Defender Rally Prepares for Dakar 2026 Debut in W2RC

Defender Rally, presented by Land Rover, begins its Dakar Rally debut in 2026 as part of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship Stock category. Learn more.

Defender Rally is set to face one of the toughest challenges in global motorsport as it makes its competitive debut at the Dakar Rally on January 3, 2026. The event also marks the opening round of the new FIA World Rally-Raid Championship season, signalling the start of a long-term factory programme rather than a one-off appearance.

In Saudi Arabia, Defender Rally will field three Defender Dakar D7X-R cars, combining experience and ambition in its driver line-up. Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel, W2RC title contender Rokas Baciuska and American racer Sara Price will each take on nearly 5,000 kilometres of timed stages across extreme terrain, with just a single rest day during the two-week rally.

The Defender Dakar D7X-R is derived directly from the production Defender OCTA and competes in the Stock category, designed for production-based vehicles. Its aluminium D7x body architecture, transmission layout and 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine remain fundamentally unchanged, in line with the regulations. At the same time, the car features key adaptations for rally-raid competition, including a wider track, increased ride height, revised suspension and enhanced cooling systems.

All D7X-R bodyshells are built on the standard Defender production line at JLR’s Nitra facility in Slovakia, underlining the project’s close link to the road-going model. The use of an advanced sustainable fuel, as defined by FIA regulations, further aligns the Dakar programme with the championship’s evolving technical framework.

Competing in the newly updated Stock category places the emphasis on durability and real-world capability rather than outright prototype performance. Within the team, expectations remain realistic: while competitiveness is the aim, simply finishing the Dakar is widely regarded as a major achievement in itself.

Ahead of the start, Defender Rally has strengthened its partner portfolio with the addition of YETI and Bell & Ross, joining existing partners Castrol and Bilstein. The programme also extends beyond the physical rally stages, with the Defender Dakar D7X-R set to appear in Fortnite and Rocket League, bringing the Dakar story into digital culture.

The 2026 Dakar marks the first step in Defender’s three-year commitment to the World Rally-Raid Championship, running through to 2028. How the D7X-R performs across the Saudi Arabian stages will provide an early indication of how far a production-based Defender can be pushed in one of motorsport’s most demanding arenas.