---
title: "Fernando Alonso Will Race the 2020 Dakar Rally in a Toyota Hilux"
description: "The two-time F1 champ will add another iconic race to his already impressive portfolio."
date: "2019-10-25"
modified: "2019-10-25"
authors:
  - name: "Stef Schrader"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stef-schrader"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/30635/fernando-alonso-will-race-the-2020-dakar-rally-in-a-toyota-hilux"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
tags:
  - "Dakar Rally"
  - "Fernando Alonso"
  - "motorsports"
  - "Rally Raid"
  - "Toyota"
  - "toyota hilux"
---

# Fernando Alonso Will Race the 2020 Dakar Rally in a Toyota Hilux

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/10/yota_970x546.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa announced today that two-time Formula One champ and two-time Le Mans winner Fernando Alonso will race one of the team's Toyota Hilux 4x4 pickup trucks in the Dakar Rally, [*Motorsport.com*](<https://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/alonso-confirmed-toyota-hilux-2020/4585122/?post=organic>) reports. Marc Coma will join him as a navigator.

The factory Toyota team is expanding their effort to four cars, with Giniel de Villiers, Bernhard ten Brinke and defending Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah finishing up their line-up. Alonso was spotted behind the wheel of the team's Hiluxes back in [March](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/27161/hell-yeah-fernando-alonso-to-test-toyota-hilux-pickup-truck-built-for-dakar-rally-report>), so this announcement feels a bit like confirmation of the obvious. Alonso's insatiable need to race all the vehicles cannot be stopped, even by last year's disaster of an Indianapolis 500, uh, [almost-attempt](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/28112/why-now-is-the-time-for-fernando-alonso-to-abandon-a-dazed-and-confused-mclaren>).

![message-editor%2F1571943630162-dakar\_2019\_press\_002.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1571943630162-dakar_2019_press_002.jpg>)
*Alonso's truck at the Morocco Rally, his first international rally raid event., *Toyota Gazoo Racing**

As such, Alonso has been training for the Dakar since August, *Motorsport.com* reports, with an appearance in South Africa's Lichtenberg 400 rally, where he finished 16th in the event. He then competed in the Morocco Rally—an event that is traditionally considered a warm-up for the main event—and had been running in the top 10 there until crashing into a ditch and ultimately finishing 26th. That being said, Alonso showed a lot of promise there, setting top 10 times in three of the five stages.

This Friday and Saturday, Alonso will do a two-day test in Tarragona, Spain, before competing in the Ula Neom Rally on November 4-9. Ula Neom is part of the Saudi Arabia Desert Rally Championship, so it should be good practice in conditions similar to Dakar's. The Dakar Rally moves to [Saudi Arabia](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/27451/dakar-rally-organizers-confirm-2020-move-to-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia>) next year and will run from January 5 to 17.

Toyota may do one more test in Abu Dhabi directly before the Dakar Rally, *Motorsport.com* notes, however, that has yet to be confirmed.

## Author
Stef Schrader is a former senior staff writer for The Drive. She started writing about cars in 2013 after meeting Jalopnik's editor-in-chief at a race track, where Stef can be found at every available opportunity.

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefschrader/>)  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/stefthepef>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/stefthepef>)