Hyundai Announces LMDh Program With Genesis Brand

Hyundai Motorsport has announced a new LMDh program with its Genesis brand with which the Korean marque will participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship and be eligible to enter into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Speculation had been ramping up for some time that Hyundai was poised to make an entry into top-level endurance racing, with Sportscar365 first reporting the news in June after a delegation from the marque visited the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Confirmation of the program came via a brief statement issued by the WEC on Thursday morning, which stated that Genesis will enter the series in the “near future” pending approval by the championship’s selection committee.

It had been thought that 2026 would mark the project’s debut season.

An additional statement issued by Hyundai Motorsport read: “Genesis is proud to announce its ambitious entry into the world of endurance racing through the LMDh program.

“Genesis is actively exploring programs 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 analyzed 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.

“Endurance racing presents an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Genesis’ cutting-edge technology, design philosophy and performance-driven character in a highly competitive arena. This project is part of our broader vision for the future of mobility.”

IMSA acknowledged Hyundai’s announcement and its eligibility for WeatherTech Championship GTP competition in a separate statement issued on Thursday but offered few details, simply stating:

“The car would be eligible to compete in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, though no series or timeline to begin competing were mentioned.”

Up to now, Hyundai has competing largely in the rallying and touring car arenas, with the brand having taken back-to-back World Rally Championship manufacturers’ titles in 2019-20 and three drivers’ titles in the FIA World Touring Car Cup.

No official word was given on who will operate the LMDh program, although previous speculation has suggested it could be conducted from Hyundai Motorsport’s existing Alzenau base in Germany.

Chip Ganassi Racing has been linked to a possible IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship effort under the Genesis brand following its split from Cadillac earlier this year, but no mention was made of this in Hyundai’s statement.

Hyundai has been a major presence in IMSA’s second-tier Michelin Pilot Challenge, where its partner team Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian has enjoyed a run of success in the TCR division.

While its LMDh chassis partner was not named in the announcement, Sportscar365 understands that it will likely be ORECA.

No mention was made of a potential LMGT3 program with the Genesis brand that had also been strongly rumored.

This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. CEST (10:30 a.m. CEST) with additional comments from Genesis and IMSA