Desert Power: Secretive Defender Dakar D7X‑R Takes Flight Ahead of Rally Debut
In the dunes of Morocco under a blistering sun, Defender conducted the first test of its Dakar D7X‑R prototype ahead of its debut in the World Rally‑Raid Championship (W2RC) and the 2026 Dakar Rally. It’s the most gruelling (and sometimes deadly) off-road race in the world, so the team certainly has its work cut out for it.
The fearsome Defender Dakar D7X‑R, the company’s newly revealed works rally‑raid competitor, was put through its paces in Morocco by the GOAT of Dakar, none other than Stéphane Peterhansel. The 59‑year‑old has done the rally 35 times — on motorbikes and in cars — and has emerged victorious 14 times. Peterhansel is to the Dakar what LeBron James is to basketball or Tom Brady is to football. He’s the Picasso of driving fast and far over unfamiliar terrain.
“The World Rally‑Raid Championship is the pinnacle of rallying and off‑road competition, whilst Defender is an iconic and capable 4×4, so for me it’s the perfect match,” Peterhansel said. “I’m looking forward to entering the Stock category, and I’m excited to take it head on with this team. It’s been amazing to get behind the wheel of the Defender D7X‑R prototype for the first time in Morocco,” he added.
Peterhansel will be joined by up-and-coming Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuška, and American rally driver, motocross champion and X-Games medalist Sara Price.
“The testing and preparation work that is going behind the scenes is insanely impressive to see and I’m excited to get behind the wheel,” said Price, a California native. “I cannot wait to get started with the team.”
The Defender Dakar D7X‑R
The team’s prototype rally-raid machine was still carefully covered in camouflage whilst flying through the air, charging through scrub and surfing over sand during testing in Morocoo. Clearly, the team isn’t ready to give up all the D7X-R’s secrets just yet.
From what we can tell, however, the competition-ready D7X-R looks an awful lot like the new Defender OCTA: note the flared wheel arches and high-riding stance. (Surely, it can’t be a coincidence Defender just launched the OCTA?) Defender did confirm its 4.4‑litre twin‑turbo V8 engine is under the hood, but they haven’t tipped their hand by telling us how much power and torque it’s putting out.
Inside, the cabin looks relatively familiar, at least compared to the purpose-built rally-raid prototypes we typically see at Dakar. The Defender has been fitted with a carbon-fibre roll-cage, racing seat and harness, but the standard steering wheel remains.
What makes the D7X-R so cool — and next year’s Dakar Rally so exciting — is that it’ll be running in the revamped “Stock” category for heavily production-based vehicles. The new rules allow these machines to run faster and harder, upping the ante. As Mark Cameron, managing director of Defender explained, the D7X‑R will be very closely linked to the production Defender. So much so that the body of the Rally raid model will be coming off the production line at JLR’s Nitra plant, sharing the same D7x aluminium body architecture, transmission and driveline layout as the Defender in your driveway.
It’s a testament not only to the extreme capability and toughness of the modern Defender, but also to the company’s belief in its SUV. Anyone who has ever driven the Defender off-road knows this thing is seriously over-engineered; but with the 2026 Dakar rally coming up in January, we’ll finally get to see just how capable the Defender really is.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be sharing these first images of the Defender Dakar D7X‑R prototype with the world. The team is really starting to take shape,” said Cameron. That’s good because there’s not much time left. The 2026 Dakar Rally takes place in January, which is just eight months away.
