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7 reasons why Defender is tackling Dakar
Sand, heat and 5,000 miles of pain for all involved – this is why Defender has signed up for motorsport’s maddest adventure
Put simply, the Dakar is the daddy of desert races – an annual two week, 5,000-mile off-road race and the ultimate test of how much abuse a car and the human body can take. Sandstorms, searing heat, floods, fatigue – all waiting to ambush anyone brave enough to start. So why bother? There are many answers to this question, starting with the big one…
THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE
From the moment it was born, the new Defender pulled on its hiking boots, packed a rucksack and set forth around the world. Even during testing it travelled the equivalent of 30 times around the equator, hoovering up the miles so that future owners could hoover up many more – wherever they choose to venture. Exploration – and curiosity – is at the heart of the Defender mindset. If there’s a challenge to be met, the Defender steps up. So when the Dakar Rally comes calling, there’s only one thing to do.
NEW RULES
Some might ask, why now? Because until now, the rules didn’t really allow it. The Dakar is famed for its wild variety of machinery, from motorbikes to buggies, experimental racers and even six-tonne trucks. But not for more familiar metal. That changed with the introduction of a new category for production-based vehicles, governed by heavily revised regulations that keep cars closer to showroom specification. In other words: finally, a chance for Defender to show what it’s truly made of by taking a modified OCTA racing. As Defender Rally driver Stéphane Peterhansel says: “The World Rally-Raid Championship is the pinnacle of rallying and off-road competition, while Defender is an iconic and capable 4x4, so for me it’s the perfect match.”
TO DEMO ITS DURABILITY
“We made the decision to enter the World Rally-Raid Championship because it’s the ultimate stage to showcase Defender’s renowned capability and durability,” says Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender. Defender’s reputation for toughness is legendary. But while it’s one thing to cross a river or climb a ridge, it’s another to survive two weeks of face-melting heat, sand finer than talcum powder, and 500-mile days that punish every moving part. Of course, Defender can take you anywhere, and – most importantly – get you home again. Now it’s showing it can do it with the afterburners lit too. So if it can handle the intense Dakar battle, imagine where you’d trust it to take you.
BECAUSE IT’S THERE
It’s a bit of a cliché, but those same three words sent explorers up the world’s highest mountains, across the poles, and into the unknown. And for adventurous Brits the spirit of Sir Edmund Hillary still burns strong. “I’ve called Dakar the Everest of motorsport,” says Ian James, Defender Rally Team Principal and JLR Motorsport Managing Director said. “It will be an incredible adventure from both human and engineering perspectives.”
IT’S THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE
This isn’t adventure in the postcard-and-selfies sense – the Dakar Rally is the Ironman of automotive exploration. A blend of speed, endurance, problem-solving and sheer willpower. It’s about people and machines operating at their limit, where success depends on skill, stamina and nerve. In a world of GPS shortcuts and easy wins, Dakar remains gloriously analogue: a true test of mettle. It’s where adventure and competition meet, in the heat of the Saudi desert. And Defender is here for it.
IT ALREADY HAS A TASTE FOR IT
Since the 2025 event, Defender has served as the official support vehicle of the Dakar Rally. A fleet of 20 Defenders shuttled race officials, medics, VIPs and media across Saudi Arabia, from Bisha to Shubaytah – proving its reliability in the same punishing conditions the competitors face. Meanwhile, six specially adapted Defender recce vehicles were used by organisers to plan the race route for 2026, and will do the same in 2027 and 2028. That’s not just support. That’s groundwork.
DAKAR IS JUST THE START
The 2026 Dakar is the launchpad for Defender’s full World Rally-Raid Championship campaign. From the Sahara to South America, every event will test the Defender Dakar D7X-R – and its drivers and support crews – in the most extreme environments imaginable. Because for Defender, the Dakar isn’t a one-off stunt. It’s a long-term commitment to adventure, performance and endurance – in other words, everything the brand stands for.
Dakar is where it begins. But not where it ends.
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