With 626 horsepower under the hood, the Land Rover Defender Octa is plenty fast. Whether it’s fast enough to bring home racing trophies remains to be seen, but Land Rover is going to try nonetheless. Starting in 2026, the off-road brand will race largely stock Defender Octas in the FIA World Rally Raid Championship, including Dakar.
By largely stock, we mean the race-prepped Defender will share its engine, transmission, and driveline with the production model. Rule changes for 2026 make the Stock production-based category more competitive, according to Land Rover. As such, the production body design is also retained, meaning you won’t see some radical dune-jumping SUV with a barely-there shell that sort of resembles a Defender.
“Defender competing in Dakar will be an incredibly exciting challenge,” said JLR Motorsport Managing Director James Barclay. “We had a vision for the future of production‑based vehicles in rally‑raid so it has been incredibly positive to align with the ASO, FIA, and other manufacturers and work collaboratively to create the new regulations for the ‘Stock’ category. We now have the right platform to authentically demonstrate the capability of Defender in the biggest challenge in off‑road motorsport.”
The Defender Ocra uses a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine with mild-hybrid assist. Torque peaks at 590 pound-feet, and when traction allows, Land Rover claims the Defender can reach 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Power goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
It takes more than power to succeed in off-road competition. Compared to a standard Defender, the Ocra is 1.1 inches higher, has a stance that’s 2.7 inches wider, and the chassis is stronger. Land Rover doesn’t specify whether the suspension will remain stock on the race vehicles, but the Stock category does allow for changes. It’s safe to assume there will be at least some upgrades to handle the rough terrain.
Land Rover will compete in the FIA World Rally Raid Championship with two vehicles and expand that to three for Dakar. Development for the race-prepped Defender is now underway with a full launch planned for later in 2025.
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