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Ain Alalam – Rashad Iskandrni<\/strong><\/p>\n May 12, 2026 \u2014 <\/strong>Genesis Magma Racing aims to build on an encouraging debut weekend in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) when the series resumes at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.<\/p>\n Team Aim to Maintain Momentum After Fast Turn Around<\/strong><\/p>\n Coming just three weeks after the team made its competitive debut at the 6 Hours of Imola, the race in Belgium gives Genesis Magma Racing a near-immediate opportunity to build on the learnings and momentum gained for the team\u2019s first competitive outing. The pair of GMR-001 Hypercars showed good reliability and pace against the more experienced manufacturers on the grid after a combined Prologue and race weekend.<\/p>\n However, though obviously wanting to capitalize on a positive first event, the team are wary of over-confidence and remain focused on its own performance \u2013 continuing the work they began in Imola. In the short time between the two events the team has been able to analyze its own performance, finding ways to improve its operational processes throughout the team, while keeping the on-track focus on confirming the reliability of the GMR-001 Hypercar.<\/p>\n The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is a formidable challenge for any team, especially one still taking its first steps. The Ardennes circuit is one of the most challenging in the world. The seven-kilometer track features long flat-out sections and famous high-speed corners such as Raidillon and Blanchimont, but also a tighter, more technical, second sector that necessitates a constant compromise on setup. The track is also infamous for unpredictable weather, capable of generating a mix of conditions over the course of single day, let alone a race weekend, giving the team\u2019s engineers another variable to consider in every decision.<\/p>\n The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday, May 9. As in the first race of the season both GMR-001 Hypercar will be shared by the full three-driver lineup \u2013 Pipo Derani, Mathys Jaubert and Andr\u00e9 Lotterer in the #17 entry and Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella in the sister #19 car.<\/p>\n Genesis Magma Racing Team Management Quotes<\/strong><\/p>\n Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal, said: \u201cWhat we achieved in Imola was obviously encouraging, but we need to keep building on the foundations we have built. There have only been a few weeks since our first race, but that has given us time to reflect on our debut weekend and take some lessons which we can apply right away at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. We saw we have the performance and reliability in the GMR-001 Hypercar, and the ability in the team to compete in the Hypercar class; now we have to make sure we can do that for a full race. For Spa we stay focused on delivering on the things that we can control \u2013 confirming what we saw at Imola, while beginning to push a little for performance. If we can repeat all the things that we did well in Imola, while taking the extra forward steps that we are aiming for, then we will be able to take our challenge further up the order and keep making the forward steps we need to reach our goals for our first year of racing.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabriele Tarquini, Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director, said: \u201cImola gave us some positive signs and showed the work we have done is moving in the right direction. However, it was only the first race, so we need to stay realistic and keep focused on improving step by step. Spa is a very demanding circuit, both for the car and drivers. The combination of high-speed corners, long straights and changing weather conditions makes it one of the biggest challenges of the season. Not having tested our car at Spa beforehand is an extra challenge for us, but the experience that some of our drivers have at the circuit could help us compensate for that. We are still very early in our program, so every event gives us another valuable opportunity to understand more about the car, improve our package and continue building confidence as a team. Our target for the weekend is clear: to confirm the progress we made in Imola, keep learning and take another step forward in performance and consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin Taylor, Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer, said: \u201cOur focus in our first race was on learning and executing the basics of an FIA WEC weekend. We were successful in gathering a tremendous amount of data, something which was never possible in testing, and we can now use this information and our extra experience to adjust our approach for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Spa will bring new challenges with the big compression at Eau Rouge and the speed through Pouhon. It\u2019s a very different challenge to what we faced in Imola, due to the lower downforce nature of the track, so we\u2019ll be able to get some important information about how the handling balance and, undoubtedly, we will gain more information about the 2026 tire. Our focus in Spa will again be on execution and maximizing mileage with the GMR-001 Hypercar to give us as much data as possible to take into the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.\u201d<\/p>\n Driver Quotes – #17 GMR-001 Hypercar<\/strong><\/p>\n Pipo Derani said: \u201cWith our first race and finish completed, we are now preparing for Spa-Francorchamps with the goal of making further progress and advancing the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar. Completing the race in Imola with both cars without significant problems has eased some pressure and allows us to concentrate more on performance and execution moving forward, which is particularly important as we move further into the season. There is still much to improve, but we are satisfied with the outcome of the weekend in Imola and aim to maintain a steady pace of progress for Spa. It is quite a different circuit from Imola, so adapting quickly to the track will be important for our learning. I am interested to see how our car performs on this type of track and am ready to get back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n Mathys Jaubert said: \u201cFrom Imola I think the biggest takeaway is how strong we were operationally as a team. We executed a clean, controlled race with no major issues, and that\u2019s the kind of foundation we want to carry forward. Personally, I really enjoy racing at Spa. It\u2019s one of the most iconic circuits with a great flow and some very challenging sections. You need commitment and precision, especially in high-speed corners, and the changing weather can make things even more complex. For the car it\u2019s a real test in terms of balance and efficiency over