Defender reveals Dakar D7X-R ahead of 2026 W2RC campaign

Defender Rally unveiled the Defender Dakar D7X-R for the 2026 W2RC Stock campaign, with a Dakar debut on 3 Jan 2026 in Saudi Arabia. See key specs and crews.

Defender Rally has unveiled the Defender Dakar D7X-R, presenting the team’s new rally-raid machine ahead of its first real test: the Dakar Rally, which begins on 3 January 2026 in Saudi Arabia. The car is Defender Rally’s official entry for a full 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) campaign, competing in the Stock category designed to keep key production DNA in place.

At the heart of the D7X-R sits the roadgoing Defender OCTA. Defender says the competition car retains the OCTA’s D7x body architecture, along with the production layout for transmission and driveline. The powerplant is also firmly rooted in the showroom model: a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. Under FIA rules it will run on advanced sustainable fuel, and while the engine remains mechanically unchanged, the final regulated output will be lower than the OCTA’s 635 PS, with the definitive figure expected to align with the publication of FIA homologation documents on 1 January 2026.

Stock rules may limit how far you can stray from production roots, but Dakar demands a car built for extremes. Defender Rally lists a package of changes aimed squarely at harsh rally-raid conditions: a wider track (a 60 mm increase), raised ride height, and a 35-inch tyre setup for clearance and stability off-road. Bodywork is reworked at the front and rear to preserve the OCTA’s design cues while improving approach and departure angles, with additional protection measures intended to cope with the impacts expected in competition.

Range and endurance are treated as central themes. The D7X-R carries a bespoke 550-litre fuel tank integrated into the rear of the vehicle, a nod to the long distances typical of rally-raid stages. Defender notes that some of last year’s longest off-road sections exceeded 800 km, underlining why fuel capacity and cooling can matter as much as outright pace.

Suspension is one of the headline talking points, with BILSTEIN joining as the team’s Official Shock Absorber Partner. Defender describes a motorsport damper system using a single coil-over at the front and parallel twin dampers at the rear. Cooling is also upgraded for desert heat: a single large radiator replaces the trio used on production vehicles, supported by four 12V fans, with further airflow and filtration measures intended to keep sand out of critical intakes.

Beyond the hardware, Defender Rally is leaning into robustness and control. Electronics are managed via a single motorsport control unit with in-house calibrations, and the team has developed a dedicated Flight Mode to adjust torque delivery whenever the D7X-R is airborne, aiming to smooth landings and protect the driveline during dune jumps.

Three crews are set for the Dakar debut: Stéphane Peterhansel with Mika Metge; Rokas Baciuška with Oriol Vidal; and Sara Price with Sean Berriman. Defender Rally also states it has already completed more than 6,000 km of off-road testing with the car in prototype form. With a new desert-inspired Geopalette livery and a season-long W2RC plan, the project now moves from reveal to reality—starting with the event that typically exposes every weak point in both human endurance and mechanical design.