Land Rover to take on brutal Dakar rally with Defender off-roader
Defender brand will also sponsor the event and provide support vehicles
Land Rover is set to take on the challenging Dakar rally from 2026 using its Defender off-roader, the company has announced.
The “rally raid” event takes in several thousand kilometres of car-breaking on- and off-road racing across Saudi Arabia, over a period of ten to fifteen days. It comprises daily stages based around Bisha, Al Henakyiah, Alula, Hail, Al Duwadimi, Riyadh, Haradh and Shubaytah. At least one of the stages is hundreds kilometres in length.
Land Rover is hoping to showcase the Defender’s “capability and durability” through competing in a revised “stock” category — for production-based 4×4 cars that have been modified only to meet safety regulations — of the full FIA World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), which includes Dakar.
Land Rover says the updated sporting and technical regulations for 2026 onwards will make the series “significantly more competitive” for production-based vehicles.
The team will enter two Defenders for the series but intends to add a third to its line-up for Dakar, which is the halo event in the same way that the Le Mans 24 Hours is the most famous round of the World Endurance Championship.
The firm says the Defender is “made for Dakar”, with a stiff and lightweight aluminium monocoque body structure. Land Rover was unable to provide any more information to Driving.co.uk about the version of the car destined for Dakar but has already announced a 626bhp performance flagship based on the Defender 110 called the Defender Octa.
That car features a 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine, “6D Dynamics” active suspension technology and Brembo sports brakes, “blending performance and off-road capability in one enthralling vehicle,” according to the launch information.
Land Rover would not confirm the Dakar competitor will be based on the Defender Octa, and added only that a comprehensive Defender competition development programme is already underway. This will culminate in a competitive test event during autumn 2025, followed by a full team launch ahead of Dakar 2026.
Ahead of that, the Defender will be involved in the 2025 rally as the event’s official vehicle partner. Twenty Defenders will support the event, transporting race officials and VIP media, while a further six “highly specialised” Defender recce vehicles will be used by Dakar rally organisers to plan the routes for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 events.
“I’ve called Dakar the Everest of motorsport,” said James Barclay, JLR Motorsport’s managing director.
“It will be an incredible adventure from both human and engineering perspectives, and the team are already working hard to develop Defender within the new ‘Stock’ FIA W2RC rules for 2026 that will make for such a competitive category. We along with the FIA, ASO and other manufacturers have helped shape these new regulations, which represent an exciting new chapter for the Dakar, W2RC and Rally Raid in general.”
Mark Cameron, Defender managing director, added: “There’s much work to do over the next 12 months, but with Defender works programme testing and development well under way, the team are already embracing the ultimate motorsport adventure that lays ahead from 2026.”
Related articles
- If you were interested in Land Rover taking on the Dakar rally with its Defender 4×4, you might like to read about what it was like trying out the Defender Octa’s pulsating seats, which stimulate passengers in time to the beat
- Read more about the most powerful Defender ever: new Land Rover Defender Octa
- And check out our review of the Land Rover Defender 130, the long wheelbase version of the 4×4
Latest articles
- Land Rover to take on brutal Dakar rally with Defender off-roader
- Best five small cars (superminis) to buy in 2025
- Best five large SUVs to buy in 2025
- Extended test: Genesis Electrified GV70 2024 review
- Best five sports cars to buy in 2025
- Best five mid-sized family cars to buy in 2025
- How to store a classic car for winter
- Vauxhall Frontera 2024 review: Old badge resurrected for budget Dacia Jogger rival
- Car finance scandal: Barclays loses challenge to overturn recompense ruling
