As Genesis ramps up its preparations towards its FIA World Endurance Championship debut in the series’ headlining Hypercar category in 2026, Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke has offered an insight into the ‘strong cultural significance’ underpinning the move.
Genesis Magma Racing will field a pair of GMR-001 prototypes in FIA WEC’s top-tier from next season, with reigning world champion André Lotterer and two-time IMSA title-winner Luis ‘Pipo’ Derani already confirmed on the driving strength. Additionally, Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert and Dani Juncadella are currently on the brand’s ‘Trajectory’ programme with IDEC Sport in the European Le Mans Series, where they have gone undefeated in the first two rounds of the campaign.
The Hypercar project marks a maiden motorsport endeavour for Genesis, whose parent company is South Korean automotive heavyweight Hyundai – the world’s third-largest carmaker. Donckerwolke – the man behind the GMR-001’s vibrant orange-and-red livery, publicly unveiled on the eve of last month’s New York International Auto Show – says success will not be judged solely on the basis of the team’s performance and results on-track.
“I had been bothering [the Hyundai directors] about going racing for quite some time,” the Belgian revealed in an exclusive interview with FIA WEC. “In Korea, there is not really a racing culture. When I initially went there almost ten years ago, I asked, where are the races, where are the ‘Cars and Coffee’ meetings – and everyone was just looking at me with big, wide eyes. Then I realised, when I took my team to race events, it was the first time they had done that!
“I launched Genesis’ Magma road car performance range just over a year ago, with the intention of developing a sporty line-up and – ultimately – going racing. The issue I had was that Koreans are naturally very humble people and do not like to shout about themselves. I was a bit concerned that having ‘Magma’ on the GMR-001 in Korean would be too much for our chairman, so I talked to him but he actually really supported the idea.
“That was very important for me, because the use of the word Magma is extremely relevant. This is the first time Korea is participating in circuit racing at this level, and I would like to leverage that to finally create a passion for the sport in the country. It’s difficult to think of many Korean racing drivers who have competed on the international stage, so one of my key goals with this initiative is for new generations of Koreans to identify themselves with motorsport and maybe become racing drivers themselves.
“Just like the ‘Bentley Boys’ who helped to establish the legend of Bentley, my aim is that André Lotterer, ‘Pipo’ Derani, Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert, Dani Juncadella and all the others still to come – hopefully including some Korean drivers – will be Genesis brand ambassadors as well as ambassadors for Korea. This project has a very strong significance for the country that goes beyond a brand marketing initiative. It’s about creating something new in the nation’s culture.”
Watch FIA WEC live or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.
