Genesis Magma Racing Makes Successful Debut at 2026 WEC Season Opener

Completion of the "6 Hours of Imola" Endurance Race

Genesis announced on April 20 that it had successfully completed its debut race in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the world’s top-level endurance racing series organized by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar #17 vehicle. Genesis

The racing team “Genesis Magma Racing” stated that it competed in the top-tier Hypercar class at the 2026 WEC season opener, the “6 Hours of Imola,” held in Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, from April 17 to 19 (local time), and finished the race.

In this event, three drivers took turns driving the same car continuously for six hours, repeatedly lapping the 4.909 km Imola circuit without rest. The team that completed the most laps by the end of the six hours was declared the winner.

This class featured 17 cars from eight manufacturers, including Ferrari, BMW, Toyota, Aston Martin, and Cadillac. Genesis Magma Racing’s two “GMR-001 Hypercars” (#17 and #19) completed 211 laps and 189 laps, finishing in 15th and 17th place, respectively. The victory went to Toyota Racing, which completed a total of 213 laps in six hours.

Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar #19 vehicle. Genesis

Genesis Magma Racing set its goal for the debut race on stable team management and finishing the race, and both vehicles crossed the finish line, achieving the team’s initial objectives.

Since announcing its WEC participation plans in December 2024, Genesis has prepared for the championship as a single-manufacturer team, overseeing every step from in-house vehicle development to the selection of elite drivers and staff.

In particular, the team focused on vehicle durability, driving stability, and race management capabilities through 25,000 km of track testing, and optimized engine performance and overall car condition to suit the Imola circuit’s characteristics, which feature numerous curves and bumpy sections.

Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 hypercar #17 vehicle. Genesis

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal of Genesis Magma Racing, said, “As a new entrant, our key priorities were reliability and execution rather than outright performance, and we faithfully implemented our plans from the prologue to the race. Through this championship, we confirmed that the program’s foundation is very solid and that the team has significant potential.”

Andre Lotterer, a Genesis Magma Racing driver, commented, “There was a slight misjudgment in tire strategy due to weather changes, but Pipo Derani managed to hold on until the end. Based on the strong foundation built in this race, we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve even better results in the future.”

Genesis Magma Racing is scheduled to participate in the season’s second race, the “6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps,” to be held in Belgium next month.

Matisse Joubert (left to right), Andre Lotterer, Pipo Derani, Matthieu Jaminet, Daniel Hunkaderia, Paul-Lou Chatan Sencho, all belonging to Genesis Magma Racing. Genesis

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.