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Genesis is into motorsports with plans to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026 and the IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA) in 2027 with an Oreca-based car called GMR-001 Hypercar. “At Genesis Magma Racing, hyperspeed isn’t just a concept – it’s a reality,” said Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul in a recent interview with the Genesis newsroom.
“Building the team together and putting the different building blocks together is a challenge because nothing existed at first. It’s not just a car that we need to build. It’s a racing team. An organization. A new identity,” said Abiteboul. “Another big challenge, from a timing and engineering perspective, is the powertrain. And anyone who knows about engines will appreciate that we only had six months to develop a complete engine.
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“We elected to go with a V8, precisely because the V8 was a great opportunity not to have to redesign a complete engine from scratch and instead take inspiration from Hyundai Motor Group’s existing World Rally Championship engine, a very competitive 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four that we’ve been using for several years. We took that engine and made it two times four in line, which gives us a V8.
“Hyundai Motorsport has been involved in the World Rally Championship for the past 12 years, during which I’ve served as Team Principal since January 2023 and President since January 2024. Early last year, we started to look at different options for a new venture, as we thought it was the right time to assess what could be the next chapter for the Hyundai Motor Group in motorsports. Around summertime last year, we thought that endurance racing was an interesting next step, and ever since then, things moved very, very quickly and very suddenly.
“We’re not just trying to build the here and now, but also a legacy. Racing in this type of championship against legacy brands allows us to immediately connect the brand with the best of the best in the most iconic racing venues in the world.
“We try to be as Korean as we can in both how we look and how we perform. First and foremost, we have the logo design, which is a direct reference to Korean characters. We also reference our connection to Korean culture in the team’s identity.
“And as for how we perform, one of the things that indeed we like to insist upon is the speed at which we do things. There will be the car testing on tarmac a few months from now, and the car will be racing at the start of 2026. By all standards, we really compressed the timing of what is normally done to an extreme, because we also want to show the speed of Korean culture – or what I’d like to call, Genesis hyperspeed,” said Abiteboul.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Genesis Magma Racing in 2026 FIA WEC
Click for more.
Genesis is into motorsports with plans to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026 and the IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA) in 2027 with an Oreca-based car called GMR-001 Hypercar. “At Genesis Magma Racing, hyperspeed isn’t just a concept – it’s a reality,” said Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul in a recent interview with the Genesis newsroom.
“Building the team together and putting the different building blocks together is a challenge because nothing existed at first. It’s not just a car that we need to build. It’s a racing team. An organization. A new identity,” said Abiteboul. “Another big challenge, from a timing and engineering perspective, is the powertrain. And anyone who knows about engines will appreciate that we only had six months to develop a complete engine.
Click for more.
“We elected to go with a V8, precisely because the V8 was a great opportunity not to have to redesign a complete engine from scratch and instead take inspiration from Hyundai Motor Group’s existing World Rally Championship engine, a very competitive 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four that we’ve been using for several years. We took that engine and made it two times four in line, which gives us a V8.
“Hyundai Motorsport has been involved in the World Rally Championship for the past 12 years, during which I’ve served as Team Principal since January 2023 and President since January 2024. Early last year, we started to look at different options for a new venture, as we thought it was the right time to assess what could be the next chapter for the Hyundai Motor Group in motorsports. Around summertime last year, we thought that endurance racing was an interesting next step, and ever since then, things moved very, very quickly and very suddenly.
“We’re not just trying to build the here and now, but also a legacy. Racing in this type of championship against legacy brands allows us to immediately connect the brand with the best of the best in the most iconic racing venues in the world.
“We try to be as Korean as we can in both how we look and how we perform. First and foremost, we have the logo design, which is a direct reference to Korean characters. We also reference our connection to Korean culture in the team’s identity.
“And as for how we perform, one of the things that indeed we like to insist upon is the speed at which we do things. There will be the car testing on tarmac a few months from now, and the car will be racing at the start of 2026. By all standards, we really compressed the timing of what is normally done to an extreme, because we also want to show the speed of Korean culture – or what I’d like to call, Genesis hyperspeed,” said Abiteboul.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.