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DEFENDER RALLY AND CASTROL BECOME OFFICIAL PARTNERS AHEAD OF 2026 DAKAR RALLY AND WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP 
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DEFENDER RALLY AND CASTROL BECOME OFFICIAL PARTNERS AHEAD OF 2026 DAKAR RALLY AND WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP

10 July 2025

As prototype testing of the Defender Dakar D7X‑R continues, along with a public debut at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, Defender Rally has announced Castrol as the ‘Official Fluids Partner’ for its entry to the 2026 World Rally‑Raid Championship (W2RC). 

  • Castrol joins Defender Rally as Official Fluids Partner for the 2026 World Rally‑Raid Championship (W2RC)
  • The Defender Dakar D7X‑R rally car will be equipped with Castrol products to ensure ultimate performance during the challenging five‑round W2RC, including the demanding Dakar Rally
  • With extreme conditions of the Saudi Arabian desert at play, the Dakar Rally is the ideal environment for demonstrating high‑performance lubricants

Castrol is one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and has a rich history in motorsport. Castrol now joins Defender Rally supporting the team’s preparation for competing in the Stock category for production‑based vehicles in the 2026 World Rally‑Raid Championship starting with the Dakar Rally in January. 

Castrol – whose products are already ‘first‑fill’ on production Defenders – will supply all lubricants and greases for the Defender D7X‑R competition vehicles in a partnership that will continually work to develop new technical innovations.

The World Rally‑Raid Championship pushes vehicles to the limit, making it the perfect environment for testing, proving and learning. Castrol’s cutting‑edge lubricants will be put to the test in the harshest environments, with Defenders racing hundreds of miles per day through the toughest terrains and extreme temperatures. From the 48‑hour chrono stage of the Dakar Rally to the gruelling landscapes of Portugal, Argentina, Morocco and Abu Dhabi in the remaining rounds, Castrol will help to keep the competition cars at peak performance.  

Whilst performance is prioritised, both Defender Rally and Castrol are keen to maintain and develop road to rally technical knowledge transfer and vice‑versa. 

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Castrol is not only a trusted supplier for our production Defenders, but has years of experience in working with top‑performing motorsport teams. To now use the same Castrol lubricants in our Defender D7X‑R rally cars further strengthens the authenticity of us competing in the World Rally Raid Championship’s Stock category for production‑based cars.

“There’s no better event than the Dakar Rally to put Defender to the test, with its treacherous terrain, high temperatures and mammoth distances, and with Castrol now on‑board, we’ll be able to jointly test and develop the highest performance lubricants. The Defender Rally team are looking forward to working with Castrol on the W2RC programme and continuing our longstanding relationship with this new activity.

Mark Cameron
Managing Director of Defender

Further information

 Rose Jackson  

Global Communications and PR Manager, JLR Motorsport 

M: +44 (0) 7384 244015 

E: rjackso9@jaguarlandrover.com 

 

Matt Skelton 

Head of Communications and PR, JLR Motorsport 

M: +44 (0) 7468 473553  

E: mskelto2@jaguarlandrover.com  

 

Media website: www.media.landrover.com  

 

Social Channels: 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@defender    

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Defender     

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Defender    

Instagram: http://instagram.com/Defender   

Notes to Editors

Castrol has more than 30‑years of collaboration experience with JLR through a range of technical partnerships, including with Jaguar TCS Racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.  

About Defender 

Defender embraces the impossible. Each member of the Defender family is purposefully designed, highly desirable and seriously durable. A modern‑day hero that respects the past but at the same time anticipates the future.  

Available in 90, 110 and 130 body styles, with up to eight seats, each has a charisma of its own. 

As part of our vision of modern luxury by design, Defender 110 is available as an electric hybrid. 

Defender Hard Top means business, with 90 and 110 body styles for professional capability. 

The tough luxury Defender OCTA is the master of extreme performance – taking performance and capability to another level on and off‑road. 

A beacon of liberty that can trace its roots back to the first Land Rover in 1948, Defender is a brand that supports humanitarian and conservation work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Tusk Trust. 

The Defender brand is underpinned by Land Rover – a mark of trust built on more than 75 years of expertise in technology and world‑leading off‑road capability. 

Defender is designed and engineered in the UK and sold in 121 countries. It belongs to the JLR house of brands alongside Range Rover, Discovery and Jaguar. 

Defender Rally 

Defender embraces the impossible, and Defender Rally embodies this to the extreme, demonstrating the ultimate capability, reliability and endurance in the most challenging of environments.  

In 2025, Defender became the official car partner of the Dakar Rally. In 2026, Defender will also compete in the FIA World Rally‑Raid Championship (W2RC), entering the ‘Stock’ category.  

Defender’s capability is designed to take on the most challenging of conditions, with Dakar Rally being the ultimate test. The competition car retains the same tough, purpose‑engineered D7x body architecture as the Defender, based on a lightweight aluminium monocoque construction to create a stiff body structure, in addition to featuring the 4.4‑litre twin turbo V8 engine from Defender OCTA to provide exceptional driveability.  

While Defender will not compete in Dakar until 2026, it played a key role at the 2025 rally as the event’s official vehicle partner in the first of a four‑year agreement. A fleet of 20 Defenders supported the event, which began in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, and ended in Shubaytah, transporting race officials and VIP media. A further six highly specialised Defender recce vehicles will be used by Dakar Rally organisers to plan the routes for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 events. 

 Important notice 
JLR is constantly seeking ways to improve the specification, design and production of its vehicles, parts and accessories and alterations take place continually. Whilst every effort is made to produce up‑to‑date literature, this document should not be regarded as an infallible guide to current specifications or availability, nor does it constitute an offer for the sale of any particular vehicle, part or accessory. All figures are manufacturer’s estimates. 

 

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