Genesis Magma Racing is evaluating a future expansion into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, though establishing a firm foothold in the FIA World Endurance Championship remains the program’s top priority.
Speaking during the Six Hours of Fuji weekend, Cyril Abiteboul, President of Hyundai Motorsport and Team Principal of Genesis Magma Racing, detailed the brand’s long-term North American strategy following its debut season in the WEC Hypercar class with the GMR-001 LMDh machine.
The United States represents a critical market for Genesis, driving nearly one-third of the luxury brand’s global sales volume. Despite ruling out a 2027 IMSA entry earlier this June ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Abiteboul emphasized that the decision was a matter of pacing rather than interest.
“Well, I think IMSA is already a very established championship, so we have nothing from our perspective,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com regarding the series’ appeal. “We know the value proposition there. I think it’s more the way to get there.
“Our idea and our plan was very clear on the way to execute and to get into WEC. I think it’s more the way to do this without diluting our focus or effort from WEC, and that’s also why we sort of postponed a little bit, because we wanted to secure this first step in WEC first, before expanding too quickly. If this is secured, then I think the time will come that we can expand, but also probably expand with the right partner, because it’s clear that it’s not something that we want to do ourselves.”
Finding the Right Operating Model
Rather than fielding a full factory effort internally, Genesis plans to rely on a partner team to run its North American operations. Abiteboul confirmed that preliminary conversations have taken place, though the program is intentionally moving at a measured pace.
“I think it’s about finding the right fit in terms of operating model, and that’s something that we are going to probably look a bit more closely in the months to come,” Abiteboul explained.
Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal Genesis Magma Racing
Photo by: Genesis
When asked if initial discussions with potential team partners had begun, Abiteboul acknowledged the preliminary talks while maintaining discretion.
“Yeah, we’ve had, but I don’t want to fuel speculation through discussion until such time that we know that we are ready for IMSA,” Abiteboul said. “We are making steps towards being ready, but we are not quite ready yet.”
Grid Health and Momentum
Addressing the current landscape of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Abiteboul expressed confidence in the series’ health and manufacturer engagement, noting that a new entrant can shift the overall trajectory of a championship.
“It’s clear we want manufacturers to compete against, that’s clear,” Abiteboul said. “But it’s not in our hands and it’s not about being happy or unhappy. I think we can also feel that we can create this momentum.
“It’s very easy that you can be in a vicious circle, one starting to leave and then everyone starting to panic and to freak out, but the good news is that you can reverse that also. You can be the one creating a different momentum. So for us, again, we see IMSA as a slightly different opportunity from the WEC opportunity.
“So that’s why right now the number of manufacturers is fine. We would not want to lose any of the ones that are in the championship, but it’s fine. Again, it’s more the way to execute it. The timing and the way to execute it is challenging the other aspect of the championship, which is already a great championship.”
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