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Genesis Magma Racing has transformed a dream into reality in less than 500 days. Hyundai's luxury line is approaching its rookie 24 Hours of Le Mans methodically and with humility but big ambitions. Here is a look at a carefully crafted recipe to take on the world’s greatest endurance race.

There is no fast track to conquering Le&nbsp;Mans. It takes patience, inspiration and individuals capable of working together toward a common goal. Genesis Magma Racing understands the assignment.&nbsp;As it prepares for its first&nbsp;24 Hours, the South Korean marque has developed&nbsp;a meticulously curated&nbsp;project, fuelled by experience and driven by the need&nbsp;to learn quickly. The two&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-takes-the-wraps-of-its-gmr-001-hypercar-59196" target="_blank">GMR-001-Hypercars</a>&nbsp;entered&nbsp;in the 94th running of the race represent more than a new name on the starting grid, they are the result of a&nbsp;specific vision.

<h2>full speed escalation</h2>

September&nbsp;2024: Genesis officially announces its participation in the&nbsp;Hypercar class. Three months later, the&nbsp;GMR-001-Hypercar is unveiled. In July&nbsp;2025, its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-fires-up-the-gmr-001-for-the-first-time-59881" target="_blank">3.2-litre&nbsp;twin-turbo V8 G8MR engine</a>&nbsp;roars to life&nbsp;for the very first time.&nbsp;Then come the testing sessions, accumulated kilometres&nbsp;and nights spent understanding the car down to the&nbsp;smallest&nbsp;detail.

On&nbsp;19 April, Genesis Magma Racing took its first start in an FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) race, the&nbsp;6 Hours of Imola, less than&nbsp;500 days after the initial announcement. On&nbsp;9 May, the constructor earned its first points at the&nbsp;TotalEnergies 6 Hours of&nbsp;Spa-Francorchamps.

Ahead of the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, the GMR-001-Hypercar has covered&nbsp;more than&nbsp;25,000 km of tests, a crucial&nbsp;achievement&nbsp;because in endurance racing, driving means learning.&nbsp;Paul-Loup Chatin (#19&nbsp;Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar driver):&nbsp;We need to be as productive as possible throughout the testing sessions. We have conducted several endurance tests to simulate a 24-hour race, so we are arriving with some experience under our belts. Even so, no test can match the reality of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Genesis has been preparing for its first appearance in the iconic race&nbsp;exactly how it should, with diligence and without skipping any steps.

<h2>The company you keep</h2>

Building a competitive Hypercar also means knowing how to seek help from the best&nbsp;of the best. The team&nbsp;entrusted its chassis to ORECA, a top contender&nbsp;in modern endurance racing. It&#39;s a strategic choice shared by other major names in the discipline, such as Alpine and Ford, the latter of which will begin competing in 2027.

The project&#39;s true strength is the people behind it. At the helm is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/cyril-abiteboul-genesis-a-two-car-finish-would-be-out-of-this-world-60377" target="_blank">Cyril Abiteboul</a>&nbsp;bringing top-tier&nbsp;experience gained in Formula&nbsp;1 then&nbsp;rally with Hyundai Motorsport. His right-hand man is chief engineer&nbsp;Justin Taylor&nbsp;supervising the&nbsp;technical side of the&nbsp;programme along with sporting director&nbsp;Gabriele Tarquini and team manager&nbsp;Hanouk Abadie handling the day-to-day.

Genesis has opted for&nbsp;experience behind the wheel as well. Three-time Le&nbsp;Mans winner&nbsp;Andr&eacute; Lotterer is not just a fast driver.&nbsp;His 14 appearances &mdash; including 13 in the top&nbsp;class &mdash; are an immeasurable&nbsp;asset for a rookie team in such an unforgiving&nbsp;environment.&nbsp;The addition&nbsp;of Mathieu Jaminet further reinforces&nbsp;this strength. An expert in LMDh prototypes, specifically the Porsche 963, the French driver offers&nbsp;a technical understanding of the class, driver&rsquo;s intuition&nbsp;and knowledge of top-level competition. At Genesis, performance is fostered&nbsp;through collaborative effort.

