- Defender Rally brought all three crews and cars to the finish at the 2026 bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, showcasing the impressive capability and reliability of the Defender Dakar D7X-R
- Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge took the victory in the Stock class, with an overall time of 11:57:33
- Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal, and Sara Price and Sean Berriman finished in second and third respectively, with all three cars outperforming expected pace
- Defender Rally competed in the ‘Stock’ class for production-based cars, and raced in the Defender Dakar D7X-R, which is derived from a Defender OCTA
- The Defenders lined up with comparable timings to the Ultimates, showcasing the impressive pace of the D7X-R and intricate skill of drivers and co-drivers
- The next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship takes place at the Desafio Ruta 40, Argentina, from 24-29 May 2026
Defender Rally has successfully brought all three crews and cars to the finish at the 2026 bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, with Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge taking the overall win in the Stock class with a time of 11:57:33. In a race renowned for its technical, fast, and hazardous terrain, the Defender Dakar D7X-R showcased its impressive capability and reliability.
Fellow teammates Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal finished in second place (12:00:02), whilst Sara Price and Sean Berriman came in third (13:09:58) in the Stock class rankings, after five days of racing in highly-variable conditions including mud, water, trees and tight tracks.
In the final stage of the rally (Stage 5), Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal placed first with a time of 1:07:39, followed by Sara Price and Sean Berriman, and finally Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge.
The three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs covered a combined total of 6,600km, with routes traversing Portugal and Spain. In every stage, the Defender crews ranked among the timings of the Ultimates, showcasing the impressive speed and capability of the car in brutal conditions. In the Car category overall, the Defender drivers ranked 16th (Peterhansel), 17th (Baciuška) and 30th (Price).
Stéphane Peterhansel, Defender Rally Driver, said: “We finished third today, but it was enough to keep the first position overall which is the most important thing. It’s a really good feeling, but I’m really prouder of the work of the team. We know that this is a new project with Defender in the World Rally-Raid Championship. The Dakar Rally was perfect for the team, but here it was a completely different condition of track, more rain, more humid, a little bit more narrow. So, the team did a really good job. This is why I’m really proud. They adapt the car to the condition of the route, and it was not an easy job for the team. They worked hard for this. It’s a great feeling for me, but also for the team.”
Rokas Baciuška, Defender Rally Driver, said: “We got P1 in the final stage today and managed to gain back 1:25 over the last 100 km, but it still wasn’t enough for the overall win – we were a few minutes short. That’s how short rallies go – one mistake can cost a lot. But congratulations to Stéphane and Mika on the win in Portugal! They had a really strong pace all week. A big thanks to the team for the work, preparation and great atmosphere. And of course, thanks to Oriol – great job throughout the rally. We take important championship points and move forward. Next stop – Argentina in a couple of months!”
Sara Price, Defender Rally Driver, said: “Today’s stage was a blast. We had an amazing day and great pace. We had two corners that we didn’t quite make, and then took a while to get into reverse, so we wasted about 30 seconds there, but I have to say, Rokas was faster than me today. We were very close, and it made for some really good racing.”
Defender Rally’s race car, the Defender Dakar D7X-R, is based on the production Defender OCTA, the most capable Defender. The bodyshells are built on the same production line and it carries the same transmission, driveline layout, and D7x body architecture as the OCTA. It is modified to meet FIA regulations and to handle the extremes of W2RC competition, with adjustments such as enhanced cooling, new suspension and wider track.
Throughout the Portuguese event, Defender Rally was supported by Official Partners Castrol, YETI, Bilstein and Bell & Ross, along with official suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars.
Ian James, Team Principal, Defender Rally, said: “What an incredible performance from all three of our Defender Rally crews, especially Stéphane and Mika who took first place in the Stock class. Portugal offers a terrain like no other in the W2RC, consisting of tight tracks, fast routes, and a plethora of difficult terrain. The performance of the Defender Dakar D7X-Rs in said conditions goes to show the impeccable engineering, versatility and durability of Defender, and to be so close to the pace of cars in the Ultimate class exemplifies it perfectly. The engineers and mechanics have worked tirelessly to ensure the cars are in the best possible set-up for each stage, and it’s paid off. We’ve got lots of learnings to take forward to round three.”
Defender Rally will compete at the next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship at the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina from 24-29 May 2026.
