• Genesis Magma Racing makes first race start in the U.S., contesting Lone Star Le Mans in the team’s debut season in the FIA World Endurance Championship
• Team aims to combine the strong pace and reliability shown at recent rounds with more robust operational performance to avoid errors during the 6-hour race
• Two days of testing at the Circuit of the Americas last month finalized the team’s preparations, providing important data and experience to engineers and drivers
• Competing at the Texas circuit takes Genesis Magma Racing back to the country where the full-scale model of the GMR-001 Hypercar was displayed for the first time in April 2025

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Genesis Magma Racing will make its racing debut in North America for the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) — Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The event comes after the series’ summer break, which gave the team the opportunity to reflect on the progress made during the first half of the season and lessons learned from the 6 Hours of São Paulo.

Gaining Experience on Top of History in North America

At Lone Star Le Mans, which follows the familiar 6-hour format of the WEC, Genesis Magma Racing will be aiming to once again show the strong performance of the GMR-001 Hypercar, proven by the team’s Hyperpole appearances at both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the latest round in Brazil.

However, the team also hopes to optimize its operations to take advantage of the reliability of the car after bringing both GMR-001 Hypercars to the finish without issues for the first time in Interlagos. To do so, both team and drivers will need to avoid the type of small errors that limited the team’s results in Brazil, as they seek to add to the lone points-scoring finish this season (eighth for the #17 Hypercar of Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May).

A test at COTA in late July was crucial in helping the team and drivers prepare for the event. The two days of running helped the team build a baseline setup for the car and an understanding of the track conditions, mindful of the challenges presented by the high ambient and track temperatures. This knowledge will be crucial to the team, making up for their relative lack of experience at the venue — which has hosted an FIA WEC round on eight previous occasions — compared to their rivals in the Hypercar class.

The test was even more important as many of the team have limited experience at the circuit. Lotterer is a past Lone Star Le Mans winner in the LMP1 era of WEC competition and finished sixth in the 2024 edition, while Paul-Loup Chatin and Mathieu Jaminet have Hypercar experience at the circuit from the most recent WEC visits there. On the other hand, for Derani, Jaubert and Dani Juncadella, the test gave them their first Hypercar laps of the circuit. The test was Jaubert’s first-ever visit to the track. Derani, though he has not raced at the circuit since 2016, has enjoyed plenty of success in the U.S. as a two-time IMSA SportsCar champion, while for Jaminet, a return to the circuit where he had previous success, and to the U.S. as the 2025 IMSA champion, is cause for a special one-off helmet design.

The GMR-001 Hypercar’s history in the U.S. goes back even further. In April 2025, the New York International Auto Show hosted the first showing of the full-scale model of the design, sporting a red and orange livery that would eventually be realized as the race livery for the car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year.

The U.S. is a key market for Genesis, especially for the brand’s SUV and EV models. This position as one of the leading markets was underlined in recent weeks, when the brand hosted the global launch of the new GV90 model in San Francisco.

Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes

Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal said: “Through the first part of the FIA WEC season we have shown great progress as a team and have achieved many of the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the year. We are still a very new team compared to those we are racing against, but we have shown we are capable of competing with them, which is a great step forward to make in just four races. However, while we have shown great reliability and strong performance, we need to be able to put them together into the complete package more consistently. Our performance at the 6 Hours of São Paulo showed the importance of performing in not just one area, but as a whole team. The WEC is incredibly competitive — maybe more this year than ever — any mistake is very costly, so we need to make eliminating these mistakes the next step in our progress this year.”

Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director said: “From a driver’s perspective, COTA is a very challenging circuit. It is very bumpy in some areas and has a bit of everything, with high-speed corners, heavy braking zones and technical sections where you need a good balance between the car and the driver. It was important that we were able to test there. It gave us the opportunity to understand the circuit and car better before the race weekend, so we can arrive better prepared with a clearer direction. The key thing for us is to continue the progress we have made. In Brazil, we had small mistakes that cost us time and positions. These are the kind of things we need to avoid, especially when the competition is so close. We had some discussions with the drivers to analyze what happened, what we could have done differently and how we can improve. It is important that we learn from these situations and not repeat the same mistakes.”

Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer said: “We were able to get some good data from the test in very high ambient and track temperatures, which gave us a preview of how the car behaves and responds in the extreme conditions we might face during the race weekend. COTA demands a lot of different things simultaneously, but undoubtedly it is a circuit with high sensitivity to grip. To go fast we need to keep the rubber underneath us, so if it is hot we will need to actively manage the temps to be sure they last a complete stint or even a double. Choosing how to manage qualifying and finding the best way to minimize tire wear in the race will be key. We’ve also used the summer break to work on some weaknesses we’ve identified through the first half of the season, so we can continue to move forward.”

