On November 6, 1813, by way of the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America, which would not be ratified until 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain. On September 29, 1968, Pedro Rodriguez became the first, and only to-date, Mexican driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Lucien Bianchi in the John Wyer team's Ford GT40.

24H Le Mans

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24 Heures du Mans

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Genesis Magma Racing is continuing work on the development of the GMR-001. The team has begun optimising the performance levels of its Hypercar in all conditions – including a wet track.

Last week,&nbsp;Genesis Magma Racing&nbsp;conducted three days of testing at Magny-Cours. The track being mostly wet, it offered the team a golden opportunity to glean precious data on the balance and behaviour of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-takes-the-wraps-of-its-gmr-001-hypercar-59196" target="_blank">GMR-001</a> in such conditions. With the systems calibrated and an initial endurance test already under its belt, Genesis was able to focus on optimising the performance levels&nbsp;of the Korean hypercar.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re continuing to develop the GMR-001, but we are starting to think about performance,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini.&nbsp;&ldquo;We need to build a sort of toolbox for the set-up in all conditions, making sure the drivers are able to adjust the car to always be able to push in any conditions.&rdquo;

The four drivers already signed up to Genesis Magma Racing for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (Pipo Derani, Andr&eacute; Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella) were present for the tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;I think we have made big progress on the systems side,&rdquo;&nbsp;Derani said.&nbsp;&ldquo;As we get to the part of the development where things have been stabilised, we can switch focus to getting the maximum from the package we have in the GMR-001 Hypercar and begin to look at performance a bit more.&rdquo;

<h2>Rain right on cue</h2>

Genesis Magma Racing had hoped to gather data on the GMR-001&rsquo;s wet-track performance and Mother Nature duly obliged on the second day.&nbsp;&ldquo;Wet weather testing is always important with any new car,&rdquo; Tarquini explained. &ldquo;We know we will face wet conditions in some races. As it could easily be the biggest race of the year, so the team and drivers need to know how the car reacts in difficult conditions.&rdquo;

Jaubert&nbsp;added:&nbsp;&ldquo;The car was really nice in the wet conditions. We did some running in damp conditions, but also when it was really wet during the night. Overall, we made a lot of systems improvements in the traction control. It&rsquo;s difficult to compare because we are the only ones on track, but the car balance feels great.&rdquo;

The relatively cool air and track temperatures also offered an excellent opportunity to build experience with&nbsp;Michelin tyres in very different weather conditions to those encountered during previous tests. Tyre warming is especially important in the Hypercar class and Genesis made the most of the sessions to put it into practice.&nbsp;&ldquo;We still want to do a lot more kilometres, but this was a very positive three days,&rdquo; Tarquini concluded. &ldquo;Everybody is happy about the car&rsquo;s behaviour in the wet, and the drivers were able to give good feedback. We had some small problems which we were fast to solve, and we know the direction to go for the next tests which will be very important.&rdquo;

With the homologation process on the GMR-001 fast approaching, Genesis reckons there is still plenty of work to do. Reliability and performance will be the targets for the final tests which will also serve as a dress rehearsal for the team&#39;s race weekend procedures in preparation for its FIA WEC d&eacute;but&nbsp;at the Qatar 1812Km (28 March 2026). By the time the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans comes around (10-14 June 2026), Genesis will hope to be in shape to take on&nbsp;Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot&nbsp;and&nbsp;Toyota.

Genesis hones the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar in all weathers

The Bahrain International Circuit will host the last round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season on 6-8 November. The Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain will decide the drivers' and constructors' titles in the Hypercar and LMGT3 categories!

The 2025 FIA WEC season is coming to a close, with top trophies yet to be decided. Ferrari-AF Corse has the momentum heading into the&nbsp;Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain in both the drivers&#39; and constructors&#39; championship standings. The Italian outfit is seeking a first world title with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-ferrari-499p-hypercar-under-the-microscope-making-of-a-le-mans-icon-59719" target="_blank">499P</a>&nbsp;and is carrying a&nbsp;39-point lead in the constructors&#39; race, with 66 still on the table.

In the drivers&#39; classification, the #51&nbsp;Ferrari leads the charge with&nbsp;13 points on the #83&nbsp;Ferrari fielded by&nbsp;AF Corse.&nbsp;A championship one-two&nbsp;is within reach, but Porsche hasn&#39;t thrown in the towel by any means.

