A couple of months ago, Genesis announced it would be taking its first steps into motorsport, joining the growing list of OEMs fielding entries at the top level of endurance racing. Now, we’ve got our first look at the car it’ll take to the track.
Can we tell you much from the sole teaser image? Without being an aerodynamicist, not really. We can see an L-shaped fin on the rear and a pretty huge rear wing, but beyond that, it largely remains a mystery. Slight Group C vibes, though.
That earlier announcement came after several years of rumours that Hyundai was looking to take advantage of the new LMH and LMDh regulations, shared by the two top endurance racing series – the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Info on Genesis’ entry is still minimal at best, only confirming that it plans to enter at an unspecified date. It’s set to utilise the LMDh rules, which means its car will be based around one of four off-the-shelf chassis and a regulation hybrid system, paired with Genesis’ own engine and bodywork.
This is the ruleset used by Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Alpine as opposed to the more bespoke LMH rules favoured by Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot and, from next year, Aston Martin. Both classes are able to compete against one another in both championships.
So far, it’s only confirmed it’s planning on competing in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship – of which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the centrepiece event – but according to Daily Sports Car, industry sources reckon it’s set to launch a parallel effort in IMSA. The same rumours also suggest it’s looking at a 2026 entry to both series.
It’ll be the debut of the Genesis brand in racing, but Hyundai currently fields TCR touring cars in various global championships, competed at Pikes Peak this year, and most notably, is one of only two fully-fledged factory teams currently competing in the World Rally Championship.
It’s not clear what the announcement means for the future of Hyundai’s WRC…
It’ll be the debut of the Genesis brand in racing, but Hyundai currently fields TCR touring cars in various global championships, competed at Pikes Peak this year, and most notably, is one of only two fully-fledged factory teams currently competing in the World Rally Championship. Recently, it took Thierry Neuville to his first driver’s championship.
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