Genesis Magma Racing has launched the GMR Esports Series, a new competition run in partnership with Le Mans Ultimate and sim racing and esports outlet Traxion, aimed at discovering new esports talent.
The winner of the series’ final phase will earn a spot on the official GMR Esports team, effectively offering a route from home sim racing setups into a manufacturer-backed professional program. The series also deepens Genesis Magma Racing’s relationship with Le Mans Ultimate, the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship, building on the team’s broader esports commitment.
Eight Weeks of Qualifying, Then a Narrowed Field
The competition begins October 6 with eight weeks of qualifying races, each held on a different free-to-play circuit and restricted to the game’s version of the GMR-001 Hypercar, which was added to Le Mans Ultimate in April ahead of Genesis Magma Racing’s real-world FIA WEC debut.
Competitors race through the game’s Online Championship tab, with up to three races available each week, though only each driver’s best six results across the eight weeks count toward the standings.
From there, the fastest 20 drivers globally and the top 10 Korea-registered drivers advance to the main GMR Esports Series starting in December — four races in total, made up of three sprint events and a two-hour endurance race, designed to test not just outright speed but how drivers handle “Wildcard” conditions generated by the game’s dynamic weather system.
Built to Reward More Than Just Pace
GMR Esports driver Collin Spork said the series was built as a genuine test within Le Mans Ultimate, developed alongside the Motorsport Games team behind the title specifically to find drivers who can handle the varied challenges of endurance racing rather than just posting fast lap times, adding that he expects both the qualifiers and the main series to be highly competitive.
The eventual winner will join GMR Esports’ existing six-driver roster, currently split evenly between Europe — Collin Spork of the Netherlands, Jesper Pedersen of Denmark and Jernej Simončič of Slovenia — and South Korea, represented by Hyukjin Kwon, Gyumin Kim, Youngchan Kim and reserve driver Rokyeong Kang. The team races the GMR-001 Hypercar in Le Mans Ultimate’s official special events and regularly finishes on the podium in the game’s Virtual Motorsport series.
Where and When It Runs
Qualifying weeks run through late November across circuits including Sebring, Fuji, Monza, Bahrain (in both its standard and alternate layouts), Portimão, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, with the eighth and final qualifying week wrapping up December 1.
The main GMR Esports Series then runs four races across two race weekends in mid-December, opening with sprint races at Spa-Francorchamps and Interlagos before a second weekend combining a sprint at Circuit of the Americas with a two-hour endurance finale at Le Mans. Full details and entry information are available through Traxion’s GMR Esports Series page.