Defender Rally Series Heads To The Dunes of Morocco For The Ultimate Baja Rally Experience

Driver participants and their co-drivers will get to traverse 1,250 kilometres across Morocco in specially prepared 296 hp Defender 90 vehicles over 8 days

In September 2024, the Defender Rally Series will be heading to North Africa for the ultimate desert Baja rally experience, a first for the series. This 10-day event across the sand dunes of Morocco is meant to both train and challenge the driver and co-driver pairings, and represents the height of the multi-year driver development pathway where everyone from motorsport novices to those with rally or track competition experience can develop their rally skills and race at global events.

The Itinerary: 3-day Masterclass followed by a 5-day rally

The current Defender Rally Series drivers will be joined by newbies in the Defender 90, with the first timers able to hire the specially prepared competition vehicle for the eight days of driving. A 3-day Desert Rally Masterclass will be delivered by a professional team from the Defender Rally Series and Bowler, which includes seasoned all-terrain Dakar Rally competitors. Day one of the masterclass will give teams the opportunity to acclimatise to desert conditions and learn to drive safely and confidently over the smaller dunes. They’ll also run through safety and recovery training and see their route books for the first time. Day two will allow teams to take on taller dunes and practise route finding. The third and finally day of the masterclass will give teams a chance to string these elements together, including maintaining pace between small and large dunes.

The competitive event consists of conquering the remote and harsh landscape of Morocco, specifically the Merzouga Dunes, covering 1,250 km . The fleet of Defender 90s will form its own class, while competing alongside other rally-prepared vehicles. Each day will have two to three stages of racing. Being at the same race bivouac for the week, in the comfort of a luxury hotel, the Defender driver teams can enjoy some downtime in the beautiful surroundings after the day’s driving.

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The Rally Machine: 300 hp Defender 90 prepped with reinforced parts, a roll cage and 5‑point race harnesses

The Defender 90 vehicles used will be equipped with the same 296 hp 2.0-litre 4-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine, 8‑speed ZF automatic gearbox and advanced all‑wheel drive system as the production models; with addition of special monocoque bracing, a rally-spec gearbox cross member, stiffened gearbox, engine and radiator mounts, braced front and rear subframes and more. Alongside the standard safety features, it will also include an FIA internal roll cage, 5‑point race harnesses, an integrated and hand‑held fire suppression system, electrical cut‑off switches etc. The event will be supported by a professional safety team, a medical helicopter, off-road ambulances and emergency doctors. All vehicles will also be tracked using Stella, the premium tracking technology used by Baja World Championships, to ensure everyone stays on route.

Interested? A limited number of entries remain available for the event, running from 18 to 27 September 2024. For information on Baja Morocco, one can contact Rob Cooney, the Commercial Manager of Bowler Motors Ltd. And for information for the 2025 Defender Rally Series, visit bowlermotors.com.