<h2>mastering the 24 Hours of le&nbsp;Mans before looking to win</h2>

For its rookie start in&nbsp;the race, Genesis Magma Racing makes no secret of its approach: be humble.

The goal is&nbsp;for both cars to cross the finish line. This&nbsp;participation is meant to introduce&nbsp;the marque&nbsp;to the world of endurance racing and understand&nbsp;what Le Mans truly demands. It&#39;s about&nbsp;mastering the sheer length of the&nbsp;race, navigating the night hours and&nbsp;various&nbsp;temperature changes, physical exhaustion&nbsp;and split-second decisions.&nbsp;

What is clear to everyone in the paddock is that simply finishing your&nbsp;first 24 Hours&nbsp;is an achievement in itself. And if one of the GMR-001 Hypercars were to pass under the chequered flag on the same lap as the winner, it&nbsp;would be an outstanding&nbsp;result and an ideal foundation for the future.

When can Genesis Magma Racing start to set its sights on an overall win? Chatin:&nbsp;We have to be realistic. The most important thing is to keep building this project so that we can say&nbsp;we are coming to win. We will say that when we are truly ready. But, everything is in place to ensure our&nbsp;success.&nbsp;

The team&#39;s&nbsp;project is being&nbsp;built methodically,&nbsp;driven by recognised talent&nbsp;and honed over thousands of kilometres, yet remaining&nbsp;humble enough to recognise the Le Mans classic for the beast it is.

Genesis Magma Racing's plan to take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans is next week (10-14 June), and the city of Le Mans is already buzzing with the unique pre-race atmosphere. One of the main squares, Place de la République, is a hive of activity as the venue for the first stage in the run-up to the big day. You can watch the whole scrutineering session live and admire the cars as they line up to take their turn to be examined inside and out.

Scrutineering is always the moment when everyone realises it&rsquo;s actually happening. It&rsquo;s Le Mans. It&rsquo;s when the circuit and the city become one. It&rsquo;s when you first see the cars close up. The administrative and technical checks for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans begin today on Place de la R&eacute;publique in Le Mans city centre.

<h2>Watch the event live on the 24 Heures du Mans YouTube channel</h2>

Bruno Vandestick, the official 24 Hours of Le Mans track commentator, will be interviewing drivers on stage as usual. Capture the drivers&rsquo; first impressions, dig up some clues about each teams&rsquo; objectives and find out more about their preparations before they take to the track for the third round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-2026-scrutineering-programme-60568" target="_blank">Timetable of Administrative &amp; Technical Checks</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ocFyjyO9M2s?si=oE4O6aRe1tdB_i2f" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

Day 1 of 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans scrutineering live!

Race week at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans is finally underway! On Friday 5 June, Scrutineering kicks off the 94th edition of this iconic event in the city centre, including first looks at this year's cars, ear-splitting cheers for the drivers and an electrifying atmosphere amidst a sea of fans!

Race week at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans officially kicks off in the city centre today&nbsp;with the highly anticipated administrative and technical checks known as Scrutineering. Over the course of two days, 62 cars will submit to the technical marshals at the place de la R&eacute;publique surrounded by scores of cheering onlookers.

Prior to taking the track at the 24 Hours circuit,&nbsp;each prototype, GT and detail are meticulously inspected. Nothing is left unverified when it comes to regulations compliance, proper driver equipment and valid administrative documents.&nbsp;

<h2>First Look at the cars and drivers</h2>

For racing fans, Scrutineering offers a front row seat&nbsp;into what makes&nbsp;the 24 Hours of Le Mans so special. Seeing the cars up close, admiring their lines and liveries, standing&nbsp;within arm&#39;s reach of the drivers and much more. This&nbsp;is an experience to be savoured to the fullest and that is&nbsp;why the event&nbsp;is accessible to all and free of charge, transforming the city centre&nbsp;into an open-air theater of endurance racing.

Today, 39 cars are expected at the&nbsp;place de la R&eacute;publique. Inter Europol Competition&#39;s #43 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson will launch&nbsp;the first round&nbsp;of inspections and the Alpine A424 will cap things off at the end of the day.&nbsp;Expect all eyes to be on the&nbsp;Hypercars entered by&nbsp;BMW, Genesis, Peugeot, Aston Martin and&nbsp;Cadillac.

