Hyundai has announced its intention to enter endurance racing with a LMDh hypercar programme under its Genesis brand.
The South Korean manufacturer, one of the world’s largest car makers, confirmed it had reached a “strategic choice” to build a hypercar for endurance racing.
While having not formally entered into any series as of yet, a LMDh programme would enable Hyundai to compete in both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA championship in North America.
The programme will race under Hyundai’s premium car brand Genesis, which it launched in 2015. The manufacturer already competes as Hyundai in the World Rally Championship and previously had a factory team in the former World Touring Car Championship.
“Genesis is actively exploring programmes 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,” the manufacturer said in a statement.
“We have carefully analysed 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.”
Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to join endurance racing’s top class through the hypercar regulations, introduced in 2021. Genesis will join Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, Acura and Lamborghini in racing with an LMDh hypercar, which race with pre-homologated chassis and hybrid systems, while Toyota, Peugeot and Ferrari race LMH hypercars with more open designs.
Aston Martin will become the latest manufacturer to compete with a LMH when it enters next year’s World Endurance Championship with its Valkyrie operated by the Heart of Racing team.
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