<h2>Porsche Penske MoTorsport LOOKING FOR AN UPSET</h2>

After a challenging&nbsp;early season, Porsche Penske Motorsport finally found its footing later in the year. The winner at&nbsp;Lone Star Le Mans and second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #6&nbsp;Porsche 963 shared by K&eacute;vin Estre and&nbsp;Laurens Vanthoor performed&nbsp;well again at Fuji, propelling the German&nbsp;marque into the fight for the title. The&nbsp;duo will be joined at Bahrain by&nbsp;Matt Campbell for the first time since their win in Texas.

A new recruit will take the wheel of the #5&nbsp;Porsche: Laurin Heinrich. The&nbsp;young&nbsp;German hopeful and former&nbsp;Junior Porsche driver will make his debut in the&nbsp;FIA WEC alongside&nbsp;Julien Andlauer and&nbsp;Mathieu Jaminet.

Porsche Motorsport Vice-President Thomas Laudenbach: It&rsquo;d be fantastic to wrap up our era in the FIA WEC with more title wins. We&rsquo;re tackling the big finale in Bahrain as the underdogs, but we&rsquo;ll do everything we can to maximise our chances.

The&nbsp;Peugeot TotalEnergies camp will welcome&nbsp;Th&eacute;o Pourchaire in&nbsp;the #4&nbsp;9X8. The 2023 FIA F2 champion will replace&nbsp;Stoffel Vandoorne for the season&nbsp;finale ahead of a full-time commitment with&nbsp;the French team in 2026. The young driver already hit the track in&nbsp;the 9X8 for the 2024&nbsp;Rookie Test at&nbsp;Bahrain. Th&eacute;o Pourchaire:&nbsp;I am thirlled to take the start in my first race in the FIA World Endurance&nbsp;Championship with&nbsp;Peugeot. I feel ready. I&#39;ve spent a lot of time in the simulator throughout the year, and I&#39;ve also assisted in&nbsp;several races, like&nbsp;S&atilde;o Paulo and Austin, as a test driver, which allowed me to collaborate with the other drivers and the engineers.

<h2>LMGT3: SUSPENSE-FILLED&nbsp;QUEST FOR THE TITLE</h2>

The race is tight in the&nbsp;LMGT3 category as well. Defending champion&nbsp;Manthey 1st Phorm will need&nbsp;to overcome pressure applied by VISTA AF Corse and&nbsp;TF Sport. The three teams are within 24 points of each other in the championship standidngs. This upcoming&nbsp;eight-hour day and night final promises to be a nail-biter&nbsp;at&nbsp;the 5.412-km circuit in the Sakhir desert.

2025 Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2025-fia-wec-bapco-energies-8-hours-of-bahrain-provisional-entry-list-v1-68f9f62c6c8c2926005932.pdf" target="_blank">entry list</a>.

Watch the&nbsp;<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">FIA WEC live</a>&nbsp;or on demand at&nbsp;the official FIA WEC TV app,&nbsp;your all-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship. Don&#39;t miss a second&nbsp;of the action! For more info, go to the app.

FIA WEC - Titles still up for grabs at this weekend's Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

The FIA World Endurance Championship teams will stay on after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain to give a host of promising young drivers a chance to showcase their talent. Check out who will be on track for the 2025 Rookie Test.

The FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit this coming Sunday 9 November. These trials will be staged the day after the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the 2025 FIA WEC season. Drivers of the calibre of Norman Nato, C&eacute;lia Martin, Mathieu Jaminet, Julien Andlauer, Ben Barnicoat and Th&eacute;o Pourchaire have all used this springboard to launch their endurance career. Twenty-six cars will be on the track this year.

Check out the <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2025-fia-wec-bahrain-rookie-test-provisional-entry-list-v1-2-690a158018d54571958670.pdf">full entry list</a>&nbsp;for the 2025 FIA WEC Rookie Test.

The FIA WEC selected British pair Ollie Gray and Tom Fleming to take the wheel of the title-winning Hypercar and LMGT3. Dorian Boccolacci, the former Porsche Carrera Cup France champion, will be in the driving seat of the Proton Competition #99 Porsche 963. Peugeot TotalEnergies will hand the #93 and #94 Peugeot 9X8 to Nick Cassidy, Alexander Quinn, Malthe Jakobsen and Mathias Beche. Meanwhile, Lilou Wadoux and Alessio Rovera will have the opportunity to test Ferrari-AF Corse&rsquo;s #50 Ferrari 499P and the #83 car of AF Corse.