If you are in or near Le&nbsp;Mans today, do yourself a favour and make a beeline to the city centre.&nbsp;Take everything&nbsp;in and create lifelong memories with friends and loved ones.&nbsp;The magical experience that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans starts here, just&nbsp;a stone&#39;s throw from the breathtaking&nbsp;cars and heroic drivers before they even&nbsp;take the track.

Scrutineering&nbsp; |&nbsp; Friday 05 June Programme

10:00 |&nbsp;#43 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson -&nbsp;Inter Europol Competition 
10:10 | #343 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson -&nbsp;Inter Europol Competition 
10:20 | #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo -&nbsp;Vista AF Corse 
10:30 | #54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo - Vista AF Corse 
10:40 | #183 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson - AF Corse 
10:50&nbsp;| #28 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson - IDEC SPORT Racing 
11:00 |&nbsp;#24 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson - Nielsen Racing 
11:10 |&nbsp;#15 BMW M Hybrid V8 - BMW M Team WRT 
11:20 |&nbsp;#20 BMW M Hybrid V8 - BMW M Team WRT 
11:30 |&nbsp;#2 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R - TF Sport 
11:40 |&nbsp;#13 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R - 13 Autosport 
11:50 |&nbsp;#33&nbsp;Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R - TF Sport 
12:00 |&nbsp;#34 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R - Racing Team Turkey by TF 
12:10 |&nbsp;#17 Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar - Genesis Magma Racing 
12:20 |&nbsp;#19 Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar - Genesis Magma Racing 
13:30 |&nbsp;#14 ORECA 07-Gibson - TDS Racing 
13:40 |&nbsp;#29 ORECA 07-Gibson - Forestier Racing by Panis 
13:50 |&nbsp;#3 ORECA 07-Gibson -&nbsp;DKR Engineering 
14:00 |&nbsp;#93 Peugeot 9X8 - Peugeot TotalEnergies 
14:10 |&nbsp;#94 Peugeot 9X8 - Peugeot TotalEnergies 
14:20 | #59 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 -&nbsp;Racing Spirit of Leman 
14:30 |&nbsp;#23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 - Heart of Racing 
14:40 |&nbsp;#27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 -&nbsp;Heart of Racing 
14:50 |&nbsp;#007 Aston Martin Valkyrie - Aston Martin THOR Team 
15:00 |&nbsp;#009 Aston Martin Valkyrie - Aston Martin THOR Team 
15:10 |&nbsp;#77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 - Proton Competition 
15:20 |&nbsp;#88 Ford Mustang LMGT3 - Proton Competition 
15:30 |&nbsp;#9 ORECA 07-Gibson - Proton Competition 
15:40 |&nbsp;#44 ORECA 07-Gibson - Proton Competition 
15:50 |&nbsp;#150 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo - Richard Mille AF Corse 
16:00 |&nbsp;#91 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 - Manthey DK Engineering 
16:10 |&nbsp;#92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 - The Bend Manthey 
16:20 |&nbsp;#12 Cadillac V-Series.R - Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA 
16:30 |&nbsp;#38 Cadillac V-Series.R - Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA 
16:40 |&nbsp;#101 Cadillac V-Series.R - Cadillac WTR 
16:50 |&nbsp;#37 ORECA 07-Gibson - CLX Motorsport 
17:00 |&nbsp;#30 ORECA 07-Gibson - Duqueine Team 
17:10 |&nbsp;#35 Alpine A424 - Alpine Endurance Team 
17:20 |&nbsp;#36 Alpine A424 -&nbsp;Alpine Endurance Team

Follow the first day of Scrutineering LIVE&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@24heuresdumans/streams" target="_blank">24 Hours of Le Mans&nbsp;YouTube</a> channel.

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans Scrutineering – Friday 05/06 Programme

The 94th running of the French 24-hour marathon will be the third race of the eight that constitute the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. Major manufacturers Aston Martin, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota are aligning Hypercars in what promises to be an epic battle.

