In one of the least surprising motorsport news to be announced in 2025, Land Rover has confirmed that its 2026 W2RC rally car will be based on the new Defender OCTA. Sure, the diesel would probably have accomplished the rally raid mission very effectively, but nothing will capture the hearts and minds of motorsport like a twin-turbo V8. Especially when you’re running an extremely beautiful – and capable – car like the OCTA.
While the car will enter the new “stock” category for 2026, it’s not just a case of fitting a roll cage and tires to a 635-horsepower production car and hoping for the best. The Competition Defenders are now undergoing a year of development and testing to better prepare them for competition; BMW’s V8 engine, automatic architecture and basic eight-speed transmission – the much-lauded D7x platform – should remain, although expect some serious hardware changes elsewhere to handle the rigors of rally-raiding competition. The introduction of the Stock class at W2RC was a response to “the growing popularity of high-performance SUVs and SUVs,” so expect to hear more about the additional entrants in due course. Where World Rally stages were once the place to showcase the latest homologation car, perhaps now it will be the best off-roaders hitting the dunes and vying for sales supremacy.
It would certainly be brave to bet against OCTA, given its very specific remit to deliver the ultimate off-road Defender and Land Rover’s collaboration with the ASO and FIA (alongside other marques) in establishing the new registrations. Today’s press release says that OCTA’s customized geographic and kinematic design “made it the obvious choice to support the Defender Dakar program.”
James Barclay, Managing Director of JLR Motorsport, added: “We now have the right platform to authentically demonstrate the Defender’s ability in the greatest challenge in off-road motorsport. “We have a year of detailed preparation, testing and learning ahead of us to prepare for Dakar 2026. The team is already progressing by leaps and bounds and we are looking forward to “Definitely competing in both the Dakar and W2RC – the toughest off-road events in the world.”