo;ll climb the mountain. 
The 24 Hours of Le Mans can seem like that: a long, demanding, magnificent ascension. Driver of the #19, Daniel Juncadella feels the same: &quot;I think we make progress at each race.&quot; 
Paul-Loup Chatin: &quot;We&rsquo;re trying to be mistake-free and to seize every opportunity to prove why we&rsquo;re here. For example, at Imola, Mathys Jaubert fended off Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari 499P for at least 20 laps. That&rsquo;s pretty satisfying in your first season.&quot;

As the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans looms, the goal remains to see both cars cross the finish line. Early in the season, Justin Taylor stated: &ldquo;Our main goal this season is to finish the races. Without a hitch. Penalty-free. Then we can begin making progress in the Hypercar class, step by step, featuring in Hyperpole, finishing in the same lap as the winner, and displaying the sort of pace that gets you in the top 5.&rdquo;

Every manufacturer comes to Le Mans with ambitions. Few describe the learning process so openly. That is perhaps the essence of the Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar programme: a machine born to perform with a team clear-headed enough to realise that the 24 Hours of Le Mans requires you to listen carefully before you reply.

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans: the low-down on the Genesis Magma Racing Hypercar

Test Day is a rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams use the track time to glean precious information and fine-tune settings before the race. Racing aficionados enjoy interpreting the day’s statistics. We have picked out six that illustrate the aspects to master for success in endurance.

<h2>86 &ndash; Last the course</h2>

The number of laps completed by the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 &ndash; BMW M Team WRT, the most diligent crew on track this Sunday. That&rsquo;s 1171 kilometres worth of intensive training. The Belgian team likes to take advantage of every minute on track. The same car did the most laps last year too: 74. A sign of consistency and a perfectly executed action plan. Setting aside Cadillac and Ferrari (228 and 195 laps respectively), which have three cars, BMW spent the most time on track yesterday, completing a total of 167 laps, compared to 152 for Aston Martin, 152 for Peugeot, 147 for <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2026-24-hours-of-le-mans-the-low-down-on-the-genesis-magma-racing-hypercar-60714">Genesis</a> and Toyota and 131 for Alpine.

<h2>3 &ndash; Set the pace</h2>

In LMP2, Job van Uitert&rsquo;s top time would have earned him third place in last year&rsquo;s Hyperpole. The Dutchman clocked 03:35.344 in the IDEC Sport #28 Oreca 07. The crew of the #28 reflect the essence of LMP2, the class where anything can happen. Van Uitert has speed, Valerio Rinicella, his 19 year-old teammate, has the fieriness of youth, and, with nine starts under his belt, Paul Lafargue has experience. Race veterans mix with rookies, wisdom meets whizz kids. Many drivers in this class are out to shine to attract an offer of a seat in the Hypercar class. The level of driving skill is higher every year, as Van Uitert&rsquo;s performance shows. TDS Racing&rsquo;s Mathias Beche, last year&rsquo;s pole sitter, was less than two-tenths behind him.

<h2>19 &ndash; Edge ahead</h2>

In LMGT3, 19 cars (over 3/4 of the field) recorded times within tenths of each other. More than in the Hypercar class (13), and the most since the class changed in 2024. The Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo #54 in the hands of Francesco Castellacci was fastest, by nine-thousandths of a second. Proof that every little detail will make a difference, hence the need for groundwork on Test Day.

<h2>3:26.293 &ndash; Work hard</h2>

The top time of the day was recorded by <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/advantage-aston-martin-in-second-free-practice-session-at-le-mans-test-day-60710" target="_blank">Tom Gamble in the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie</a>.

It is remarkable for several reasons. First, it is very close to the benchmark set last year on Test Day by Toyota (3:26.246). Second, Aston Martin&rsquo;s best time last year was three seconds per lap slower! In the space of a year, the British manufacturer has made phenomenal progress, confirmed by another interesting statistic: Tom Gamble&rsquo;s Test Day time is better than the Valkyrie #007&rsquo;s 2025 qualifying time!

The Heart of Racing has worked hard. The prototype&rsquo;s production car appearance and the sound of its fierce naturally-aspirated V12 already turned heads. Now its performance is attracting attention too. Not least from its opponents.

<h2>4 &ndash; Be consistent</h2>

Four of the ten fastest laps Test Day were achieved at the wheel of the Alpine A424. The class record. Ferdinand Habsburg (03:26.938 &ndash; fifth best time of the day), Charles Milesi (03:26.990 &ndash; sixth), and Ant&oacute;nio F&eacute;lix da Costa (03:27.130 &ndash; tenth) in the #35 were particularly fast. In the #36, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/alpine-endurance-team-hires-victor-martins-60211">Victor Martins</a> was fastest (03:27.017).

The Alpine&rsquo;s was impressive in consistency &ndash; an all-important factor in endurance. This is a team sport and compromise is required to ensure all three drivers can express their full potential in the cockpit, despite radically different styles. This aspect looks to be perfectly understood in the Alpine camp.

<h2>345.1 &ndash; Push boundaries</h2>

That&rsquo;s the top speed, in kilometres per hour, attained on Sunday, by Ferdinand Habsburg and Victor Martins in the Alpine A424 #35 and #36. It&rsquo;s faster than last year (344.5). Exiting <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/explore-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-circuit-turn-by-turn-60679">Tertre Rouge</a>, the right-hand bend that leads to the iconic Mulsanne Straight, drivers are often already nearing 245 kph. Then peripheral vision blurs as they accelerate, all the way up to seventh gear. When they passed the Auberge des Hunaudi&egrave;res, the Alpine A424s were travelling at about 100 metres per second. Outrageous speed. Yet, the human at the wheel must brake at the same point as on previous laps, with a margin of 50 centimetres.

From a technical point of view, top speed depends on various factors, such as air temperature, aspiration, torque and the set-up chosen by the team. A car with less downforce will be faster on straights, but will have less grip on corners. So a Hypercar that&rsquo;s quick in the Porsche Curves, for example, will have a slight disadvantage on the Mulsanne Straight.

<h2>It&rsquo;s going to be a close one!</h2>

Test Day confirmed a trend observed since 2023: gaps are tiny, sometimes non-existent, in all three classes. Driver engagement before the race is always difficult to determine. However, the clock doesn&rsquo;t hide anything, and it indicates that there is very little to choose between teams entered for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/results/2026" target="_blank">Full Test Day Results</a>&lt;&lt;&lt;

24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day: 6 numbers for 2026

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