The Defender model has introduced plans to enter the Dakar Rally in 2026 as a part of a three-year programme.
The British producer, a subsidiary of Land Rover, will area two examples of the favored Defender in all rounds of the World-Rally Raid Championship subsequent 12 months, with a further third automobile added to its line-up for Dakar.
Defender will compete within the Inventory class that’s reserved for manufacturing automobiles, though the sporting and technical rules will probably be up to date in 2026 to make the category extra aggressive and permit producers to indicate what they’re able to in a rally-raid.
Explaining the choice to enter Dakar within the Inventory division, versus the Final class that options prototypes from the likes of Toyota, Dacia and Ford, JLR Motorsport’s managing director James Barclay instructed reporters together with Motorsport.com: “For us to return with Final is just not genuine, the Defender is the unique off-road automobile.
“It was the primary four-wheel drive off-roader in historical past, so for us to return into motorsport, it isn’t like now we have to.
“It is provided that we are able to do it the correct method, and the correct method is to show the aptitude of our unimaginable Defender as a manufacturing automobile, if we include an area body automobile that appears like a Defender, it isn’t genuine in our opinion.
“We needed the problem to be about bringing our actual automobile to indicate what it’s able to, and to assist this imaginative and prescient.
“ASO and the FIA had to take a look at the rules and say, ‘OK, we have to enhance it’. The rules had been based mostly on a really outdated idea of a manufacturing automobile, and what we have executed is figure with the FIA and ASO to deliver the rules in step with the fact of what a contemporary manufacturing SUV is.
“The Defender is an aluminium structure, what we name the D7X platform for Defender, an aluminium monocoque development, 3 times stiffer than a standard conventional method of constructing an SUV.
“And the powertrains are additionally very fascinating, and we’ll share extra info on that later. Whenever you have a look at off-road sport, we predict there’s a large alternative, when you examine GT3 and GT4 in circuit racing, in 2000 when the class was created, there was little or no GT racing, and when you have a look at it now, GT racing is prolific with GT3 and GT4, whereas in off-road racing, there’s a large alternative.”
Defender has but to announce the drivers for its three-car assault for the Dakar, however mentioned it’s on the lookout for skilled runners to steer the programme. A feminine driver may be recruited as a part of its line-up.
Defender is already the official automobile accomplice for Dakar this 12 months and has provided 20 SUVs to ferry race officers and VIPs. An additional six modified Recee autos will be a part of the fleet to assist organise ASO plan the route for the 2026, ’27 and ’28 editions of the Dakar.
Defender mentioned it has already begun a complete growth programme with its new rally-raid contender and that it’s going to run the automobile in a aggressive atmosphere for the primary time in Autumn 2025.
This can precede the automobile’s maiden outing within the forty eighth version of Dakar in January 2026.
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