Dakar Rally 2015: Former Winner Nasser al-Attiyah to switch to Toyota 2015.

After Stéphane Peterhansel, now also the former Dakar-rally winner Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah from Qatar will leave the X-raid team and want to start with Toyota in the Dakar Rally 2015. This was reported by the [ GULF-TIMES.COM ] today (Tuesday).

Al Attiyah won the Dakar Rally in 2011 with Volkswagen. Later he started projects with Robby Gordon and a Hummer Prototype and a US-buggy, together with his former Volkswagen team-mate Carlos Sainz - but both times he had to retire early. In the 2014 edition he became Third with a X-raid Mini All4 Racing.

"I have been with Mini, a team that has won the Dakar. But Toyota has never won it. I want to become the first driver to win the Dakar for Toyota. That is the main reason why I came to Toyota," said al-Attiyah to Gulf-Times reporter Joe Koraith.

Next to the Dakar-win he is also targeting the WRC2-title after he has won in Portugal and Argentina - and is leading the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).

About Toyota he said: "Toyota have been asking me for a long time but I was tied down to a different team. Now I feel it is the right time to switch to a Japanese brand because Toyota have a strong car." Al Attiyah want to start with the preparations for the Dakar asap: "It is important to begin my preparation early because I have changed my brand."