Fresh from a recent shakedown in Morocco, the latest Land Rover Defender Dakar D7X-R prototype strutted its stuff at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillclimb last weekend.
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Undergoing rigorous testing before its official entry into the 2026 Dakar Rally and World Rally-Raid Championship, the vehicle was showcased on the Hillclimb course and around the Off-Road arena with developmental design tweaks.
Set to compete in the updated “Stock” category for production-based vehicles, the Defender Dakar D7X-R is a competition version of the Defender 110 and comes fitted with race-ready upgrades. The updates include bespoke 17-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch tyres, increased track width and ride height, a heavy-duty steering rack built to motorsport specifications and a freer-flowing exhaust system.
Sponsored by Castrol and apparel company Shackleton, the Defender Dakar D7X-R was put through its paces by America's four-time Dakar stage winner Sara Price and France's legendary Stéphane Peterhansel, who has won the Dakar Rally 14 times. They were recently announced as official Defender Rally team drivers, joining Lithuanian race ace Rokas Baciuška.
“I’m looking forward to the next few months of preparations ahead of our entry to Dakar in the Stock category,” Peterhansel said after the event.
“To go back to the roots with a production car, and with Defender, which is the best off-road brand, I’m proud to be part of it. We will try to write a new chapter of history with Defender at Dakar. It’s going to be an adventure and opportunity to show what a production car can do.”
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