JLR announces Defender Dakar program

JLR will take part in the 2026 Dakar Rally as part of a wider multi-year partnership with the event.

The British company will compete with its Defender brand, which is now a brand in its own right following a restructuring announced in June that saw the former Jaguar Land Rover business become simply JLR, with the former Land Rover Defender, Discovery and Range Rover products becoming separate. brands, along with Jaguar. Apart from that, little is known about the project yet, with further details to be announced during the 2025 Dakar Rally in January.

“Adventure is in the Defender brand DNA, so we are inspired by our partnership with Dakar – the greatest adventure in motorsport – where competitors truly do the impossible,” said Defender managing director Mark Cameron. “Our partnership will begin in 2025, when Defender will demonstrate its capabilities and reliability as the official car of the event, but we are already looking to the future and joining the Defender factory team in Dakar from 2026.

“The Defender work program at Dakar will be led by James Barclay, Managing Director of JLR Motorsport, and I know James and his team are excited about the challenges ahead.”

The program will be JLR’s second factory-backed motorsport initiative, with its Jaguar brand currently competing in Formula E. It won both team and manufacturer titles last season but narrowly missed out on a hat-trick behind Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. beat Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy to take the drivers’ crown at the final round in London in July.

“Anyone who loves motorsport will be passionate about the Dakar,” Barclay said. “This is the Everest of motorsport and an event whose success depends not only on the determination of an individual in the most difficult conditions, but also on the ultimate test of vehicles and technical capabilities. Bringing the most powerful and iconic off-road vehicle in the world to the most iconic rally raid in the world is an ideal option.

“Our first entry into Dakar with the plant means that we are at the very beginning of our journey. We recognize how much we have to learn and achieve before we begin in 2026, but we’re already well underway and looking forward to the adventure. We will share more details about this exciting program at the Dakar Rally in 2025.”

JLR’s involvement in Dakar goes beyond participation in the competition, with Defender also supplying vehicles for officials and VIP media from next year’s event, and a fleet of specially prepared Defender reconnaissance vehicles will also be made available to officials for support. and try out future rally routes.

“We are thrilled to welcome Defender as the new Official Automotive Partner of the Dakar,” said Dakar Rally Director David Castera. “We are an iconic brand with a presence on every continent that shares our passion for adventure, performance and innovation.

“We are also pleased that Defender will accompany us throughout the year, providing vehicles for the organizing teams and for reconnaissance of the route. Their reliability and reliability will help us improve our day-to-day efficiency.”

The Defender’s addition to the Dakar rally line-up follows the expansion of factory efforts by Ford and Romanian marque Dacia, which will compete with programs led by M-Sport and Prodrive respectively from next year.

The 2025 Dakar Rally will begin on January 3 and will be the 47th rally and the fifth to be held in Saudi Arabia.

The jewel of the rally raid moved from Dakar to Senegal after the 2007 competition, following political unrest in Mauritania. In 2008, the seven-stage Central European Rally was considered the Dakar, and a year later the event was revived in Argentina and Chile. He remained in South America until 2019 and then settled in the Middle East in 2020, where he has remained since.