Jure Rudolph
In recent years, British Land Rover has been labeled by many as a footballer's car manufacturer, as the brand has strayed somewhat from its once-famous off-road pedigree.
In 2019, the brand silenced the critics with the new generation Defender, which returned to the off-road roots of the brand. Today, at Land Rover, they have an obvious desire to prove themselves in one of the most difficult tests of harmony between man and machine: Dakar Rally.
Land Rover has revealed that they will tackle the Dakar in 2026, sending their in-house off-road specialist, the Defender, to the front line. In addition, Land Rover will be stocking the entire fleet of Defenders needed to run the competition at the Dakar, as they will also become the official car partner between the 2025 and 2028 seasons. So far we know that they will be providing six heavily modified Defenders for track inspection.
Historically, the Defender has always been a true, thoroughbred off-roader, and the new generation continues this story. But this will be Land Rover's first attempt at the dunes of the Dakar Rally, so it will be interesting to see how they fare. The brand has taken sports extremely seriously, as they have already put together an official working team for the Defender.
The official Defender works team is led by JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) Motorsport managing director James Barclay, who said of the Dakar entry: “For the first time in history, we are at the very beginning of our journey with a factory participation in the Dakar. We are aware of how much we still have to learn and achieve before we take off in 2026, but we are already well on our way and looking forward to the adventure.” He also said that additional information will only be revealed during the 2025 Dakar Rally itself. Let's hope that then we will also see some insight into the very appearance of the Defender in racing suit.
It is not yet known which version of the Defender will receive the honorary title of Dakar Rally racing car. But there is a chance that it will be the most powerful and robust member of the family, and that is the Defender Octa, which boasts its 4,4 horsepower 8-liter V635 engine borrowed from BMW, and and the key, of course, is also the upgraded chassis. But maybe they will choose another version or even release a new one, in short, unfortunately we will have to wait for that.
The 2025 Dakar Rally will take place in Saudi Arabia between January 3 and 17 and will be the 47th edition of the Dakar. The route will pass through the Great Arabian Desert, all the way from Biša to Šubajtah. Unfortunately, even then we won't see Defenders driving a breakneck slalom through the Arabian dunes and performing jumps that would be the envy of even ski jumpers. But it's okay, because other manufacturers will do it, which will definitely make the wait easier for us.
