Demaison (Genesis): “We still have work to do”

After initial debugging sessions, the Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar took to the Paul Ricard Circuit at the end of August for five days of testing during which the Korean prototype completed more than 500 laps of the track that hosted the French Grand Prix in Formula 1 to 2022.

More than 500 tours covered by Genesis at Le Castellet

François-Xavier Demaison, the technical director of Hyundai Motorsport and therefore Genesis Magma Racing, in charge of developing the GMR-001, believes that these first tests went well, and constitute the start of a crucial phase, during which the data collected from the simulator and the test bench are compared with those from the track. All in an optimization and correlation process, which will continue once the car is on track for the first races of the 2026 season. WEC.

“The engine department’s months of work on the dyno and simulator sessions provided the calibration values ​​with which we began testing, but the data we obtained from these tests is fed back to inform the next dyno tests and simulator sessions. The feedback loop and relationship between the track tests we conduct and the work on the dyno and in the simulator is a never-ending process. Even when we have completed this first phase of development and have started competing in WEC races, the loop of on-track results feeding into the off-track work will continue.”

In the South of France, while Oreca had dispatched mechanics and engineers to oversee the GMR-001's first outing on track, the team had complete control over the options to try, the direction to take during the test days and the modifications to be made to the engine or chassis engineering.

“The decision to start testing at Circuit Paul Ricard was a deliberate choice to be close to the Oreca workshop, as well as our own base, to make communication as easy as possible and ensure we could work smoothly between the two tests with as little time as possible. For the first tests, Oreca provided the specialist engineers and mechanics for the car, but control of the chassis and powertrain engineering, as well as the test plan, were entirely the responsibility of Genesis Magma Racing.”

After an encouraging first test run, the French engineer knows that there is still a long way to go before the Genesis prototype's first race in Qatar at the end of March: “We still have a lot of work to do. We need to continue optimizing the powertrain and chassis software and finalize our choice of braking materials.”

It will then be time to tackle the bulk of the development, reliability. Because to participate in the World Championship ofEndurance, you certainly shouldn't miss it! “We have some endurance tests planned, where we can simulate a 24-hour race to build the reliability we need, as well as work on the lighting setup needed for visibility at night. We obviously need to continue working on the aerodynamic balance of the car, to find something that works for all the drivers we will have for the 2026 season.”

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