Land Rover signs legend Stéphane Peterhansel for Dakar 2026

Land Rover has announced that 14-time Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel has joined the new Defender Rally team set to take on the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), including the 2026 Dakar Rally.

The company says preparations for entering the toughest race on Earth are at an advanced stage after the prototype Defender Dakar D7X-R underwent testing in the deserts of Morocco recently.

Sixty-year-old French driver Peterhansel, whose record wins at the Dakar remain unbeaten, led the testing programme. He is partnered with 25-year-old rising star Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška in the Defender team. 

The new Defender Dakar D7X-R is a purpose-built challenger based on the production Defender Octa that was launched in SA in January. The company is taking advantage of a newly introduced “stock” category in the series in reply to the rising popularity of high-performance 4x4s and SUVs. 

The Defender Dakar D7X-R shares the same aluminium body architecture, transmission and driveline layout as production Defenders, including the 4.4I twin-turbo V8 engine of the range-topping Octa. The build of the official competition cars has started at JLR’s Nitra production plant in Slovakia.

“The team is doing phenomenal work as we prepare for the world’s most challenging off-road race in just eight months’ time. Stéphane Peterhansel brings a remarkable amount of practical experience to the team. His knowledge is going to be a huge asset to our programme,” said James Barclay, MD of JLR Motorsport.

“I am delighted to begin a new chapter with Defender. Despite competing in many Dakar Rallies before, both on bike and in cars, I’m looking forward to entering the stock category with this team,” said Peterhansel, widely known as “Mr Dakar” due to his remarkable achievements in the event.

An exhaustive test programme is planned before a full team launch later this year ahead of Dakar and the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship in 2026.