Genesis Magma Racing has taken a significant step towards its 2026 debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) after its new Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar successfully completed its first on-track shakedown. The car, which will compete in the championship’s top-tier Hypercar category from 2026, represents the centrepiece of the manufacturer’s ambitious endurance racing programme.
ORECA completed the first of three development cars in early August and delivered it to the team’s newly established race headquarters at Le Castellet in southern France.
Rapid progress for Genesis programme ahead of 2026 WEC debut
The shakedown marks another key milestone for Genesis Magma Racing, which officially launched its FIA WEC project late last year. The rapid development reflects the team’s ‘Hyperspeed’ philosophy as it prepares to join one of motorsport’s most competitive grids.
“After planning for and talking about these moments for the last eight months, to be able to see a finished car running exactly as we intended is incredibly exciting,” commented Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, Cyril Abiteboul.
“We are also beginning the process of moving into our new facility at Le Castellet, and the start of testing will bring together the different streams of work – the design and development of the chassis and engine, equipping a workshop and building the team.”
ORECA partnership central to development
Following the installation of the engine, hybrid system and gearbox – along with the successful fire-up of the prototype last month – ORECA mechanics completed the build before handing the car to Genesis Magma Racing engineers. While Genesis will lead the testing programme, ORECA will remain a long-term partner, supporting the continued development and homologation of the Hypercar.
The car ran in bare carbon fibre during the shakedown as the team checked mechanical and electrical systems before beginning a more intensive testing phase.
Experienced drivers lead Genesis testing programme ahead of 2026 WEC campaign
Genesis has entrusted experienced endurance racers André Lotterer and Pipo Derani with leading the development of the GMR-00. Both drivers have already completed simulator work to calibrate the virtual model of the car and establish a baseline set-up before the first real-world tests.
The team will now begin an extensive testing programme across several European circuits as preparations intensify for the car’s competitive debut in 2026.
“Every bit of running we do with the GMR-001 Hypercar in 2025 is extremely valuable,” explained Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director FX Demaison. “The preparation work that André and Pipo have done on the simulator and in the shakedown means we have a good starting-point for the first tests. Working with our chassis partner, ORECA throughout the testing and development phase, we can quickly take the data from each test, find solutions and validate them to be able to take full advantage of every moment.”
