At precisely 12:35 in the below video Jack says the Dakar car will be based off the OCTA:

 

There is also an official press release from JLR stating that the OCTA will be the base for the Dakar Defender.

 

Oh.
https://media.landrover.com/news/202...pionship-entry
Lol they are using a BMW V8 not an LR developed engine

 

JLR has been using the BMW V8 since the introduction of the new Range Rover.
And the OCTA was the first Defender to use the BMW V8. So, no surprise...

 

Why not? This is how the industry works no surprise. We have the V8 RRS with the BMW engine and it is fantastic. The New Aston Martin Vantage uses the Mercedes AMG engine and some BMWs use GM transmissions

 

I've always hated that 4.4 BMW V8. Sure its incredibly powerful and surprisingly efficient, but it has absolutely zero character. Torque delivery is almost EV-like and it sounds like garbage. Super quiet and isolated. Not to mention they're notoriously unreliable. The old 5.0 supercharged V8 is a much better engine and better suited to the Defender IMO.

 

I totally agree.
I drove the 5.0l V8 in my 2020 RRS and loved it. I was going to switch to the new RRS with the 4.4l BMW V8, but after driving it for 2 weeks I decided to return it. No character compared to the JLR V8.
I settled for the Defender V8 with the 5.0l engine. This engine is so much fun!

 

Here's a great article showcasing the Defenders used as Dakar rally support vehicles this year. Pictures of the vehicles are finally making their way out of the desert.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/chasin...how-good-it-is

 

Here's a link to the official JLR Defender Media Center's OCTA Dakar announcement:

https://media.landrover.com/news/202...pionship-entry

 

2025 Dakar Defender Support Vehicles