JLR is in the process of transforming its Defender nameplate into a standalone brand focused on adventure vehicles, and as part of the transformation, the automaker will enter a Defender factory team in the grueling Dakar Rally in 2026.
The Dakar program will be run by JLR motorsports boss James Barclay, who currently oversees Jaguar’s Formula E program.
More details will be announced at the 2025 Dakar Rally, which runs in Saudi Arabia in early January, but in a statement released on Monday, Barclay said work on the Dakar program had already begun.
The latest Defender is already one of the most capable off-roaders currently on sale, especially in the extra-rugged Defender Octa guise unveiled earlier this year. However, JLR is likely to run a bespoke rally raid-style vehicle sharing a design and possibly some technology with the production Defender.
JLR to field Defender factory team in 2025 Dakar Rally
Audi, which won the 2024 Dakar Rally, has competed in recent years with a bespoke off-roader using a unique series plug-in hybrid powertrain. Ford is also gearing up to enter the 2025 Dakar Rally, using its own bespoke off-roader, dubbed the Raptor T1+. The T1+ in the name is a nod to the Dakar Rally’s T1 class. The class is open to non-production vehicles that meet FIA technical and safety standards, and is likely to be where JLR competes.
JLR’s plans to transform Defender into its own brand was first announced in 2023, when the automaker said it wanted to make Defender a standalone brand alongside new Range Rover and Discovery brands, as well as the existing Jaguar brand. As for the original Land Rover brand, JLR confirmed it wouldn’t disappear altogether, but failed to provide further details.
