Starting in 2025, Land Rover will be the official vehicle partner to the Dakar

Starting in 2025, Land Rover will be the official vehicle partner to the Dakar

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While Ford, Toyota, and other car companies have been official partners of the Dakar Rally in the past, Land Rover has now announced that its Defender will be the official vehicle partner to the event starting in 2025. The Defender Works team, meanwhile, is expected to compete in the event in 2026.  

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As we look forward to the 2025 Dakar Rally, which is set to run from January 3rd to 17th, Land Rover's partnership will extend through to 2028. During this period, a fleet of Defender SUVs will offer support for the event, providing transportation for rally officials and VIP media. Not that alone, the British marque will also offer six specialised recce Defender models to support officials of the Dakar organisation to test routes for upcoming Dakar events. 

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As for the Defender Works team, the participation will be led by James Barclay, the brand’s Motorsport Managing Director, and according to Land Rover, this will allow the team to showcase the Defender’s off-road capabilities come 2026. 

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“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. That Defender Dakar works programme will be led by James Barclay, JLR Motorsport Managing Director, and I know James and his team are inspired by the challenge that lies ahead,” says Mark Cameron, Defender Managing Director. 

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The 2025 Dakar Rally will be hosted in Saudi Arabia for the sixth time, with the course featuring an intense three-day trek through the Empty Quarter, a vast and unforgiving desert expanse that will test the endurance of both man and machine.

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