- Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella recorded a second fourth place finish of the ELMS season
- The IDEC Sport-run team had to recover from a penalty after qualifying, which resulted in Chadwick having to start the four-hour race from the back of the LMP2 field
- All three drivers delivered strong performances, bringing them into podium contention in the final stint, running as high as second before the final pit stop
Le Castellet, France, 3 May 2026: Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program drivers Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella scored a second consecutive fourth place finish in the European Le Mans Series at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. The team rose through the order, running in podium contention for much of the race at the home event of the IDEC Sport team.
Team in Podium Contention from Rear of Class
Jamie Chadwick was forced to start the #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 from the back of the LMP2 class field following a penalty in qualifying which led to the team being stripped of their result from the session. Despite the setback, Chadwick immediately made good progress — taking two positions on the opening lap and a further two before the first Virtual Safety Car period of the race less than 30 minutes into the contest.
Chadwick continued her progress up the order, combining overtakes on circuit and a strategy decision to extend her stint beyond several rivals to rise to third before pitting to hand driving over to Rinicella. The Italian, who had qualified the car, kept the team in position through the calmer middle part of the race, remaining in contact with the podium places as gaps on track ebbed with traffic and strategy decisions.
Hörr took over the car during another Virtual Safety Car intervention with a little over an hour remaining, taking the restart in fourth. The German showed the best pace of the car, setting the team’s fastest lap in pursuit of a podium. The racing of the final stint was frantic, with several leading teams making mistakes allowing Hörr to first take third and then inherit second when the two leaders clashed. However, Hörr had himself picked up damage on the front of the car. A slower final pitstop resulted from the team examining the damage but deciding not to replace the nose of the car. The extra time dropped the #18 from the podium places, now completed by the sister IDEC Sport entry. Instead, as the damage worsened through the final run — Hörr was unable to remount a challenge for third place, instead turning to concentrate on a successful defence to protect his own position.
Post Race Quotes - #18 IDEC Sport Oreca 07
Jamie Chadwick said: “It was good fun. Obviously starting at the back, we had some ground to make up, but I was able to make the most of the traffic and make up a few positions. It was a bit of max attack to get as far forward as possible, which made my stint a bit more fun in a way. Given the penalty and where we started, we can be pretty positive, but we always want more, especially because we were fighting for the podium for so long and it was small things at the very end. Equally, I’m happy for the #28 – they did a great job all weekend – and for us, I think it’s just going to make us hungrier. Two fourth places are good points, but you always want to stand on the podium.”
Valerio Rinicella said: “I think for where we started, fourth place is a mega result. We struggled a little bit with the set-up during Free Practice. Qualifying was really strong from my side, but we had an issue with the weight, so we had to start last, which messed up a bit of our strategy. With Jamie, we recovered a lot, and my stint was very strong. Some laps in my stint I was lucky with traffic, some laps unlucky, but that’s endurance racing. Laurents also did a mega job fighting for podiums. I’m really happy we managed to make a good recovery, so we just need to be proud. P4 is good points for the championship, and we have to keep working for the next one, so let’s see for Imola.”
Laurents Hörr said: “Generally, we had a strong package this week. We could have made the podium. It was a pity about the last pitstop where we lost a lot of time. The last two strong were just full push, with a lot of track action. One car in front of me had a technical issue and slowed down quite abruptly. The two cars between us saw him in time, but for me it was too late. I touched him slightly. We still had great pace, and I fought for the podium, but with the damage we pushed the tires too hard and I really had to fight in the end to keep P4 which is a solid result for us. It was a really tough race, including some damage at the end, due to some contact. We managed everything well. The team did an incredible job. We had a great car, and a day like today is good for us as a team.”
Genesis Magma Racing Sporting Director Gabriele Tarquini said: “Jamie, Valerio and Laurents can be incredibly proud of their performance at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. The penalty after qualifying was unfortunate, but they and the team responded very well. Jamie had one of her best stints in the car to attack from the back of the class and get the team in contention for the podium, and Valerio and Laurents were able to keep the car in position. The last part of the race was really intense with mistakes and problems for other teams and Laurents moving up to second. Unfortunately, the damage at the end forced him to defend for the final laps. He kept the position well despite the pressure for another strong result.”
About Genesis Motor Europe
Founded in Seoul, Genesis is a leader in premium electrified cars with a vibrant, distinctly Korean spirit and a commitment to unique hospitality and customer experience excellence.
The brand’s award-winning models GV60, Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70are defined by advanced technologies, dynamic performanceand Genesis’ distinctive ‘Athletic Elegance’ design philosophy.
Genesis is embarking on the next chapter of its journey, as a design-driven performance brand.Its first luxury high performance model, GV60 Magma, will arrive in Europe this year and Genesis Magma Racingwill be competing in the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Genesis launched in Europe in 2021 and isheadquartered in Frankfurt.Genesis Motor Europe now operates in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. Spain will be operational soon, taking Genesis into its 7th European market in 2026.
For more information about Genesis, please visit www.genesis.com.
