Two weeks. Thirteen stages. Nearly 5,000 kilometres of desert, rock, dunes, fatigue and attrition. And at the end of it all, Defender stands on the top step.

In its first-ever Dakar Rally entry, Defender has won the Stock class of the Dakar Rally. Not quietly. Not by survival alone. But by finishing first and second in the toughest production-based category in rally-raid.

A Debut Written in Results

The winning crew, Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal, secured the Stock class victory with a cumulative time of 58 hours, 9 minutes and 45 seconds. Teammates Sara Price and Sean Berriman completed the rally in second position, while Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge brought their car home in fourth.

For a debut factory programme, the numbers are stark. Across the 13 stages, Defender Rally crews achieved a 1-2-3 result on ten occasions. Between them, the three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs covered more than 24,000 kilometres of competition and liaison across Saudi Arabia.

This was not a learning exercise. It was a statement.

Stage 13: Finishing the Job

The overall win was sealed on the final day. Baciuška and Vidal claimed victory on Stage 13 in a time of 55 minutes and 51 seconds, with Peterhansel and Metge close behind, and Price and Berriman completing the podium positions for the day.

The order reflected the wider rally. Pace without panic. Pressure without mistakes. And three cars reaching the finish line together.

Built From Production, Tested by Dakar

At the centre of the victory is the Defender Dakar D7X-R, competing in the Stock category for production-based vehicles. The relevance of that classification has grown with every stage.

Each D7X-R begins life on the same body assembly line in Nitra, Slovakia, as a customer Defender. It retains the aluminium D7x architecture, transmission layout and driveline of the Defender OCTA, along with the mechanically unchanged 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. Competition modifications are functional and regulated: wider track, increased ride height, uprated suspension and enhanced cooling to survive W2RC conditions.

Dakar does not reward theory. Over two weeks, the Defender formula proved itself the hard way.

Voices From the Finish Line

Rokas Baciuška did not hide the scale of the moment.

“Dreams come true, you know, and it was my dream to win Dakar. For the first year for Defender, it’s amazing. Our mechanics did a great job – what they do is unbelievable, working every day until early in the morning to prepare the cars for the next stage. I give my thanks to them, the engineers, the entire team because without them, we would not be here. It’s great to be P1 and P2.”

For Sara Price, the emotional weight of the finish mattered as much as the result.

“Dakar Rally was just incredible. We had a goal at the final stage to get to the finish line as a team together. So to see the whole Defender team sitting there at the finish line and all their excitement and emotions, it just shows what this is all about and what it means. To get this team to the finish line in P1 and P2 is just, wow, incredible.”

Peterhansel, fourteen-time Dakar winner and no stranger to perspective, summed it up with characteristic honesty.

“Overall, it was a Dakar with full emotion – sometimes up, sometimes down. The main target was to win the Stock class, and Rokas finished first and Sara second. For me, it’s not exactly the result I expected, but I’m super happy because it was a really nice Dakar with a super good team and team spirit.”

A Team Victory

Behind the drivers, the scale of the operation never wavered. Nights spent rebuilding cars. Early mornings. No shortcuts. Consistency over heroics.

Managing Director Mark Cameron described the finish as a moment that will take time to settle.

“I feel exhilarated, amazed, and I can’t believe it. To see the three Defenders come over the line together, it’s the culmination of an incredible team effort. To win in our first race and also come second in such style – the team spirit has been incredible.”

Team Principal Ian James echoed that sentiment.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team. Not only that we’ve won Dakar, but the manner in which everybody has pulled together throughout has been outstanding. A huge congratulations to Rokas and Oriol, and to every member of the team who made this possible.”

What Comes Next

The Dakar Rally was the opening round of the World Rally-Raid Championship. Defender Rally’s season continues at the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal from 17–22 March 2026.

Dakar has been conquered. The championship continues. And Defender’s first chapter in rally-raid history has been written in permanent ink.

About Defender Rally

Defender has always traded on the idea of going where others stop. Defender Rally takes that philosophy to its logical extreme, proving capability, reliability and endurance in the most demanding environments motorsport can offer.

In 2025, Defender became the official vehicle partner of the Dakar Rally, a partnership confirmed through 2026, 2027 and 2028. From 2026, the programme steps up further, with Defender entering the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) in the Stock category as part of a planned three-year factory campaign.

The Dakar Rally remains the ultimate test of Defender’s core attributes. The competition car retains the same purpose-engineered D7x body architecture as the production Defender, based on a lightweight aluminium monocoque that delivers exceptional stiffness and durability. Power comes from the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 used in the Defender OCTA, chosen for its drivability and resilience under sustained load.

Although Defender did not compete at Dakar until 2026, its involvement began a year earlier. At the 2025 event, a fleet of 20 Defenders supported the rally as official vehicles, transporting race officials and VIP media from the start in Bisha to the finish in Shubaytah. In addition, six highly specialised Defender reconnaissance vehicles are being used by Dakar organisers to plan routes for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 events.