Defender attacks Dakar with a factory team
British adventure brand Defender will be the official automotive partner of the Dakar Rally from 2025, and from 2026 will enter a manufacturer team in what is believed to be the toughest rally raid event in the world.
The partnership begins with the 2025 Dakar Rally (January 3–17) and will continue until 2028, providing a significant fleet of Defender event support vehicles designed to transport officials and VIP media throughout the race. In addition to this, Defender will provide six specialist reconnaissance vehicles for Dakar Rally organizers to test future routes.
Alongside its role as Official Car Partner from 2025, Defender has confirmed its desire to participate in 2026 with a manufacturer team. Entering the race in the most challenging off-road competition in the world, the British adventure brand will prove its extreme capabilities and endurance. More details on the race program will be announced during the Dakar Rally 2025.
Mark Cameron, Defender Managing Director, said: “Adventure is in the very DNA of Defender and that is why we are inspired to partner with the Dakar – the ultimate motorsport adventure where participants face the impossible.
Our partnership begins in 2025 when the Defender will demonstrate its capabilities and durability as an official car at the event, but we are already looking to the future and our involvement with a manufacturer team in 2026. The Defender Official Dakar Team will be led by James Barkley, Managing Director of JLR Motorsport, and I'm sure James and his team are inspired by the challenge ahead."
In 2025, the fleet of Defender cars will follow the competitors of the Dakar Rally 2025 in the 47th edition of the event and the 6th to be held in Saudi Arabia, on a course stretching from Bisha to Shubaytah. The epic route includes a three-day challenge through the Rub al-Khali desert, where the race will reach its finale.
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