24h Le Mans
The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026) will feature several teams who are set to compete in the legendary race for the first time. Here‘s the lowdown on four rookie outfits.
Spectators attending the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans will get a first chance to see how the Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar copes with the famous circuit in La Sarthe. The Korean manufacturer will take on Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Toyota in the Hypercar class. After a year devoted to the car’s development and to putting together a top-grade team, Genesis will get down to the real business on 28 March when the FIA World Endurance Championship raises the curtain on the 2026 season with the Qatar 1812 Km.
Two Genesis GMR-001-Hypercars will be on the grid. The #17 will be driven by André Lotterer, Luis Felipe Derani and Mathys Jaubert. Meanwhile, Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella will share the wheel of the #19 sister car.
A few months ago, Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal and President of Hyundai Motorsport, gave us an update on the Korean hypercar’s development. “It's been a positive, busy and constructive year in which we have not only delivered a great looking sportscar but also built a racing team and established a team base that will be crucial in preparing ourselves over the winter,” he said. “From shakedown onwards, it was a succession of tests with clear plans and targets, and an action plan between each session. It's been busy, but it's been very structured.”
Before the car is homologated, Genesis Magma Racing will conduct several more test sessions as there will be limited scope for alterations from that point. The GMR-001-Hypercar’s engine has already racked up over 8,000 kilometres in testing. “Our target for the start of the year is for us to have both a car and team – including the drivers – that are reliable and make no mistakes, with the focus on completing the race,” Abiteboul continued. “If we can do that, then it will be about building competitiveness.”
With its special lighting signature and the sound of its V8, the Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar could well become a Le Mans crowd favourite.
After a promising Asian Le Mans Series campaign with one win and five podiums, RD Limited will compete in the team’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class. Romain Dumas – a Le Mans winner in 2010 with Audi and in 2016 with Porsche – is the man behind the project.
The #48 Oreca 07-Gibson will take on 18 other LMP2 prototypes in a category where every team has a chance. RD Limited can bank on the experienced Dumas (23 starts) to avoid the pitfalls that lie in wait at the French endurance classic.
Further reading: 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans – Romain Dumas: “It was always at the back of my mind”
This British outfit will represent McLaren in the LMGT3 class throughout the FIA WEC season, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They take over from United Autosports who are now focused on the Woking-based firm’s Hypercar programme. Garage 59 will run the programme alongside their entry in the GT World Challenge Europe in which they have been the most successful McLaren GT3 stable over the last decade.
The #10 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo will be driven by Antares Au, GT class winner in the 2024-2025 Asian Le Mans Series, Thomas Fleming and McLaren works driver Marvin Kirchhöfer. Team owner Alexander West, former Akkodis ASP Team driver Finn Gehrsitz, and McLaren works driver Benjamin Goethe will share the wheel of the #58 car.
A huge challenge awaits Garage 59, but the British team is well armed with bags of experience of GT3 and the McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo. At the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, neither of the McLarens entered by United Autosports saw the chequered flag. The Anglo-American team finished the season 11th and 12th in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams standings.
13 Autosport is the new name of Canadian outfit AWA Racing who compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Last year, the team ran a Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (P10 in the LMGT3 class). Despite the name change, the line-up for 2026 remains the same: Orey Fidani, Lars Kern and Matthew Bell. Fidani earned an invitation to the French endurance classic by winning the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Bob Akin Award presented to the season’s best Bronze driver in the GTD class.
A début appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is always a key landmark in the life of a racing team. Beyond the sporting aspect, it elevates the team to another dimension. Genesis Magma Racing in Hypercar, RD Limited in LMP2, and Garage 59 and 13 Autosport in LMGT3 are all gearing up to clear a significant hurdle in their development.
