Hyundai is developing an LMDh prototype for an entry into endurance racing arena under its premium Genesis brand.
The move predicted by Motorsport.com in July was finally confirmed in a short statement on social media on Thursday that gave no further details or a timeline for its first entry into top-line sportscar racing.
It was not revealed whether the the sportscar programme masterminded from the Hyundai Motorsport facility in Germany responsible for the South Korean manufacturer’s World Rally Championship campaigns since 2012 will encompass both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
No date was mentioned at a time when Hyundai is refusing to commit to its future in the WRC beyond next season, a year before the current rule cycle ends in 2026.
The statement, headlined “Genesis to enter endurance racing’ on social media, read: “The LMDh programme will add a new pillar to Hyundai Motorsport’s portfolio.
“Since its establishment in 2012, Hyundai Motorsport has been competing in WRC and TCR with Hyundai.
“Genesis, the premium brand of the Hyundai Motor Group, will add endurance racing to the disciplines of its motorsport activities.”
Hyundai appears to be gearing up for an entry with its new LMDh hybrid in the WEC as early as 2026.
It is expected that it will race on both the world and North American stages, but it is unclear whether Hyundai will enter both championships concurrently.
Hyundai is known to have agreed a partnership with French constructor ORECA for the design and build of its LMDh hybrid.
ORECA is one of four organisations licensed to develop an LMDh with a manufacturer and will supply the spine of the chassis for the Hyundai in the same way it has for the Acura ARX-06 and the Alpine A424.
The internal combustion element of the hybrid powertrain will be developed in-house by Hyundai Motorsport, which was responsible for the engines that have powered its line of WRC and TCR contenders.
Hyundai is expected to partner with an existing race team for its race programme or programmes and is known to have spoken to multiple candidates.
Those are believed to include the Cool Racing, IDEC Sport and TDS Racing, which all race in LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series and at Le Mans.
Another contender is single-seater team DAMS, which ran factory-supported programmes for Panoz and Cadillac at the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Chip Ganassi Racing, which will end its involvement with Cadillac at the conclusion of this year’s WEC and IMSA campaigns, is also known to have been in contact with Hyundai.
It appears to be one of the leading candidates to run the IMSA arm of the Genesis LMDh programme.
Dani Sordo, Candido Carrera, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
The likelihood is that Hyundai Motorsport will have an involvement in a 2025 ELMS programme with the team it choses as a partner for WEC as the organisation gears up for the arrival.
Touring car legend and ex-Formula 1 driver Gabriele Tarquini is set for a senior management role in the LMDh programme at Hyundai, the manufacturer for which he won the 2018 WTCR title the Italian BRC team.
Talk of “another pillar” in Hyundai’s short statement could hint at a continuation in the WRC.
Hyundai Motorsport team principal Cyril Abiteboul insisted last week that the one-year contract extension announced for Thierry Neuville does not necessarily signal an exit from the WRC.
Abiteboul has made it clear that his organisation has the capacity to undertake two major programmes at once.
He has called for rules stability in the WRC and stated that it the goal of Hyundai to be involved at the pinnacle of rallying for many years to come.