Genesis makes history with debut finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans

Finishes 13th out of 18 in hypercar class debut

Covers more than 5,068 km in total

Enters race 500 days after chairman's decision

Driving data to feed high-performance production vehicle development

A milestone in Genesis's push to become a performance brand

The No. 17 GMR-001 hypercar of Genesis Magma Racing races at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Sunday. [Genesis]

Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Group, set a new milestone in Korean motorsport history by completing its debut race in the Hypercar class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — the world's most prestigious endurance race. The achievement came on a stage shared for the first time with global manufacturers that have accumulated decades of racing experience.

Genesis Magma Racing, the brand's official motorsport team, entered the Hypercar class at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Saturday and Sunday, successfully bringing the No. 19 GMR-001 hypercar across the finish line.

The No. 19 car completed 372 laps to finish 13th overall, covering more than 5,068 km over 24 hours and four minutes. Its average speed reached 220.59 kilometers per hour. The car's best lap, set on lap 297, was 3 minutes and 27.64 seconds.

The No. 19 GMR-001 hypercar of Genesis Magma Racing crosses the finish line to the cheers of spectators at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Sunday. [Genesis]

A total of 62 cars entered this year's Le Mans. Of those, 18 competed in the top-tier Hypercar class, where Genesis made its debut. Only 14 of the 18 hypercars finished; four retired, including the No. 50 Ferrari, No. 15 BMW, No. 17 Genesis and No. 38 Cadillac.

Genesis's finish drew particular attention given the high barriers to entry in the Hypercar class. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is not simply a test of outright speed — it demands vehicle performance and durability, driver stamina, pit strategy, team management and the ability to handle the unexpected. Covering more than 5,000 km without pause over 24 hours means finishing the race is itself an achievement and a mark of technical capability. That is why spectators applauded the drivers and teams who endured the grueling conditions after the race.

The No. 19 GMR-001 hypercar of Genesis Magma Racing races at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Saturday. [Reuters]

In practice, debut teams in the Hypercar class have struggled in recent years. BMW returned to the class in 2024 with two cars but both retired. French brand Alpine also entered two cars in its debut that same year, and both dropped out with engine problems. Finishing on a first attempt is no easy feat for any new team.

Genesis's race was not without difficulty. The No. 17 car showed strong competitiveness, climbing as high as fourth place at one point in the middle of the race. In Hyperpole qualifying, the No. 19 car placed sixth and the No. 17 ninth, putting both inside the top 10.

A broadcast screen from the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Sunday, showing the No. 17 GMR-001 hypercar of Genesis Magma Racing listed as retired with approximately seven hours and 30 minutes remaining. [WEC broadcast screen capture]

The No. 17 car's race ended in an accident with roughly seven hours and 30 minutes to go. The car struck a curb hard while exiting a corner, damaging the suspension and forcing a retirement. The team's disappointment was considerable — the car had maintained a steady pace from early in the race and had been competing near the front.

The No. 19 car, by contrast, overcame its own crisis to reach the finish. A system fault brought the car to a halt during the race, but the driver manually restarted the system and returned to the track. The team then guided the car home through precise pit strategy and steady race management.

Genesis's scorecard from its first Le Mans challenge

Industry observers have credited the result to a bold decision by Euisun Chung, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group. Motorsport demands significant development and logistics costs — Volkswagen shut down its motorsport division in 2020 and withdrew from related activities entirely.

Chung attended Le Mans in person for the first time this year, encouraging drivers and engineers and watching the race on-site. His presence underscored a symbolic moment: Genesis stepping beyond its identity as a luxury brand to establish itself as a high-performance brand.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and Luc Donckerwolke, the group's chief design officer and chief creative officer, tour vehicles and displays at the Genesis booth in the manufacturers' village at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Saturday. [Joint press corps]

Genesis's Le Mans campaign was backed by long-term group-level investment and strategic commitment, not a one-off marketing event. The brand entered the Le Mans Hypercar class approximately 500 days after deciding to pursue motorsport.

Luc Donckerwolke, Hyundai Motor Group's chief design officer and chief creative officer, said last year that he had proposed entering Genesis in motorsport to senior management and received a "let's do it" response within three days.

The finish carries significance beyond the result alone. A Hyundai Motorsport official said the hypercars are fitted with hundreds of sensors that accumulate 200 to 300 gigabytes of driving data per race. "We will use that data at Hyundai Motor's Namyang R&D Center and the AVP division to develop high-performance production vehicles," the official said.

Jacky Ickx, Genesis brand partner and Magma Racing advisor, drives the Genesis X Gran Convertible during the driver parade in Le Mans, France, on Friday, with GMR drivers Mathis Jäger, Luis Felipe Derani and André Lotterer in the back seat. [Genesis]

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is not a stage where a single finish establishes competitiveness. It demands year-on-year vehicle improvements, increasingly refined team operations, and continuous development of driver lineups and race strategy. Nurturing Korean drivers, competing consistently near the front of the Hypercar class, and building a track record of repeated finishes remain the challenges ahead for Genesis.

The No. 19 GMR-001 hypercar of Genesis Magma Racing comes into the pits for service and refueling at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, on Sunday. [AFP]

Cyril Abiteboul, team principal of Genesis Magma Racing, thanked the team and engineers for completing the race on the demanding stage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Although the No. 17 car did not cross the finish line, it demonstrated strong potential throughout the first half of the race," he said.

Genesis's next challenge is the WEC São Paulo 6 Hours in Brazil, scheduled for July 10-12. Building on the experience gained at Le Mans, the brand's push for high-performance status now moves into its next phase in earnest.

The overall victory went to the No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing car, which completed 381 laps — nine more than Genesis. The No. 20 BMW M Team WRT car finished second, and the No. 8 Toyota took third, putting two Toyota cars on the podium.

The win marked Toyota's return to the top of Le Mans after a four-year absence. The Japanese manufacturer had claimed five consecutive victories from 2018 to 2022 before Ferrari won three years in a row. Toyota reclaimed the trophy this year for its sixth overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Porsche holds the record for the most wins at the race, with 19.

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