Genesis Magma Racing begins performance testing of new GMR-001 LMDh
Genesis Magma Racing shifted focus to performance running with its GMR-001 LMDh prototype for the first time during a recent three-day test at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
The session was handled by the Korean manufacturer’s four confirmed drivers — Pipo Derani, André Lotterer, Mathys Jaubert, and Daniel Juncadella.
Magny-Cours has effectively become a second home for Hypercar’s newest entrant in recent weeks. The team has made several visits to the French venue since completing its maiden endurance run at Portugal’s Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in September.
“From our previous tests, I think we have made big progress on the system side,” said Derani. “As we get to the part of the development where things have been stabilised, we can switch focus to getting the maximum from the package we have in the GMR-001 Hypercar and begin to look at performance a bit more.”
Juncadella told RACER in Bahrain last weekend that he felt the car had taken a big step forward since his first test in the car in Portugal.
“There are a few things in terms of systems and complications, like hybrid management, to work on," he said. "I’m still new to it; for me, it feels great, but when I speak to our other drivers with Hypercar experience, they’re taking a more cautious approach.
“Every time I jump in the car, though, I’m enjoying it massively. The base is incredibly good, the ORECA chassis is a powerful tool.
“It was great for me, but also for the team, as it’s the first time we’ve had a range of conditions at the same circuit to experiment with the mechanical setup. We were always moving in the right direction.”
The team had initially planned to artificially wet the circuit on the final day to collect data in wet conditions. However, heavy rain on the second day rendered that unnecessary.
The team had initially planned to artificially wet the circuit on the final day to collect data in wet conditions. However, heavy rain on the second day rendered that unnecessary.
“It was perfect timing,” said sporting director Gabriele Tarquini. “We were scheduled to test in the wet on the third day, but the second day was completely wet, so we didn’t have to wet the track artificially. It actually helped us, because we got to run on a very wet surface and also as it was drying.”
“Wet-weather testing is always important with any new car,” Tarquini continued. “We know we’ll face rain at some point in race conditions, possibly even during the biggest race of the year, so the team and drivers need to understand how the car reacts in difficult circumstances.”
Jaubert agreed: “The car was really nice in the wet conditions. We did some running in damp conditions and also when it was really wet at night. Overall, we made a lot of systems improvements, especially in traction control. It’s difficult to compare because we’re the only ones on track, but the balance feels great.”
Cooler conditions at Magny-Cours, with temperatures peaking at just 17°C, provided a stark contrast to Genesis’s summer tests, giving the team a valuable chance to refine tire warm-up procedures – an area that has proven challenging for many Hypercar newcomers.
“We got a chance to play a little bit outside the box in terms of what you would need to do warming up a tire to have it ready to race,” said chief engineer Justin Taylor. “We can learn things here that we wouldn’t get the chance to do during a race weekend and start to build strategies for getting heat into the tires.”
Another first for the test was the use of a near-2026 specification Michelin Hypercar tire, made available to Genesis for evaluation. (The full 2026 spec Michelins will be in action for the first time at an IMSA event later this week at the Daytona Sanctioned Test)
“We ran a near 2026-spec tire for the first time, so we gained some experience of how the wet tires behave with our car,” Lotterer said. “We worked on our systems for the first time in the wet, which was very important. We learned about traction control and all the up- and downshifts to make sure everything works correctly in those conditions.”
Reflecting on the week, Tarquini summed up: “We still want to do a lot more kilometers, but this was a very positive three days. Everybody is happy with the car’s behaviour in the wet, and the drivers were able to give strong feedback. We had some small problems which we solved quickly, and we now know the direction to take for the next tests, which will be very important.”
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