<h2>What is a Hypercar?</h2>

In 2021, Hypercar became the top class in endurance and the FIA World Endurance Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two types of car compete in the class: the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh).&nbsp;

LMH and LMDh cars compete against each other in the FIA WEC and in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and can therefore enter the 24-hour races at Le Mans and Daytona.

The two types&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>LMH&nbsp;&nbsp; 
	These regulations leave scope for a wide variety of architectures and allow a front-axle hybrid system to be fitted.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>LMDh&nbsp; 
	In LMDh, the backbone of the car &ndash; i.e. the whole car minus the internal combustion engine, the body and the hybrid system &ndash; will be supplied by one of four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and Oreca.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Hypercars are hybrid or non-hybrid closed cockpit prototypes, shod with Michelin tyres. All three drivers are professionals. Their minimum weight is 1,030 kg and maximum power is 500 kW (680 hp). The Balance of Performance system guarantees a level playing field. They complete a lap of the 13.626-km Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans in 3.5 minutes.

<h2>Aston Martin THOR Team</h2>

#007:&nbsp;Harry Tincknell / Tom Gamble / Ross Gunn&nbsp; 
#009:&nbsp;Alex Riberas / Marco S&oslash;rensen / Roman De Angelis&nbsp;

Aston Martin is embarking on its second Hypercar season with the Valkyrie, initially designed as a road car. Returning to the highest level of endurance racing after a 14-year hiatus, the British make used the first year back as a learning exercise. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans the British Hypercars finished in 12th and 14th place. Driven by a V12 engine and spurred on by Aston Martin&rsquo;s loyal fans, the Valkyrie has laid the foundations of an ambitious campaign. At the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Aston Martin THOR Team recorded its best FIA WEC result so far with a fourth place for the #007. 
Aston Martin THOR Team currently stands in fourth spot in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>Alpine Endurance Racing</h2>

#35: Ant&oacute;nio F&eacute;lix da Costa / Charles Milesi / Ferdinand Habsburg 
#36: Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Makowiecki / Jules Gounon / Victor Martins

Thanks to its first win, the 6 Hours of Fuji (the 100th FIA WEC race), and constant progress throughout the year, Alpine Endurance Team ended 2025 on a promising note. With a logo shaped like an arrow, Alpine is aiming to hit the bull&rsquo;s eye more often in 2026. The arrival of Ant&oacute;nio F&eacute;lix da Costa and Victor Martins buoys confidence, as do the A424&rsquo;s latest developments. Despite a frustrating TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, French manufacturer left Belgium with boosted confidence for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 
Alpine Endurance Racing is currently standing fifth in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>BMW M Team WRT</h2>

#15:&nbsp;Kevin Magnussen / Raffaele&nbsp;Marciello&nbsp;/ Dries Vanthoor&nbsp; 
#20:&nbsp;Robin&nbsp;Frijns&nbsp;/&nbsp;Ren&eacute; Rast /&nbsp;Sheldon Van Der Linde

Despite no wins, the BMW M Hybrid V8 made steady progress last season. After some promising podium places, and a frustrating Le Mans, the Bavarian team was counting on its new aerodynamics package to clinch that elusive first place. It worked. The TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps saw a one-two sweep for the BMW M Hybrid V8s, the #20 in first place, followed by the #15. Can BMW M Team WRT do the same at Le Mans? The German manufacturer has its sights on a second 24 Hours of Le Mans win. The first was in 1999. 
BMW M Team WRT is currently in first place in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA</h2>

#12: Louis Del&eacute;traz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato 
#38: S&eacute;bastien Bourdais / Earl Bamber / Jack Aitken

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA&rsquo;s 2025 FIA WEC season reaped Hyperpole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and victory at the Rolex 6 Hours of S&atilde;o Paulo. This year the Cadillac V-Series.R is back primed for performance, and hungry for success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.&nbsp;The car has a new aero set-up thanks to a reshaped rear wing profile and the removal of the front winglets. These updates are intended to boost the peak speed of the American Hypercar. 
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA is currently standing seventh in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>Cadillac WTR</h2>

#101: Ricky Taylor / Jordan Taylor / Filipe Albuquerque

Wayne Taylor Racing&rsquo;s 24 Hours of Le Mans d&eacute;but last year ended in disappointment. The American team was forced to retire. This year, they no doubt come to Le Mans with a desire for revenge and to shine alongside the other Cadillac V-Series fielded by Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. Cadillac equals Ferrari in the number of cars fielded in the Hypercar class. 
The team is an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (North America) competitor.

