Production-spec 110s support ambitious new Dakar Rally and Prodrive-backed team, Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX)
- Behind the scenes: New Land Rover Defender will play a vital role at the world’s most extreme motorsport event – the Dakar Rally – with a pair of production-standard models joining Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) as crew vehicles for its 2021 campaign
- Durable by design: Pair of Defender 110 models will provide on-event support for the team’s two drivers, medical crew and support staff across the punishing 13-day, 12-stage, 7,646-kilometre event
- Competition pedigree: Land Rover has a rich association with the event after a Range Rover won the first-ever Dakar Rally in 1979, before triumphing again in 1981
Land Rover’s most capable and durable 4×4 is taking on the ultimate all-terrain challenge with two Defender 110 support vehicles destined for the Dakar Rally 2021. The rally is one of the toughest sporting events in the world and the production-spec models will support ambitious new Dakar Rally and Prodrive-backed team, Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) throughout the 7,646 kilometres (4,751-mile) race.
The pair of New Defender 110 4x4s will have to negotiate extreme conditions, traversing desert dunes, mud, camel grass and rocks as they carry vital supplies, crew and equipment for the team and drivers. BRX’s driver lineup includes nine-time World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb, from France, and two-time Dakar Rally winner, Nani Roma, from Spain. The showroom-standard models will also provide essential support for crew members, who will camp, eat and sleep in the P400 models across 12 gruelling stages of desert driving.
The Indus Silver models are powered by Land Rover’s 400PS straight-six Ingenium petrol engine, featuring Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology, and are fitted with the Explorer Pack, which includes an Expedition Roof Rack, Raised Air Intake, Wheel Arch Protection and Exterior Side-Mounted Gear Carrier. In addition, a Deployable Roof Ladder provides easy access to a roof box, which will help BRX carry all the necessary kit.
Land Rover has a unique Dakar pedigree having won the inaugural event in 1979, and the rally remains the ultimate all-terrain endurance test. While the Defenders won’t be competing, they will have a vital role in supporting the team as they navigate their way across thousands of miles of punishing desert terrain. The fact these vehicles are unmodified is testimony to the intrinsic capability and durability of our legendary 4×4, which has undergone the most demanding engineering test and development programme in our history.
FINBAR MCFALL
JAGUAR LAND ROVER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR
