Toyota: With Alonso to the Dakar Rally
STRONG DRIVER QUARTET With a renowned double quartet, Toyota Gazoo Racing will compete in Saudi Arabia in January 2020. After Formula 1, Le Mans and Indy 500, Fernando Alonso has now found a new playground here. Toyota Gazoo Racing is fielding a mix of experienced rally raid specialists and relative newcomers. This was revealed on Friday at a specially conceded [...]
Toyota Gazoo Racing is fielding a mix of experienced rally raid specialists and relative newcomers. This was announced on Friday at a specially granted press conference in Spain. The next Dakar Rally will be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2020.
Three drivers with routine...
The defending champion is Nasser Al-Attiyah with co-driver Mathieu Baumel, who gave the Japanese their first victory in the world's toughest rally last January in Peru. For the Qatari, it will therefore be a home match, so to speak.
South African Giniel de Villiers won the first race held in South America in 2009. The third pairing, Dutchmen Bernhard Ten Brinke and Tom Colsoul, are other specialists in such rallies.
... and a curious world champion
But the best-known name outside this scene is that of Fernando Alonso. The two-time Formula 1 world champion and winner of the 2018 and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2018/19 World Endurance Championship with Toyota, together with Sébastien Buemi from Vaud, is now venturing into a new adventure.
The Spaniard wants to try out different motorsport disciplines and thus become an even more "complete" racing driver. His participation in the 24 Hours of Daytona, where he was also part of the winning team in January, contributed to this.
Most successful racers from Spain
At his side, Marc Coma takes his seat as navigator. He, too, is a Spanish motorsport legend with six FIM Cross Country World Championship titles and five victories in the Dakar Rally in the motorcycle class.
The highly decorated duo has already been working and training under the toughest conditions in Europe, Africa and the Middle East since August. In the process, the Spaniards have more than doubled their planned training kilometers - an unmistakable sign of their determination to do well in one of the toughest events in motorsport.
Highlights with Hilux
All four crews will compete in the latest version of the rally-proven Toyota Hilux, which was built and developed in South Africa. After a completely new model generation was used in the 2018 Dakar Rally and immediately finished in second and third place, the robust all-rounder took overall victory just one year later.
In keeping with Toyota's philosophy of always wanting to build better cars, the team nevertheless continued to perfect the vehicle. The Hilux has independent suspension, all-wheel drive and a naturally aspirated five-liter engine with eight cylinders.
From South America to Saudi Arabia
The 2020 Dakar Rally will be held exclusively in Saudi Arabia. It starts on January 5, 2020 in the western city of Jeddah. The route initially heads north before heading southeast to the capital Riyadh, where the crews will enjoy a traditional rest day.
The second half of the Dakar Rally 2020 leads through Rub' al Khali, also known as the "Empty Quarter". It is the largest continuous sand desert in the world. The final run-in will take place on January 17 in the city of Al-Qiddiya. So the change of continent will not change the level of difficulty of the "Dakar".
