Alonso to race at Le Mans with Toyota

London : Fernando Alonso will take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year after agreeing a deal with Toyota to race at all World Endurance Championship events that do not clash with Formula One grands prix.

The deal allows Alonso to continue his pursuit of motorsport’s triple crown, which includes victories at the Indy 500, Le Mans 24 Hours and Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso currently has two Monaco victories to his name and last year competed in the Indy 500 for the first time but did not win.

Alonso will join former F1 drivers Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima in the No.8 Toyota this season and his first race will be at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 5 before taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16-17.

“I’ve never been shy about my aim of winning motorsport’s ‘Triple Crown’ - the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We tried for Indy last year, came close, but just missed out,” Fernando Alonso said.

“This year, I have the chance thanks to McLaren to race for the win at Le Mans. It is a big challenge - much can go wrong - but I am ready, prepared and looking forward to the fight.

“My deal to race in WEC was only made possible through the good understanding and strong relationship I have with McLaren, and I’m very happy that they listened and understood what this means to me.

“In no way will this challenge take away from my main target of Formula 1 with McLaren. In 2018, my aim is to be competitive at every grand prix, and I feel sure that we are closer to achieving that.”

Alonso’s F1 team McLaren agreed to the deal on the proviso that his Formula One duties come first. Last year Alonso skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to compete at the Indianapolis 500 but he is set to compete all 21 rounds of the F1 world championship this year.

The only clash in 2018 comes on October 21 when the Six Hours of Fuji coincides with the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, but McLaren executive director Zak Brown says he supports Alonso’s plans to race at all other rounds of the WEC this year.