Three months ago, Korean luxury car division Genesis first announced it would participate in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026. The news caught the world by surprise, and everyone was even more shocked to see a render and a scale model unveiled in Dubai.

The new GMR-001 hypercar will race in WEC under the Genesis Magma Racing banner, with the guidance of Hyundai Motorsport (HMSG) alongside its rallying and touring car programs. French-based manufacturer Oreca will supply the chassis to meet the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) regulations.

Besides WEC, the GMR-001 is also set to enter the North American-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship by 2027. Hence, three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner André Lotterer and four-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner Luis Derani will lead its development next year to synergize experiences from both racing series.

“As the backbone of Hyundai Motor Group’s global motorsport activities, Hyundai Motorsport will play a vital role in this latest ambitious program,” HMSG president Cyril Abiteboul expressed. “We are elevating our circuit racing expertise to a whole new level as we prepare to compete in some of the world’s most challenging series.”

While the program won’t kick off until 2026, Genesis also partnered with IDEC Sport to develop its prospective drivers in the 2025 European Le Mans Series season first. Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant, three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, and young driver Mathys Jaubert will be included in the roster.

After achieving the 2024 drivers’ championship in the World Rally Championship and the TCR World Tour, there’s no stopping Hyundai from racing on the world stage. Who knows what else is in store for the Korean marque in motorsports?