Genesis Magma Racing Scores Best-Ever WEC Finish
Genesis Magma Racing secured its strongest FIA World Endurance Championship result to date at Lone Star Le Mans, with the #17 GMR-001 Hypercar driven by Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer finishing seventh after a demanding six-hour race at Circuit of the Americas.
The team demonstrated impressive pace and reliability throughout the weekend, with both cars running trouble-free and reaching Hyperpole for the first time under the WEC’s standard qualifying format.
After qualifying eighth, Lotterer made an excellent start and climbed to fifth on the opening lap. However, contact while attempting a move for third resulted in a spin and a penalty, dropping the #17 to the back of the field. The team responded with a smart recovery strategy, managing tyres and energy while taking advantage of Safety Car periods and an efficient late-race tyre change.
Jaubert then delivered a standout final stint, battling more experienced rivals despite having fewer fresh tyres. His efforts lifted the car into eighth place on track, which became seventh following a penalty for the #12 Cadillac, surpassing the team’s previous best WEC result.
The strong performance was backed up by the #19 crew of Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella, who overcame a late pit-stop challenge to finish on the lead lap, achieving another key milestone in the team’s debut season.
"It was not the easiest final stint. I was fighting with very experienced guys and I was struggling because it was very, very warm in the cockpit. It was tricky because we know our car. We are still developing it and in terms of braking, traction, everything, so fighting with them was even harder. Some cars behind me had four new tyres, so I knew it was impossible to fight with them. But I knew that the BMW, the Peugeot, the Cadillac were on the same strategy, so I tried my best to fight with them and I think I did a good job."
"It’s more points, and our best result so far this year in seventh, so we managed to recover well from the early race mishaps and after I started super well. I had a great start and we started to move forward, but then I went for the move on the Ferrari."
The Road Ahead
Half a season in, the pattern is clear. Genesis Magma Racing set out to finish races and to learn, and it has done both while quietly gathering points and milestones that few expected so soon. Reliability remains the work in progress, and the team has been open about the gremlins still to be solved. Yet the direction of travel is unmistakable, from a cautious debut at Imola to genuine competitive pace at Interlagos. The championship resumes in September with the long-haul rounds at Austin and Fuji before the season closes in Bahrain. The break is a chance to consolidate; the ambition, plainly, is to keep climbing.
Behind the Scenes
What actually happens during a WEC Hypercar test? Genesis Magma Racing engineer Bastien takes us behind the scenes at Circuit of The Americas, guiding us through the GMR-001 test and explaining how the team uses every run to learn more about the car.
Now, as Genesis Magma Racing prepares to return to COTA for Lone Star Le Mans, Round 5 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, those lessons are more relevant than ever. Discover what the team learned in Austin and how that work is helping shape its approach to the next race.
Experience WEC moments
Feel the pace before Austin — cockpit-view highlights from previous races
A True Test of Speed, Skill, and Precision
The 5.5-kilometer track is known for its challenging layout, combining high-speed sections, technical corners, and dramatic elevation changes. One of its most iconic features is the steep uphill run to Turn 1, where drivers brake heavily while cresting a hill, creating excellent overtaking opportunities. The circuit also includes several corners inspired by famous tracks such as Silverstone, Hockenheim, and Istanbul Park.
What makes the circuit special is its variety. Drivers must master fast direction changes, long straights, and a mix of slow and high-speed turns, making it a true test of skill and car performance. The wide track allows for multiple racing lines, often producing exciting battles and overtakes.
Genesis Magma Program
WEC is where performance technology becomes measurable. Where reliability isn’t a claim - it’s a result.
WEC is where performance technology becomes measurable. Where reliability isn’t a claim - it’s a result.
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UNLOCK GENESIS UPDATESFAQ - Genesis at Lone Star Le Mans 2026
The 6 Hours of Lone Star Le Mans is the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) race held at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. It is a six-hour endurance race where teams of multiple drivers share a car and compete to complete the greatest distance within the allotted time. The event is part of the world championship that includes famous races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the 6 Hours of Spa, and Fuji.
Winning the 6 Hours of Lone Star Le Mans is different from winning most races because it rewards a much broader set of skills than simply being the fastest car on the track. At Lone Star Le Mans, teams race for six continuous hours with multiple drivers sharing the same car. The winner is not necessarily the fastest lap-setter - it's the team that best balances speed, reliability and driver performance.
Races in WEC are effectively two races happening simultaneously:
Both share the circuit at once. Hypercars can close on GT traffic at alarming speed, so the best endurance drivers aren’t just quick - they’re surgical in traffic.
No one can sustain full-attack Hypercar pace for hours. That’s why teams rotate three drivers: one drives, one works with engineers over telemetry, one tries to recover. Heart rates can sustain above 160 bpm per stint, drivers can lose over a kilogram of fluid per hour, and the mental load - lapping traffic at 250 km/h while managing settings and radio - pushes beyond ordinary limits of concentration
Genesis Magma is the performance direction - how the brand translates design and engineering into a more focused driving experience. Genesis Magma Racing is the motorsport program competing in endurance racing, where that performance philosophy is tested publicly over time.
The GMR-001 is Genesis Magma Racing’s Hypercar-class prototype - built to compete at the top level of endurance racing, where aerodynamic efficiency, hybrid power management, and reliability must perform for 24 hours.
WEC is the most demanding proof point in endurance racing. For Genesis, it’s where performance technology, reliability, and operational discipline can be validated under real-world extremes - night driving, temperature swings, and sustained mechanical load.
Endurance racing is a forcing function for engineering: thermal control, energy management, durability, and decision-making under pressure. The point isn’t that a race car becomes a road car - it’s that the discipline behind sustained performance raises the standard for everything built afterward.
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The Lone Star Le Mans 2026 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas is scheduled for September 4–6, 2026.
During the event, use the Watch Live link on this page (YouTube) to watch the action even from the cockpits of the cars. After the race, the Live module can switch to Watch Highlights so visitors can catch up on key moments quickly. The videos can be watched after the race on the Genesis YouTube channel too.