<h2>Ferrari-AF Corse</h2>

#50: Antonio Fuoco / Nicklas Nielsen / Miguel Molina 
#51: Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi

In 2025, Ferrari-AF Corse won the FIA World Endurance Championship and claimed a third consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans victory thanks to the AF Corse #83 499P. This year, the prancing horse is back, poised to merit another chapter in the race annals. No notable changes have been made to the Ferrari 499P and the only joker used dates back to the Rolex 6 Hours of S&atilde;o Paulo in July 2024. However, Ferrari pored over the data during the winter break, analysing the correlation between simulator and track to adjust both car and procedures.

Ferrari AF Corse lies in third place in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>AF Corse</h2>

#83: Robert Kubica / Yifei&nbsp;Ye&nbsp;/ Philip Hanson&nbsp;

Last year the 499P (FIA WEC Hypercar competitor) won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, handing Ferrari a third win in a row. With the same car, and the same driver line-up, a repeat performance cannot be excluded.

<h2>Genesis Magma Racing</h2>

#17: Andr&eacute; Lotterer / Luis Felipe Derani / Mathys Jaubert 
#19: Mathieu Jaminet / Paul-Loup Chatin / Daniel Juncadella

The Genesis entry is the big news ahead of the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans.&nbsp;The South Korean make relied on Oreca&rsquo;s expertise to build the chassis and the twin-turbo V8 engine that propels its WRC rally cars.&nbsp;It has entrusted three-time Le Mans winner Andr&eacute; Lotterer with driving duties. &nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing is aiming to reach the chequered flag with both GMR-001-Hypercars this year. The team scored its first FIA World Endurance Championship points at the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Genesis Magma Racing is currently in eighth place in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>Peugeot TotalEnergies</h2>

#93: Paul Di Resta / Stoffel Vandoorne / Nick Cassidy 
#94: Lo&iuml;c Duval / Malthe Jakobsen / Th&eacute;o Pourchaire

Last season was a mixed bag for Peugeot, full of encouraging signs, but disappointing results and many lessons learned. The 9X8 has come on, the team has restructured and the goal is more clearly defined: to make the Lion emblem the king of the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 
Peugeot TotalEnergies stands in sixth position in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship.

<h2>Toyota Racing</h2>

#7: Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries 
#8: S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa

Determined as ever, Toyota Racing is fielding the TR010 Hybrid this year. The car is an upgrade of the GR010 Hybrid intoduced in 2021 and reworked in 2022. The Japanese Hypercar won the 6 Hours of Imola, round 1 of the season.&nbsp;A first step on the way to triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the WEC.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Toyota Gazoo Racing currently stands in second place in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship

Check out the <a href="https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/courses/2026/24-heures-du-mans/uf52uwz03c9qp54byxkb.pdf" target="_blank">entry list</a> for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

24 Hours of Le Mans – The 2026 Hypercar class preview

24 Heures du Mans 1975

Auctioneer Herv&eacute; Poulain decided to participate in the 24 Hours and bring together two of his great&nbsp;passions, art and motorsports. He had the idea to ask an artist, named Alexandre Calder, to decorate the #93&nbsp;BMW 3.0 CSL (which was forced to retire unfortunately...and so the tradition of&nbsp;BMW &quot;Art Cars&quot; was born.

Five&nbsp;BMW &quot;Art Cars&quot;&nbsp;(decorated by&nbsp;Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and&nbsp;Jeff Koons, all represented at the Guggenheim) have taken the start at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans to date. BMW will make its big official return in GT in 2018.&nbsp;

Photo of the Day - The first BMW "Art Car" at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans

Related News

Genesis Magma Racing's plan to take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Day 1 of 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans scrutineering live!

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans Scrutineering – Friday 05/06 Programme

24 Hours of Le Mans – The 2026 Hypercar class preview

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