Genesis Magma Racing completes first full test for the GMR- 001 Hypercar

Genesis Magma Racing has completed its first full tests with the GMR-001 Hypercar. The car completed more than 500 laps at Circuit Paul Ricard over five days of testing in late August to start the exhaustive development schedule to prepare for the team’s debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026.

First running concentrates on confirming major systems

The focus of the tests was calibrating the GMR-001’s major mechanical and electrical systems. The drivers concentrated their feedback on the behaviour of the car when running different configurations of software controlling the power delivered by the car’s 3.2-litre twin-turbo V8.

“We had a programme that we were able to follow, so that's very promising for the whole team,” said Genesis Magma Racing Technical Director FX Demaison. “At the moment, we’re purely focused on software, especially in the powertrain. It’s a hybrid car with many features that we need to manage properly.”

Beginning the first testing phase at Circuit Paul Ricard allowed the Genesis Magma Racing engineers to work together closely with chassis builder ORECA, taking full advantage of the track’s proximity to both the team’s race base and the workshop where the GMR-001 Hypercar was built. While the car’s systems remained the primary goal throughout the test, the team could also start to work on the handling balance of the car, assessing its behaviour after each adjustment.

“We're getting to the point already where we are talking about the performance of the car, which I didn't honestly expect to be,” admitted Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “The drivers are giving us the feedback we need on all the systems and on the side, they're already looking at how to make the GMR-001 Hypercar fast.”

Drivers take positive first impressions from test running

The days were the first opportunity for the team and drivers André Lotterer and Pipo Derani to  assess the car on race tyres and at a circuit that was far more representative of WEC venues than the small facilities used for the initial running.

“On our first shakedowns, there were just baby steps to see that the car could move under its own power, could shift its own gears,” said Justin Taylor. “Now we've been trying to push more towards being a real race car.”

“We had some driving on the smaller tracks, but you can't really push there,” said Lotterer. “The GMR-001 Hypercar is obviously well born – the feedback is very natural, instinctive and it's fun to drive, but we are still working on everything.”

“It’s always an unknown when you jump into a new car,” added Derani. “You have high expectations, but with the GMR-001 we have a good base to start working from.”

Genesis Magma Racing engineers tackle minor issues at circuit and workshop

After initial short runs, the team was able to begin completing longer runs as early as the first morning of the test. As expected at any first test, minor issues were identified by the team. “It's a new car and new engine,” explained Demaison. “It's normal to have issues, but we have a good team of engineers to solve them as quickly as possible.” He added: “This is why you go testing. We're here to see as many problems as possible and to be able to fix them as quickly as possible.”

The break between test days gave the team’s engineers time to work with their ORECA counterparts on solutions away from track, before confirming them on their return to the circuit. The testing and development work with the GMR-001 will continue over the coming months, with the next phases of work aiming to ensure the car’s reliability over a race distance, maximise performance, and confirm Genesis Magma Racing’s operational structure at the

circuit.