From Le Mans to the Lone Star State, Genesis’ New Racing Team Is In It for the Long Haul

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Genesis Magma Racing has a team, a car — a very decent one given its recency — and now it wants to build a fandom.

“You only win because there is a group,” three-time Le Mans champion and former Formula One driver Jacky Ickx told attendees gathered in the sleek paddock lounge above the Genesis Magma Racing garages on a recent afternoon in Austin. To the right of the cluster of couches and armchairs, large screens displayed a map of the Circuit of the Americas and the activities on the famed racetrack, orange and black flickering through the visuals. “I am not nostalgic about my past, but I am nostalgic about the people,” Ickx reminisces. “I didn’t pay enough attention to those who were making these wins possible.”

The luxury arm of Hyundai Motor Group launched its foray into motorsports last year, at a sprint speed of just 500 days between announcement and their first appearance at the Six Hours of Imola in April. Just months into their first season, the most recent addition to the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class is already making a statement. In June, the team achieved a monumental feat for endurance racing — having a car finish the grueling 24 hours of Le Mans. A few months later, they made their American debut in Austin at the Lone Star Le Mans 2026 .

A car and a competent team of drivers are just a handful of pieces to the puzzle. Engineers, data analysts, coaches, physical therapists, mechanics, and a whole host of business side wizards all pull in tandem to manufacture and maintain the machine. At COTA, GMR once again out-drove their age, putting both cars through Hyperpole and placing 8th and 10th on the starting grid. While race day was marred with pit lane issues and an unfortunate incident early in the race, car #17 — piloted by two time World Endurance champion André Lotterer, IMSA title winner Pipo Derani, and European Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year Mathys Jaubert — pulled off its best ever finish in seventh place.

“I have the fortune to be with a group of people from Genesis, a young brand, 10 years old,” Ickx — now an ambassador and consultant for the young team — added. “United by the passion for Korea to enter for the very first time into motor racing. We have everything to learn, we have to make our experiences.”

Those experiences extend to the fans, and what better location than the modern racing playground at the Circuit of the Americas. Guests of Genesis Magma Racing were treated to a weekend packed with up close, in depth encounters with team members, drivers, and their machinery.