Confirmed! Fernando Alonso will race the Dakar at the wheel of the Toyota Hilux

Fernando Alonso will race the 2020 Dakar with Toyota Gazoo Racing, at the wheel of the new Toyota Hilux and accompanied by Marc Coma.

Fernando Alonso will race the next Dakar at the wheel of the Toyota Hilux. Toyota Gazoo Racing has announced a stellar line-up for the 2020 Dakar Rally, and Fernando Alonso, the two-time Formula 1 world champion, is now part of its roster of drivers.

Fernando Alonso will join co-driver Marc Coma and form a team with drivers of the caliber of Nasser Al-Attiyah, Mathieu Baumel, Giniel de Villiers, Alex Haro, Bernhard Ten Brinke and Tom Colsoul.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel want to defend their Dakar Rally title, with the duo having multiple FIA World Cup titles for Cross-Country Rally and Dakar wins to their name. Giniel is another experienced driver, who won the Dakar Rally in 2009 and the Rally of Morocco, the latter four times. Bernhard is also a former Morocco winner and has competed in multiple rally events over the years.

Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma, together in pursuit of the Dakar

Fernando Alonso’s ambition to try different motorsport categories has led him to the Dakar Rally, alongside Marc Coma, who already has six FIM Cross-Country World Championships and five Dakar Rally victories in the motorcycle category.

The four teams will compete with the latest rally-raid version of the Toyota Hilux, which was developed and built in South Africa. On its Dakar Rally debut in 2018, the Toyota Hilux finished second and third before taking the overall victory the following year.

The 2020 Dakar Rally will take place in Saudi Arabia for the first time in its history. It starts on January 5 in Jeddah, with the route heading north before turning southeast towards the capital city of Riyadh. The second half of the race will pass through the Rub’ al Khali, the largest continuous sand desert in the world, also known as the “Empty Quarter”, before finishing in Al-Qiddiya on January 17.

Fernando Alonso will arrive at the 2020 Dakar Rally after having achieved victories in some of the most important motorsport categories, such as the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and even the 24 Hours of Le Mans.