Defender Rally
Castrol partners with Defender Rally to take on the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Driving innovation, endurance, and performance.
Castrol partners with Defender Rally
Castrol has partnered with Defender Rally since 2025. In their debut year, Defender Rally conquered the world’s toughest off-road challenge, winning the 2026 Dakar Rally Stock class as Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal drove the Defender Dakar D7X-R to victory.
We offer over 30 years of high-performance fluid expertise – proven through our successful collaboration with JLR and Jaguar TCS Racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Together, we’ll continue to push boundaries, accelerate innovation, and return with insights that will shape the future of Defender Rally and JLR Motorsport.
Castrol becomes official partner for Defender Rally
The Defender Dakar D7X-R will be equipped with Castrol lubricants and greases, ensuring performance during the five challenging events, including the demanding Dakar Rally.
The 'Everest' of motorsport
The W2RC calendar begins with the iconic Dakar Rally. Spanning over thousands of kilometres of desert, dunes, and rock. Testing the endurance potential of both machine and human.
Defender’s entry into the W2RC in 2026 reinforced its reputation for rugged capability – and demonstrated it with a Dakar Rally win in its debut year. The production-based race car is built to conquer any obstacle, with Castrol’s advanced products used as first-fill in production Defenders and supplying all lubricants and greases for the Defender Dakar D7X-R , including Castrol EDGE engine oil. It’s a winning partnership, driven by technical innovation.
Engineered for the extreme
The new Defender Dakar D7X‑R is based on the production model’s lightweight aluminium monocoque – purpose-engineered to mirror the tough body architecture of the D7x. Powered by a 4.4 L twin‑turbo V8 derived from the Defender OCTA, the vehicle has undergone rigorous testing across relentless Saharan terrain.
Legendary Dakar 14x champion Stéphane Peterhansel, and rising talent Rokas Baciuska, will lead the charge for Defender Rally in W2RC – unchartered territory where the limits of performance will be pushed.
