GAYDON (INGHILTERRA) (ITALPRESS) – The Defender Rally team is in Saudi Arabia and is ready to debut in the competitive Dakar Rally 2026 that will kick off on January 3, the first test of the World-Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) 2026. the legend of the Dakar Stèphane Peterhansel with Mika Metge; the determined Rokas Baciu.ka flanked by Oriol Vidal and the pioneer Sara Price with Sean Berriman. On the eve of the beginning of Dakar, Defender Rally announces two new partners: YETI and Bell & Ross. Defender Rally will also bring the Defender Dakar D7X-R on Fortnite and Rocket League. From 3 to 17 January, with only one day of rest, the pilots will face almost 5,000 km of special tests timed on extreme terrain aboard the Defender Dakar D7X-R which, derived from the award-winning Defender OCTA, has been developed to compete in the category “Stock” of the W2RC: the ideal platform to showcase the capabilities of Defender. The Defender Dakar D7X-R presents changes that include an enlarged carriage, higher ground height, new suspensions and enhanced cooling to manage land and extreme weather conditions; but, in compliance with the strict regulations of the category “Stock”, remains strictly based on the Defender OCTA production. The shells of the Defender Dakar D7X-R are built on the same assembly line of the series car at the avant-garde JLR factory in Nitra, Slovakia, and adopt the same robust D7x architecture, as well as the same transmission scheme and the cinema chain of the Defender OCTA, the most performing Defender ever realized. It will also be driven by the same V8 4.4 litre biturbo engine that, mechanically unchanged, will be powered by advanced sustainable fuel. “We expect an epic challenge, both for humans and machines, and we look forward to leaving. Defender is the perfect competitor for the Dakar and the World-Rally Raid Championship, and the D7X-R has proven excellent performance in the tests. That said, although the goal is clearly to make all three of our drivers competitive, to complete the Dakar is already a huge milestone: we do not underestimate the difficulty of the adventure that awaits us. Thanks to the Defender Dakar D7X-R, our extraordinary line-up of drivers and the support of official partners and suppliers, we are ready!” said Ian James, Team Principal of Defender Rally.
photo: JLR Italia press office
(ITALPRESS).
