Can the Defender SUV Handle the Dakar Rally? We’re About To Find Out

This is going to be good. Defender is ramping up to enter the glorious, infamous, deadly Dakar Rally with a trio of production-based SUVs: in other words, Defender is doing Dakar the right way. Unlike other car companies, the British marque is not heading into the unforgiving deserts of Saudi Arabia with an exotic, purpose-built prototype. Instead, Defender will be fielding a three-SUV team in the Dakar’s updated “Stock” category for production vehicles beginning in 2026.

“We have chosen to compete in the ‘Stock’ category to showcase the toughness and dependability of the production Defender vehicles,” said Mark Cameron, Defender’s managing director. Make no mistake, this is the toughest test the new Defender will ever face.

““It will be an incredible adventure from both human and engineering perspectives.”

James Barclay, JLR’s managing director for motorsports, on entering the Dakar Rally.

The road to the Dakar Rally for the British marque starts right now, quite literally. This year’s Dakar Rally is running as you read this, from January 3 to 17. The event has hundreds of competitors racing 7,700-kilometre across the toughest terrain Saudi Arabia has to offer, from dry lakebeds to cactus-lined trails to the towering sand dunes of the Empty Quarter. (The Dakar is often called the toughest race on Earth for a reason, you know.)

To make things ever harder, competitors must navigate this barren terrain without the help of GPS directions and instead use a complex system of odometers and distance-based turn-by-turn instructions. Getting lost is a very real possibility. Getting killed is certainly not out of the question. It’s likely that roughly one-in-three teams who start the race won’t even make it to the finish line. The Dakar is a test of endurance, skill, ingenuity, pain tolerance, and pure grit as much as it is a test of a vehicle.

“I’ve called Dakar the Everest of motorsport,” said James Barclay, JLR’s managing director for motorsports. He was on location in Saudi Arabia for the start of this year’s Dakar Rally to announce Defender’s entry.

Barclay also explained that a fleet of 20 Defender vehicles are already on-site supporting the rally, transporting race officials and VIP media. Not only that, but the company has offered up six “highly specialized” Defender recce vehicles to the Rally’s organizers, who will use them to plan routes for the 2026, 2027, and 2028.

“Being here today to once again see the prologue stage kick‑off reinforces the challenge we face,” said Barclay. “It will be an incredible adventure from both human and engineering perspectives, and the team are already working hard to develop Defender vehicles within the new ‘Stock’ FIA W2RC rules for 2026 that will make for such a competitive category.”

This is “the right way” to do the Dakar, Barclay told the assembled media. Building JLR’s competition Rally-Raid machine on the production Defender makes it more authentic, he continued.

As one of the original off-roaders and a favourite of adventurers for decades, we like the Defender’s chances. Plus, Land Rover has a long history in the Dakar. It was a Range Rover, which, in 1979, became the first car to finish the Dakar.

Of course, the new Defender is a much more advanced machine; the company is banking on the fact the vehicle’s off-road chops will be a great base from which to build a Rally Raid weapon. As the company explains, “Defender’s inherent capability and purpose‑engineered D7x architecture is based on a lightweight aluminum monocoque construction to create a stiff body structure. It is three times stiffer than traditional body‑on‑frame designs, providing perfect foundations to help withstand the challenging conditions that Dakar will provide.”

The new Defender works team isn’t just entering the Dakar Rally though. Nope, the team will field two vehicles through the full FIA World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) campaign. This year the championship includes rallies in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Portugal, and Morocco.

It’s the ultimate adventure, and a perfect fit for Defender. We can’t wait to see the Dakar-ready Defenders up close, but so far the company isn’t spilling any details. Any development is happening behind closed doors — for now.

“I’m looking forward to bringing you more news soon of our Rally Raid competition‑spec Defender vehicle that’s in development,” said Barclay.

We’ll be watching this space.

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