New Genesis Signings Get First Laps in “Successful” Enduro Test

Photo: Genesis

Newly signed Genesis Magma Racing drivers Dani Juncadella and Mathys Jaubert got their first laps at the wheel of the GMR-001 Hypercar in what’s been hailed as a “successful” first endurance test for the LMDh car ahead of its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year.

Juncadella and Jaubert joined Pipo Derani and Andre Lotterer in a three-day outing at Portimao last week, in what “allowed for 32 hours of continuous running” for the prototype according to a statement from the Korean manufacturer.

A Genesis spokesperson clarified to Sportscar365 that the car completed multiple endurance runs during that period but is not disclosing the duration of the specific runs.

Both Genesis ‘trajectory’ drivers, who currently sit second in the European Le Mans Series LMP2 standings, however, gained significant seat time.

“Driving the GMR-001 Hypercar for the first time was something very special,” said Jaubert. “It’s very powerful, much more powerful than anything else I’ve driven, but it is easy to drive.

“It’s easy to find the rhythm in it. It was like I was dreaming. Since I was very young, I’ve aimed to enter the highest class of the endurance racing, and I’m very happy to be there and to share the car with amazing drivers such as Dani, Pipo and Andre.”

Juncadella added: “I think as new drivers to the project Mathys and I can support a lot with feedback.

“Even though I have no experience in the Hypercar class, I do have a lot of experience in endurance racing with different manufacturers, so I’ve been working in high- performance environments for many years in my career and can bring those different experiences to the development.”

Billed as a “key step” in the GMR-001’s development process, the endurance test at the Portuguese circuit, run in ambient temperatures exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit, verified the strength of the 3.2-liter twin-turbo V8-powered car’s cooling package, as well as validation of other key items, such as lighting and driver comfort.

“The main target of an endurance test is to put miles on the car and see what problems you can generate along the way,” said chief engineer Justin Taylor. “We’re still only six or seven test days into the development of the car, so at this stage you’re hoping to have problems show up so that you have a chance to solve them.

“I think we can be satisfied with the outcomes from the test. We did a lot of mileage, but we’re very early in the development of the car, so we were learning something new with every stint, which we can take away and on to our next tests.”

Taylor said the focus will now turn to extracting more performance from the ORECA-chassied prototype.

“Our next tests are going to be more adding performance,” he said. “We’re going to have more opportunities to change calibrations, change software, change parts and then just keep on pushing. Then we get to put that through our next endurance test.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John