Jeffrey AronsonEnthusiasts know already that their Land Rovers stand for “adventure,” a term that JLR now reserves for the Defender family lineup. For the North American market, never included off road rallying, but in other world markets, Land Rover participated and promoted their participation in internationally-acclaimed rallies such as the Paris-Dakar. Indeed, Roger Crathorne drove a Range Rover to victory in the inaugural 1979 rally.
Land Rover moved away from works team competitions under its different corporate ownership, but in 2025, it stepped back into international competitions by providing support Defenders for the most recent DAKAR and extending through 2028. The fleet of six Defenders will also test routes in Saudi Arabia for future events.
The next move will begin in 2026 when a Defender works team will compete in the event. James Barclay, JLR’s Motorsport Managing Director, called the Dakar “the Everest of motorsport, the ultimate test of vehicle and engineering capability.”
JLR hinted at its interest when it linked up with Bowler Motorsports in 2012, and then bought them out in 2019. While the Bowler nameplate has disappeared, the expertise and talent applied to the Defender L316 will be applied to the Defender L663.
Closer to home, the Rebelle Rally will see multiple Land Rover teams in this October’s event. As we go to press, Rebelle veterans Liza Beres (CA) and Jenna Fribley (OR) will compete a ’22 Defender L633 prepared by Sarek Autowerk. Stephanie Kowall (CA) will return in a Defender 130 L663. Thayer Gray (CO) will return in an LR4, as will Karen Hoehn (CA) for her 10th Rebelle. We hear that there might be two teams running a Discovery II – with rumors of additional Land Rover teams registering for this women-only rally.
While it’s exciting that JLR promotes the Defender in international rallies, don’t forget the Discovery and all it accomplished during the Camel Trophy heydays. The Discovery desperately needs a refresh towards functionality and purpose within the “House of Brands”. Wouldn’t a challenging rally provide a perfect venue for a Discovery 6?
Jeffrey Aronson
Editor
