Hyundai to enter endurance racing top class with Genesis brand

Hyundai will join the top level of prototype endurance racing with its premium Genesis brand. While no timeline has been announced just yet, Hyundai has confirmed it will build its racer as per the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) rules.

• Genesis likely to make endurance racing debut in 2026
• WEC entry subject to final approval

Hyundai Genesis joining WEC?

A joint statement issued by Hyundai and Genesis said, “Genesis is proud to announce its ambitious entry into the world of endurance racing through the LMDh programme. Genesis is actively exploring programmes to strengthen its high-performance image, and after a thorough evaluation of various options, LMDh emerged as the most strategic choice for us at this time.”

“We have carefully analysed LMDh and found it to be a natural fit for our motorsport ambitions and a valuable platform to drive the development of future mobility technologies for road cars.”

The LMDh category gives teams the chance to compete in the highest class of both the USA-based IMSA championship and the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The cars are loosely based on LMP2 machinery and the whole backbone of the car (minus the internal combustion engine and hybrid system) is supplied by one of four chassis manufacturers – Ligier, Dallara, Oreca or Multimatic.

Genesis will join manufacturers like BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini and Alpine in the LMDh category. However, it remains to be seen if the brand will compete in WEC and IMSA concurrently. The WEC has stated that Genesis’ entry in the championship remains subject to the WEC Selection Committee’s approval.

Hyundai’s racing history

Hyundai Motorsport has tasted plenty of success in the World Rally championship (WRC) and in touring car racing (TCR). The brand won the WRC manufacturers’ titles in 2019 and 2020, and has secured four world-level titles in TCR sanctioned competitions

The brand has raced in lower classes of endurance racing, but this will be its first foray in the top-tier. No timeline has been confirmed, but reports suggest Hyundai is targeting a 2026 entry.

Also see:

Could India produce the next gen of motorsport engineers?