Genesis' Magma Racing hypercar / Courtesy of Genesis

Genesis crossed the finish line in its first appearance at the FIA World Endurance Championship, with both of its cars completing the grueling 6 Hours of Imola race in Italy.

The automaker said its racing team, Genesis Magma Racing, entered two GMR-001 hypercars in the top-tier class at the season's opening race, held April 17 to 19 at the Imola Circuit. Both entries — No. 17 and No. 19 — finished the race, placing 15th and 17th after completing 211 and 189 laps, respectively.

The hypercar class featured 17 entries from eight manufacturers, including Ferrari, BMW, Toyota, Aston Martin and Cadillac. Toyota secured victory after completing 213 laps over six hours.

The 6 Hours of Imola is an endurance race in which three drivers take turns piloting the same car around the 4.909-kilometer circuit continuously for six hours, with the team covering the greatest distance declared the winner.

Genesis said since it was the team’s debut in the championship, it focused on stable race management and finishing both cars. Despite the circuit’s technical difficulty and competition from more experienced teams, both GMR-001 cars reached the finish line as planned.

The company has been preparing for the series since announcing its entry in December 2024, building a single-manufacturer team encompassing vehicle development, driver lineup and race operations. It said it conducted about 25,000 kilometers of track testing to improve durability, driving stability and operational performance, while optimizing the car for Imola’s demanding layout.

Cyril Abiteboul, team principal of Genesis Magma Racing, said the focus was on reliability and execution over outright performance in its debut.

“As a new entrant, our key objective was not performance but reliability and execution, and we delivered on what we planned from the prologue through the race,” Abiteboul said. “This event confirmed that the foundations of the program are very solid and showed the team’s potential.”

André Lotterer, a driver for Genesis Magma Racing, said changing weather conditions led to a minor misjudgment in tire strategy but credited teammate Pipo Derani for maintaining the car’s pace to the finish.

Source: Korea Times News