JLR tests Defender Dakar Rally entry ahead of 2026 series
Brand calls start of Morocco testing “a significant milestone”
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by Will Rimell
2 mins read
7 May 2025
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Jaguar Land Rover has begun testing its Defender Dakar D7X-R prototype ahead of the brand entering the Dakar Rally series next year.
Official pictures have been shown of the mule smashing through the sand in Morocco, which the British marque says will mirror the “extreme desert conditions” that awaits the team in the 2026 series.
The car will compete in the Stock category for production-based vehicles. Although purpose-built for the series, it uses the same D7x aluminium monocoque chassis (hence its D7X-R name), transmission and driveline layout as the standard car. Kit such as suspension, body work and more are very much expected to be bespoke – JLR said further details will be revealed later this year.
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JLR has also announced 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel and Rokas Baciuška as its first two drivers.
“Completing our first official test is a huge milestone and kicks off a busy calendar of testing activity on our journey to Dakar,” said JLR motorsport boss James Barclay. “The team are doing phenomenal work as we prepare for the world’s most challenging off-road race in just eight months’ time.”
The British marque will operate under a works team into the off-road endurance race, using Defender’s “extreme durability and capability in the most demanding motorsport competition on earth”, it said.
Further details on its entry in the “Everest of motorsport” will be revealed next year, said JLR motorsport boss James Barclay, who added: “Our first time ever with a factory entry into the Dakar means we are right at the beginning of our journey. We are conscious of how much we have to learn and achieve before taking the start in 2026, but we are already well under way and looking forward to the adventure,”
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The brand is now an official sponsor of the competition until 2028, which means it will provide a fleet of Defenders support vehicles, specially engineered for the race.
Mark Cameron, Defender brand boss, said: “Adventure is in the very DNA of the Defender brand, so we are inspired to partner with Dakar – the ultimate motorsport adventure – where competitors truly embrace the impossible.
“Our partnership begins in 2025 when Defender will showcase its capability and durability as the official car of the event, but we are already looking to the future and entering a Defender Dakar works team from 2026.”
The 47th edition of the iconic event – the sixth to be hosted in Saudi Arabia – will start on 3 January in Bisha, finishing on 17 January in Shubaytah.
