Genesis Opens a Free Le Mans Ultimate Series With a Factory Esports Seat on the Line
Qualifying starts October 6 in the GMR-001 Hypercar, and 30 finalists will race at Spa, Interlagos, COTA, and Le Mans for a spot on Genesis' esports roster.
Genesis Magma Racing is holding open tryouts for its sim racing team. The WEC outfit of Hyundai's luxury brand has launched the GMR Esports Series in Le Mans Ultimate, and the top prize isn't a check. It's a seat on the factory-backed GMR Esports roster.
Qualifying opens October 6 and runs for eight weeks, with a different circuit each week, starting at Sebring and ending at Le Mans. Everyone drives the same car: the in-game GMR-001 Hypercar. Players can start up to three races a week through the game's Online Championship tab, and only their best six weeks count toward the standings.
That phase whittles the field down to 30 finalists: the 20 fastest drivers worldwide plus the 10 best drivers registered in South Korea. The final series runs over four races in December:
- Spa-Francorchamps, December 11: 45-minute sprint
- Interlagos, December 12: 45-minute sprint
- Circuit of the Americas, December 18: 45-minute sprint
- Le Mans, December 19: two-hour endurance race
On top of raw pace, finalists will face what Genesis calls "Wildcards," extra challenges and shifting conditions built around the game's dynamic weather. GMR Esports driver Collin Spork says the team is looking for people who can handle "the different kinds of challenges found in endurance racing."
Getting in is free, with a couple of caveats. According to the series hub run by partner Traxion, you need a copy of Le Mans Ultimate on Steam, and the qualifiers use only tracks included with the base game. The Online Championship mode, normally reserved for RaceControl subscribers, is being opened up for free for this event. Finalists, however, will need to buy the Interlagos and COTA track packs.
The winner is set to join GMR Esports as a full-time driver for the 2027 season, Traxion reports. It adds that a place in Genesis' real-world Trajectory Program is being considered, but that part hasn't been confirmed.
The series is the latest move in a sim racing push that began before the real car turned a wheel in competition. Genesis put the GMR-001 into Le Mans Ultimate for free in April, ahead of the team's WEC debut. In May, it formed GMR Esports as an official team, framing it as a way to reach a broader audience, especially in South Korea.
The current roster reflects that split. Spork, Jesper Pedersen, and Jernej Simončič represent Europe, while Hyukjin Kwon, Gyumin Kim, and Youngchan Kim race for the Korean side, with Rokyeong Kang as reserve. The dedicated Korean qualifying quota feeds that pipeline directly.
On real asphalt, the team is still building. It logged a seventh-place finish at Lone Star Le Mans, its best result of the debut season, and is racing at the 6 Hours of Fuji this weekend.
Exact session times and the registration deadline haven't been announced yet, and the full prize list will follow later. The December finals will be livestreamed.