a long lap, so getting everything right is key. The goal is to repeat what we did well in Imola: a clean, well-managed weekend, maximizing every session and putting ourselves in a strong position for the race. If we do that, the result will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n Andr\u00e9 Lotterer said: \u201cVery excited to race in Spa as always, as I grew up in Belgium since I was 1 year old. I was playing there a lot as a kid in my father\u2019s race team, and then later on my go-kart tuner was based at the track. I have great memories there, winning WEC races and my only F1 race there, so it\u2019s always a highlight of the year for me. I can\u2019t wait to see all the fans, because there are always a lot there. What we can take from Imola is that we did well on operations and we were effective in everything with almost no problems, so now we can focus more on performance after the debut was ticked off. Spa a demanding circuit, with one of the most exciting corners of the season in Eau Rouge. It\u2019s a high-energy track for the tires, so it\u2019s really interesting for the car setup. We would like to aim for the points. We are still learning how we compare to our rivals, but we saw in Imola that we could compete a little bit, so it would be great if we can push for a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Driver Quotes – #19 GMR-001 Hypercar<\/strong><\/p>\n Paul-Loup Chatin said: \u201cSpa is an iconic circuit that we all look forward to visiting every year, so I\u2019m really looking forward to driving there for the first time with the GMR-001 Hypercar. It\u2019s a circuit that requires the best compromise between aerodynamic performance and top speed. From a driving perspective, confidence is key, as well as tire management, which remains a real unknown with the new 2026 tire. First, we need to confirm the positives from Imola and continue progressing in terms of execution and operations. It\u2019s also important to freeze certain processes to build strong routines as a new team. Once these are in place it means we can arrive at any track with a real sense of confidence and calmness and be better placed to react to unexpected things. Our overall package should allow us to fight with the others in the race, and crossing the finish line around tenth position would be a great reward and motivation for the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n Mathieu Jaminet said: \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. It\u2019s a very short turn-around after Imola but I think we had a pretty strong first weekend, so I hope we can keep the momentum and the spirit we had in Italy for the second round. It\u2019s important to see where we are in Spa. It\u2019s a very different track \u2013 it\u2019s very fast compared to Imola, so it will be a good place to learn more about the characteristics of the GMR-001 Hypercar. I know Spa really, really well, but I\u2019ve never had the chance to race a Prototype there before \u2013 I\u2019ve always raced in GT. I have some really good memories from those races, so I\u2019m looking forward to my first Hypercar race there, and to see how we go as a team. It will be a very important weekend to learn, so every session and lap is going to be important, and I hope we can bring the two cars to the finish again.\u201d<\/p>\n Dani Juncadella said: \u201cSpa is a really good place. It\u2019s one of my favorite tracks and one of the highlights of the WEC season. I really enjoy racing there. I\u2019ve won the 24 Hours of Spa in GT3, so it\u2019s a place I have fond memories of. Last year in ELMS we crossed the line second after a very strong race \u2013 but unfortunately got a penalty. Spa is a track that has a lot of different characteristics, such as a long straight and a good combination of high- and low-speed corners. That makes it very challenging as a driver, and it\u2019s not easy for the engineers to set up the car. You need to think about where you want to maximize the performance. We can take a lot of positives from Imola. We were not expecting to be so competitive so early in the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar. However, we need to keep on learning the class, learning the car so we\u2019ll take the weekend in Spa session-by-session and try to maximize what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n \n – END \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n About Genesis Middle East & Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n As a Korean design-focused brand, Genesis has introduced fascinating models that embody \u2018athletic elegance\u2019, including The G70, The G80 midsize sedan and The G90 flagship sedan, as well as The GV70, The GV80 & The GV80 Coupe. With Genesis distributors based throughout the Middle East and Africa region, Genesis is present with standalone showrooms in the region, with plans to expand further into the MEA region in the near future. For more information on Genesis and its new definition of luxury, please visit www.genesis.com<\/a><\/p>\n Genesis on X<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n[\/mhc_text][\/mhc_column][\/mhc_row][\/mhc_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [mhc_section admin_label=”\u0642\u0633\u0645” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][mhc_fullwidth_menu admin_label=”\u0642\u0627\u0626\u0645\u0629 \u0628\u0639\u0631\u0636 \u0643\u0627\u0645\u0644” menu_id=”56″ background_color=”#ffffff” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off”] [\/mhc_fullwidth_menu][\/mhc_section][mhc_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” gradient_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” gradient_style=”horizontal” inner_shadow=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” video_hide=”off” video_pause=”off” allow_advanced_padding=”on” remove_padding=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” column_paddings=”padding-0pct” column_match_heights=”off” background_leak=”off” background_leak_color=”#ffffff” background_leak_size=”25″ separator_top=”off” separator_bottom=”off” background_image_size=”cover” background_image_repeat=”no-repeat” background_image_position_x=”center” background_image_position_y=”center” animation=”off” animation_color=”#ffffff” mobile_2_pr_row=”off” mobile_reverse=”off”][mhc_row admin_label=”row”][mhc_column type=”1_3″][mhc_image admin_label=”\u0635\u0648\u0631\u0629” src=”https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ainlogo.png” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” hoverfx=”scaleup” sticky=”off” image_mask=”off” border_radius=”0″ align=”center” force_center_on_mobile=”on” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coverage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115155\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/115153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-12-at-12.23.27-PM-1-300x200.jpeg\")
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