Genesis has been busy assembling its racing team ahead of next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and this week’s announcement celebrates a milestone that the young team will remember forever. The Genesis Magma Racing’s GMR-001 Hypercar has officially roared to life for the first time at the team’s HQ at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France.
According to today’s announcement, the first fire-up as a complete race car (engine mounted to the chassis) took place on July 9, under the supervision of chassis supplier Oreca, which is also based in Le Castellet near the team’s shop. The first fire-up of the engine alone actually took place back in February. This footage posted to YouTube shows the tension leading up to the car’s first firing, which, at least on video, went without a hitch.
The GMR-001 will compete in the WEC Hypercar class for the entire 2026 season, which, of course, features the most famous endurance race of all, Le Mans. It’s powered by a 3.2-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine, though the brand has not revealed more detailed specs. However, Genesis has not been shy about the shared technology between this engine and the 1.6-litre inline-four found in the i20 N rally car.
The first rolling tests for the prototype are expected to take place next month, and sometime after that, hopefully, Genesis will tell us who will round up its driver lineup. The only two pilots confirmed so far are endurance racing veteran Pipo Derani and three-time Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer.
Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com
As deputy editor, Jerry draws on a decade of industry experience and a lifelong passion for motorsports to guide The Drive’s short- and long-term coverage.
