Prepared Octa-model lined up for the 2026 Dakar Race competition
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to enter the competitive world of rally-raid racing with the development of a new Defender rally raid vehicle. The vehicle will compete in the Stock category of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
The Defender rally raid vehicle is being developed by a JLR works team, with James Barclay, who oversees Jaguar's Formula E program, leading the Defender rally raid program. The Defender nameplate is being transformed into a standalone brand focused on adventure vehicles, and this new rally raid vehicle is a key part of that transformation.
The Defender rally raid vehicle is based on the Defender Octa, retaining its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine, aluminum body structure, transmission, and drivetrain layout. The Defender Octa proved its mettle in the 2025 Dakar Rally, where the Toyota GR Hilux Evo driven by Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk won the Ultimate T1+ category. Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, driving another GR Hilux Evo, led the rally overall for nine stages.
The 2025 Dakar Rally was held in Saudi Arabia and concluded on January 17. The performance of the Defender rally raid vehicle may be influenced by the results of the 2025 Dakar Rally.
While there is no publicly announced person leading the Defender rally raid project for the W2RC 2026, it is likely that a prominent motorsport personality will take the helm if the project officially begins. Notable names in rally-raid include Sven Quandt, Bruno Famin, David Richards, Guerlain Chicherit, Orlando Terranova, Nasser Al-Attiyah, and Carlos Sainz, but none of these names are currently associated with a Defender works team.
Two vehicles will be entered in each round of the W2RC, except for the Dakar round, where a third vehicle will be added to the roster. The success of the Defender rally raid vehicle in the 2026 W2RC will be determined in part by the driver lineup, which has not yet been announced. New rules for 2026 will allow for increased performance in the Stock category.
The premier event for the W2RC is the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, where the Defender rally raid vehicle will aim to make its mark in the competitive world of rally-raid racing. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development in the world of motorsport!
