Genesis brand to race at Le Mans — possibly as early as 2026
Genesis of a reinvention for the luxury brand?
Hyundai Motorsport has announced that it will be entering another top level of international motor sport with an impending Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) programme.
But while Hyundai Motorsport usually competes in machines under its own Hyundai N performance banner in other codes of motor sport, its LMDh contender will be a Genesis – the luxury arm of the Korean company’s group (that also includes Kia).
Le Mans hybrids ‘the most strategic choice’
In a brief announcement headed “Genesis to enter endurance racing”, which circulated on various social media platforms yesterday, Hyundai Motorsport said: “The LMDh programme will add a new pillar to Hyundai Motorsport’s portfolio.
“Since its establishment in 2012, Hyundai Motorsport has been competing in World Rally Championship (WRC) and Touring Car Racing (TCR) with [the] Hyundai N brand.
“Genesis, the premium brand of the Hyundai Motor Group, will add endurance racing to the disciplines of its motor sport activities.”
A further confirmatory statement from Hyundai Motorsport added: “Genesis is proud to announce its ambitious entry into the world of endurance racing through the LMDh programme.
“Genesis is actively exploring programmes to strengthen its high-performance image, and after a thorough evaluation of various options, LMDh emerged as the most strategic choice for us at this time.
“We have carefully analysed LMDh and found it to be a natural fit for our motorsport ambitions, and a valuable platform to drive the development of future mobility technologies for road cars.
“Endurance racing presents an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Genesis’ cutting-edge technology, design philosophy and performance-driven character in a highly competitive arena. This project is part of our broader vision for the future of mobility.”
Le Mans 2026 on Koreans’ radar
The LMDh competition vehicle would enable Hyundai Motorsport and Genesis to enter both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The former of these obviously includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at which a delegation of Hyundai representatives were in attendance for this year’s event in June.
There has been no announcement about which team would run the Genesis LMDh, what chassis it would be based on and when it will be expected to compete, but motor sport website Sportscar365 suggested the chassis will be an Oreca, with the car potentially making global grids in 2026.
Liquid-hot Magma
It also raises the intriguing possibility that Genesis’ recently announced Magma performance road-car arm will benefit from the technological developments the LMDh programme will undoubtedly generate.
And as to what the LMDh could look like, then the X Gran Racer VGT Concept — in turn based on the X Gran Berlinetta Concept — might give a hint as to its appearance.
Both the VGT and the Berlinetta were created for the legendary Gran Turismo racing simulator on the PlayStation 5.
Related articles
- If you found this article about Hyundai and Genesis entering endurance racing interesting, you might want to read what the boss of Genesis said about yoke-style steering wheels
- And don’t miss our story on Genesis’s technology that allows keyless car entry via face recognition
- Did you hear that Genesis has taken the wraps off its last petrol car?
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