Driver Quotes – #17 GMR-001 Hypercar

Pipo Derani said: “Racing in the United States always feels like coming home. I have incredible memories and milestones from my seasons competing in IMSA, and the American fans bring an authentic energy and passion to the paddock that is unmatched. Returning to compete on U.S. soil on a world championship stage is special, and I want nothing more than to put on a great show for the crowd there. COTA is notoriously demanding on tire degradation and ride compliance over the bumps, but beyond the driving, COTA holds a very special place for me personally. One of my best memories here was back in 2015 during my debut WEC season, having my father by my side at this race. Coming back here always brings those moments to mind. Behind the wheel, it’s a track that demands complete commitment — attacking the uphill climb into Turn 1 and flowing through the Esses on fresh tires is still one of the most rewarding feelings.”

Mathys Jaubert said: “COTA is very demanding, quite different from the tracks we have driven before, and the extreme heat was also an important factor. The circuit is not easy to understand at first. There are a lot of bumps, which make the car quite difficult to drive. That’s why the test was very important for me, to get more comfortable with the track and understand how to approach it. I really like Sector 1, with the sequence of fast corners. It’s very challenging because you need to commit a lot, and it’s probably my favorite part of the circuit. We mainly focused on working on the setup and continuing to develop the different systems on the car. Every day in the car is important, and we were able to work on many different areas, not only the performance of the car, but also our pit stops, our efficiency during operations and our overall organization as a team.”

André Lotterer said: “The test at COTA was really valuable for us. Having the opportunity to run there before the race weekend allowed us to understand the track better with the GMR-001 and work through a number of different setup directions. COTA is quite a demanding circuit, with a great mix of high-speed sections, technical corners and some big braking zones, so there is a lot to get right. After São Paulo, we know there are still areas where we need to improve, and the test gave us some useful information that we can hopefully turn into performance when we come back. The summer break has also given everyone a chance to reset, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we can respond in Austin. It’s a challenging track where you need confidence in the car, especially through the fast first sector. I really like that section when the car is working well; it has a great flow. Hopefully, we can put everything we’ve learned together and have a strong weekend.”

Driver Quotes – #19 GMR-001 Hypercar

Paul-Loup Chatin said: “COTA is a really nice track. The first sector is probably the biggest challenge because of the combination of fast corners and changes of direction. The lap there has a bit of everything: high-speed corners, heavy braking zones and technical sections. It is a track where you really need to be precise, but at the same time you have to attack. The summer break gave everyone the opportunity to reset, analyze the first part of the season and come back with fresh energy. Interlagos was not the result we wanted, but it also highlighted areas where we can improve. The important thing is that we keep pushing together, stay focused on the details and use every opportunity to make the car and the team stronger. We had the opportunity to test some different setup directions last month. We improved our understanding of the car and tires, and validated some of the developments we have been working on. It was an important test to make sure we arrive at the race weekend with a clear direction.”

Mathieu Jaminet said: “I’m super happy to get back to COTA. In the past, it’s been a track that I found suits me really well. It’s a track where I’ve been really successful in GTs — some really good performances and a lot of poles, wins and podiums, so it’s definitely a track I enjoy. Going back to America obviously brings me good memories from my seasons in the IMSA series. I really enjoyed being back at the track at the test and I know I’ll enjoy the race weekend. It’s definitely one of my highlights. I’m actually bringing a special helmet for the event as I really love the US and love Austin. One of the key things we learned from the test was about the tires – obviously with a new spec this year. We had the opportunity to test with the hard compound, which we haven’t driven much this season. There’s a lot of data to analyze and make sure we work in the right direction going into the race.”

Dani Juncadella said: “I’ve only raced at COTA for the last two years in WEC. Last year was a bit of disaster with the changing conditions in the race, which didn’t help us in the GT3 — it was one to forget. But it’s a track I really enjoy. It’s great when you can test directly at the track where you are going to race next and be able to tweak a couple of things, and the team is always coming up with updates for the systems and things to try with the setup for the GMR-001 Hypercar. I think we learned a lot in terms of tire pressures, and how to manage the tires in the heat with a couple of different compounds. The ambient temperature for the race should be similar to what we had for the test, so having this knowledge always helps to see what works and what doesn’t, and I got to know the track behind the wheel of a Hypercar for the first time.”

Genesis Motor North America

Genesis is a new global automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of design, safety, refined performance, and innovation while looking towards a more sustainable future. Drawing from its cultural heritage and distinctly Korean hospitality, Genesis crafts experiences focused on customers as “son-nim”, or honored guests.

Genesis Motor North America offers a growing range of award-winning SUV, sedan, and electric models through its network of more than 190 independent U.S. retailers, in addition to its more than 30 Canadian agency distributors. Genesis now counts more than 100 standalone retail facilities across the North American region, with dozens more in development. Consumers can discover the brand through its many retail points, at Genesis House, the brand’s flagship space in New York City, or online at www.genesis.com.

Please visit our media site for the latest news at www.genesisnewsusa.com (United States) and www.genesisnews.ca (Canada).

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