SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AFP) - Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso won the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, his first race in the World Endurance Championship, on Saturday (May 5) driving a Toyota TS050 Hybrid.

The Spaniard shared the driving with Kazuki Nakajima of Japan and the Swiss Sebastien Buemi.

Alonso has been given permission by his F1 team McLaren to compete in six rounds of the world endurance championship, including the flagship 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Last year the Spaniard missed the Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the Indianapolis 500 as part of his dream of winning motor sport's Triple Crown of Monaco, the Indy 500 and Le Mans.

The 2005 and 2006 F1 champion is sixth in the Formula One drivers' standings after four races for McLaren after a seventh-place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Alonso's Toyota started Saturday's race on the front row after a Friday qualifying session marred by the spectacular crash of Brazilian rookie Pietro Fittipaldi.

Fittipaldi was airlifted to a Liege hospital by helicopter before undergoing surgery on two broken legs after his DragonSpeed car swerved wildly coming out of a corner and smacked into a wall head on.

The 21-year-old is the grandson of Emerson Fittipaldi, the two-time F1 world champion and twice winner of the Indy 500.