Hyundai Motorsport Joins The Big Leagues
Hyundai Motorsport has officially announced its entry into top-level endurance racing with a new LMDh program under its Genesis brand.
The Korean automaker is expected to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship marking its first venture into proper endurance racing.
In its statement, Hyundai Motorsport confirmed that the program would expand its motorsport portfolio beyond the World Rally Championship (WRC) and Touring Car Racing (TCR), where it has already seen significant success. As someone with experience running an Audi TCR car against the Hyundai TCRs, I always envied how user-friendly the Korean cars seemed for both drivers and mechanics, it always seemed so easy to set them up to go fast.
Although the debut date is not confirmed, many speculate that 2026 will be the program's first competitive season, with the 2025 season expected as a year to learn the ACO rulebook and prepare operationally by running an LMP2 program in ELMS.
Hyundai has not yet revealed which company will manage the LMDh effort, but Chip Ganassi Racing has been linked as a potential partner for an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry. The chassis partner is rumored to be ORECA, who already builds the Acura and Alpine LMDh cars—though this has not been officially confirmed.
This move adds another significant player to the competitive LMDh class, which already includes brands like Porsche, Cadillac, and BMW.
Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
An experienced automotive storyteller known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge and experience having been part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic and built cars that raced in TCR, IMSA, and IndyCar.
More by Michael Accardi
Comments
Join the conversation