Land Rover Will Prove Its Off-Road Prowess In The Toughest Environment

Land Rover will field two Defender teams in the 2026 FIA World Rally Raid Championship (plus a third in the fearsome Dakar Rally) as part of a three-year commitment to the racing series. Technically, it’s Defender entering, not Land Rover, since the model name has been spun off as its own brand. The schedule hasn’t yet been confirmed, but the automaker says it will compete in all five rounds, with the car’s first appearance in January 2026 at the Dakar Rally. The Defender will compete in the “Stock” category for production-based vehicles, making it a great marketing tool for the premium SUV.

Punishing Environments

The racing series – also known as WR2C – was formed in 2022 and is administrated by the Amaury Sport Organization, a group that has managed the Dakar Rally since its inaugural year in 1978. Although the 2026 roster is still to be determined, WR2C 2025 includes the season opener at Dakar happening right now – with rally legend Carlos Sainz competing – as well as the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the South African Safari Rally, the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, and the Rallye du Maroc. Most of the races are around 1,000 or 1,500 miles long, although Dakar winds its way through nearly 5,000 miles of Saudi Arabian desert and special stages.

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The so-called Stock class will see some changes for 2026, with the FIA collaborating with Land Rover and other manufacturers to alter the rules to keep the vehicles competitive. Based on production vehicles but with an as-yet-undetermined amount of modifications, the class changes were developed in response to concerns that the existing production-based classes were getting outgunned on the WR2C stage by tougher, more specialized competitors. It’s not clear what other automakers will compete in the 2026 Stock class besides Land Rover, although Toyota currently fields a stock-looking 300-Series GR Sport Land Cruiser for the 2025 season in the production-based T2 class. Toyota has a habit of securing wins at the Dakar Rally, so it’ll be one to watch.

Heading Into The OCTAgon

It’s also unclear which Land Rover variants will see duty in WR2C 2026, but it seems likely that it’ll take at least a few cues from the high-speed, high-performance Defender OCTA. Featuring a wider stance, more ground clearance, and a BMW M-sourced 4.4-liter V8 with 626 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, the OCTA seems like a natural starting point for a desert racer. That said, the automaker might play it a bit safer and use one of its older powertrains, like an Ingenium six-cylinder diesel.

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Depending on what modifications are permitted in the Stock class, Land Rover might base its race rig on the strengthened, widened body shell of the OCTA. It might then add the 3.0-liter diesel inline-six – which in production form produces 296 hp and 479-lb-ft – giving the racer better fuel economy and slightly more proven mechanical performance. After all, Land Rover has been building the Ingenium engine family for nearly a decade, while the twin-turbo BMW motor is relatively new to the automaker.