DEFENDER RALLY COMPLETES GRUELLING SAHARAN TEST OF FIRST COMPETITION‑SPEC DEFENDER DAKAR D7X‑R AS TEAM PRINCIPAL APPOINTED

Progressing from early prototypes, the competition‑spec Defender Dakar D7X‑R is now taking centre stage. The Defender Dakar D7X‑R shares the same robust D7x aluminium body architecture, transmission and driveline layout as the production Defender OCTA, and also its 4.4‑litre twin‑turbo V8 engine. The D7X‑R’s bodyshell was assembled on the production line at Defender’s state‑of‑the‑art Nitra Manufacturing Centre in Slovakia, before bespoke final build to ‘Stock’ rally‑raid specification was completed by the Defender Rally team in the UK. 
 

This first competition spec D7X‑R was put through its paces most recently in Erfoud, Morocco, where the team carried out the most significant test to date in their preparation programme. The aim of the Saharan desert test was to accumulate mileage on the D7X‑R, covering similar stage distances to those expected at the upcoming 2026 Dakar Rally, the hero event of the W2RC. The test began with shorter loops over smaller dunes, before building up to routes covering hundreds of kilometres spanning wadis and rugged plains, bumps and rocks, and faster sand tracks ‑ mirroring the terrain expected at Dakar.