Defender Confirms OCTA Model For Dakar Programme
Defender has confirmed that it will use the OCTA model when it joins the field for the Dakar Rally next year.
The British brand announced it would take part in the event in 2026 before entering the World Rally Raid Championship, with development now underway on a new competition-spec car based on the OCTA – which is the most powerful model in the Defender range.
The competition-spec Defender will share the same 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 engine as used in the road car having been designed for the new-look ‘Stock’ category for production based vehicles.
Whilst the likes of Toyota, Ford, Dacia and MINI compete in the T1 class for bespoke cars designed exclusively for use in rally-raid competition, the decision to enter the Stock category has been made to showcase the ‘extreme durability and capability’ of the Defender model.
“Taking on the most demanding rally-raid event in the world represents the ultimate test of our most extreme Defender to date,” Defender Marking Manager Mark Cameron said.
“We know that Dakar will be an immense challenge, but Defender OCTA combines huge performance with characteristic Defender capability and durability – the perfect foundations for what I’m confident will be a highly competitive rally-raid vehicle.”
An exhaustive test and development programme with the car is already underway ahead of a number of test events later in the year.
A number of Defender models were present during the 2024 Dakar earlier this month, with 20 cars used by organisers in a variety of roles.
