JLR Defender to enter Dakar Rally in 2026

JLR will be providing a fleet of Defenders to act as support vehicles - all specially engineered for the race.

British marque, JLR, has announced that its Defender brand will enter the Dakar Rally series in 2026.

The British car brand will enter as a works team from the 2026 season, using a Dakar race-spec version of its Defender SUV. Further details of the team's entry will be announced next year. James Barcley, JLR Motorsport boss, stated, "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 underway and looking forward to the adventure."

Apart from participating in the Dakar Rally, the Defender brand has also announced a multi-year partnership with the competition, making it Dakar Rally's official sponsor between 2025 and 2028. This means JLR will be providing a fleet of Defenders to act as support vehicles - all specially engineered for the race.

Mark Cameron, boss of the Defender brand, stated, "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."