After leading Toyota to a World Rally-Raid Championship, three World Cups for Cross-Country Rallies, and a trio of Dakar Rallies, Nasser Al-Attiyah is heading for greener pastures once his contract expires in September. He announced his departure shortly after winning the Baja España Aragón for the sixth time on Saturday.
His final race will be the W2RC’s Desafío Ruta 40, which ends on 1 September shortly after the final day of his contract on 31 August. Rumours about his future have circulated since May, from which he began contract negotiations with at least two other undisclosed teams while keeping the door open to extending his Toyota stint. A report from MARCA after the Baja Aragón revealed Prodrive as his next stop, where he will team up with W2RC rival Sébastien Loeb.
“Today we win Baja Aragón sixth time and we are leading the World Cup. Really, I’m so happy and also at one point I feel really sad because this will be the last race for me with Toyota in Baja,” said Al-Attiyah. “This is the life and I wish the team good luck for the future.”
Al-Attiyah joined Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2016, immediately making an impact by winning the Cross-Country World Cup (predecessor to the W2RC). Despite retiring from his first Dakar Rally in a Hilux the following year, he has never finished worse than second overall since with victories in 2019, 2022, and 2023. He also claimed the 2017 and 2021 World Cups and the inaugural W2RC in 2022.
So far in 2023, he leads both the W2RC and the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. He has two wins in the former at Dakar and the Sonora Rally, whereas the latter campaign has seen triumphs at the Saudi Baja, Qatar International Baja, and Baja Aragón while finishing runner-up in the Italian Baja.
Despite his successes with Toyota, Al-Attiyah is open to joining a developing team to help them grow starting with the W2RC-ending Rallye du Maroc in October. While Toyota is currently at the top of the rally raid world, outfits like Prodrive and newcomer M-Sport Ford are hoping to finally dethrone the Japanese manufacturer.
Prodrive is Toyota’s main adversary as they field the Hunter under the Bahrain Raid Xtreme name. BRX lost their financial backing from Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (the Kingdom of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund) after a disastrous ending to the Sonora Rally, which will prevent Loeb from contending with Al-Attiyah at the Desafío Ruta 40 as they focus on Morocco and Dakar. MARCA suggested Al-Attiyah’s arrival could bring much needed Qatari funding to the programme as the Hunter prepares for its swan song before Prodrive partners with Dacia in 2025.