Cadillac has opted to go with two of its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship&nbsp;regulars: Jack Aitken and Ricky Taylor. They will be backed by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. &ldquo;This is going to be another good opportunity for cross-pollination across the Cadillac Racing programmes, and I&rsquo;m keen to work with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA after seeing them in action at Le Mans earlier this year,&rdquo; said Aitken, who has driven a V-Series.R in the 24 Hours of Le Mans the last three years. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some interaction already, but it will be good to try their car first-hand and see how things are done in FIA WEC as well. It will be an exciting weekend for me and a nice end to the season.&rdquo;

The FIA WEC Rookie Test offers the teams and drivers a five-hour track session that begins at 10:00 local time. The teams involved in the session can add new drivers to their roster up to the start of the test.

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship</a>, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app. Don&rsquo;t miss a thing! Check out the app for further information.

FIA WEC – Who will line up for the Rookie Test?

A movie-style poster and an expectant audience

Every year, the new&nbsp;24 Hours of Le Mans&nbsp;poster marks the beginning of another chapter in the history of the great endurance race. The&nbsp;2026 artwork&nbsp;plays on the heroic aspect of the sporting endeavour, embodied by the figure of the driver. 
 
Inspired by the design of a cult movie visual, the poster depicts the tension, the beauty and the intensity of the one-of-a-kind race.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://assets.lemans.org/explorer/pdf/courses/2026/24-heures-du-mans/poster/poster-24h-lemans-2026.pdf" target="_blank">Download the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans poster</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

<h2>A classic film poster</h2>

Drawing on the aesthetics of classic film promotional materials,&nbsp;the 2026 poster portrays the driver in the lead role&nbsp;&ndash; alone, in a moment of stillness before the commotion. The stance spells mastery, concentration and solitude &ndash; the solitude of being alone at the wheel. 
 
In a visual representation of the phases of the round-the-clock race, this year&rsquo;s 24 Hours of Le Mans poster comes in three versions:&nbsp;day, sunset and night. Contrasting light, expert composition and shifting atmospheres translate the tension, the beauty and the emotion that make the 24 Hours of Le Mans such an exceptional event.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l&#39;Ouest :&nbsp;&ldquo;The 24 Hours of Le Mans poster is part of our shared heritage. 
Every year, it portrays an aspect of the race, encapsulating the magnitude of passion, prowess and pride. This year&rsquo;s movie-style poster recalls our storied past while celebrating the modernity of our discipline.&quot;

<h2>Ticket Office: presale and general sale</h2>

Ticketing opens tomorrow for members

<ul>
	<li>Club ACO Members&nbsp;jump the queue with an exclusive presale opportunity (online, at the circuit or in ACO outlets in Paris, Tours and Rouen) from&nbsp;Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 November.</li>
	<li>Tickets go on sale to the&nbsp;general public from Friday 7 November, at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/tickets-2026" target="_blank">ticket.24h-lemans.com</a>&nbsp;and the usual sales outlets.</li>
</ul>

Last year, week passes sold out within a day. The event is as popular as ever! And booking is even easier, with Apple Pay and Google Pay now accepted means of payment.&nbsp;Club ACO Members enjoy a 5% discount on VIP packages, limited to two packs per member and subject to availability.

<h2>New for 2026</h2>

<ul>
	<li>New grandstands&nbsp;at La Chapelle, Maison Blanche and Karting, and all seating areas renamed and numbered for clarity.</li>
	<li>Same ticket, more time at the circuit!&nbsp;Admission on Tuesday 9 June is included in all practice and qualifying session tickets.</li>
	<li>Green Ticket:&nbsp;organisers and spectators team up to encourage soft transport. The ACO has undertaken to reinvest 5% of the proceeds from Green Ticket sales in the 24 Hours of Le Mans low-carbon strategy,&nbsp;Race to 2030.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Competition is already hotting up</h2>

Genesis&nbsp;joins the top class next year, measuring up against&nbsp;Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, BMW, Alpine, Cadillac and Aston Martin. 
With so many top players in the same league, the&nbsp;94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the&nbsp;FIA World Endurance Championship, promises to be an edge-of-the-seat event.

Introducing the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans 1968

The two winners would meet a tragic end, as did&nbsp;Ricardo, the young brother of&nbsp;Pedro, who passed away during the free practice at the Grand Prix of&nbsp;Mexico in 1962. Pedro Rodiguez (seated&nbsp;on the car) died during a race in Norisring, Germany, and&nbsp;Lucien Bianchi was killed during the preliminary free practice at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans in 1969. The first was 31, the second 34&hellip;

24H LE MANS

Today in History - Mexican driver Pedro Rodriguez wins Le Mans in 1968

Related News

Genesis hones the potential of the GMR-001 Hypercar in all weathers

FIA WEC - Titles still up for grabs at this weekend's Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain

FIA WEC – Who will line up for the Rookie Test?

Introducing the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans

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