Defender Rally Team Sweeps Podium at 2026 Dakar Rally with New D7X-R Rally Rigs in Saudi Arabia

My husband, Andy Lilienthal, and I are avid rally enthusiasts. We love anything rally, including off-road rally, road rally, snow rally, stage rally, rally in North America, and even overseas rally. It’s the perfect union marrying vehicles, adventurous travel, meeting like-minded gearheads, and competition.

I went to the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia to cover the newly minted Defender Rally team as they entered three D7X-R rally rigs in the revamped Stock class. I attended this iconic global rally raid for Stage 2 and Stage 3 to see first-hand how this legacy brand faired with its maiden voyage at one of the world’s most grueling competitions.

Read on to see what transpired during my time with Defender in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. I promise, it’ll make you want to jump in head-first into rally, if even at a local level.

Dakar Rally Down Low

This year’s Dakar Rally (Jan. 3-17, 2026) was held in Saudi Arabia. The original rally began in Paris, France and went to Dakar, Senegal when the rally started in 1978. It was then known as the Paris-Dakar Rally. However, security threats in 2008 forced the rally to be cancelled.

The rally circuit started back up again in 2009, moved to South America, and adopted the name Dakar Rally. It stayed there from 2009-2019 and then moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.

The 2026 Dakar Rally had 812 competitors from 69 nations (including support crews). The competition boasted 433 vehicles. Of those competitors, 39 of them were women (including one of Defender Rally Team’s drivers, American Sara Price).

Nineteen of the total women competed in the Dakar Classic, the time-speed-distance regulatory side of Dakar(which was created in 2021).

Defender Rally Team Dominates

Defender is a core brand within Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). Defender came, they dominated, and they stole the slow. A trio of Defender teams drove specially built Defender Dakar D7X-Rs and earned 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th-place Stock class finishes after the grueling 13-stage desert rally raid completed.

Twenty-six-year-old Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuška and Spainard co-driver Oriol Vidal (#502) took top honors, Americans, Sara Price (driver) and Sean Berriman (co-driver), drove their #504 Defender Dakar D7X-R to a second-place class finish. French duo co-driver, Mika Metge, along with legendary driver Stéphane Peterhansel in #500 D7X-R, placed 4^th.

The Stock class included three Defenders, two factory Toyota Land Cruisers, and three privateer entries that piloted Nissan Patrols. It appears one of the privateer teams did not start. The Defender Rally teams achieved an impressive 1-2-3 result across 10 of the 13 stages, each taking away stage wins.

Over two weeks of competition, the three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs amassed a combined total of nearly 15,000 rally miles (24,000 kilometers) across the expansive Saudi Arabian desert. That’s Alcan 5000 Rally range of mileage per team right there.

Early Happenings

We arrived at the Defender bivouac just in time to see Defender Rally Team nab their first 1-2-3 Stock class finish of the 2026 Dakar Rally (Stage 2).

Sara Price and co-driver Sean Berriman, along with their #504 D7X-R, took the win with a time of 04:57:33 over that day’s 250 mile-long (400 kilometer) special stage. We got a glimpse of the course and competitors rallying right before the finish line, though the Defenders had already gone through.

However, we met up with the D7X-Rs in the bivouac and got an in-depth walkaround of how they were built by Joe Ormesher, Program Lead Engineer for JLR.

We also got an insider’s look into the finely tuned Defender Rally Team operation they called home. Support semis carried tons of BFGoodrich tires, spare engines, and differentials.

Other heavy haulers had tools, clean rooms, and consumable parts. Each big rig had a purpose, along with triple-digit support staff and associated stock Defenders to help make the Defender Rally Team effort happen.

Defender came out confident, capable, and gunnin’ for gold. Rokas Baciuška and his co-driver Oriol Vidal (#502) won Stage 1 with a time of 04:04:59, making Baciuška the first-ever driver in the history of the World Rally-Raid Championship to win a stage in four different categories. And he was only born in 1999!

However, mechanical issues set the two other teams back on Dakar Rally’s first day of competition (Stage 1). Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver Mika Metge (#500) finished 48 minutes after #502, in 4th position, after having a power steering issue.

Sara Price and Sean Berriman in D7X-R #504 stopped at the 98^th kilometer of the special stage due to a mechanical issue caused by a forceful blow to the vehicle’s underbody. The team eventually continued, but they had ground to make up.

They finished fifth, 02:16:41 behind Baciuška and Vidal. The crew carefully inspected each vehicle, especially that of Price and Berriman, to ensure each was in tip-top running order for the next day.

Stage 2’s Comeback

“Today was Stage 2 and it was a tough day, very tricky on the car. We really had to take care of it,” said Berriman #504, in comments only shared with me. “We ended up with a flat, but we got around, fixed it, changed everything, kept going.”

The focus was to make sure the vehicle didn’t get damaged. “It held together perfectly. Fortunately, by the end, we came away with the stage win, which was great. It’s a good bounce back from Day 1.”

“I’d say with two-stage wins already, even if the rest of your race goes completely differently, is already something of a victory to perform as well as you have on that short a time period,” Mark Cameron, the Managing Director of Defender stated.

For him, it was evident, after the first two days of competition, how well the teams were doing. He was elated they were still running in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place in the Stock class.

That’s saying something about the Defender Dakar D7X-Rs. They’re built off the existing OCTA anyone can go out and buy. It also speaks volumes of the capabilities of the three established, determined teams Defender employed for the company’s maiden Dakar showing.

“To see Sara win [Stage 2], having had the struggles on Stage 1, it’s a great story for her, and her game now is to keep riding up through the overall positions over the over the next week and a half,” Cameron added.

The Third Day: Stage 3

Three teams, three days, and three wins. Defender was off to a strong start, with each of the teams crowned a stage winner.

Peterhansel, known as “Mr. Dakar,” and Metge (#500) came out on top for Stage 3, having appr. 262 miles (422 kilometers) of timed competition, with a time of 04:59:07. Baciuška and Vidal (#502) nabbed 2^nd place, and Price with Berriman (#504) earned 3^rd, even with three flats along the way.

Baciuška and Vidal remained at the top of the Stock category rankings after Stage 3 wrapped up. The pair remained on top as they dominated their way to Stock class victory.

Cameron said the crew is learning a lot, especially about differentials. “You know, stuff I’m working on now is seven, 10 years ahead as well in terms of products,” he explained. “So, for future Defenders to have the necessary DNA of being a Defender, then they’ve got to be tough.”

Defender plans to do a full wrap-up after this year’s Dakar and decide what key elements they want to take forward to production. “We’ve got to find ingenious ways of still delivering the capability but being compliant within ever-tougher regulations.”

“I expected us to be quick, but if you look at the three drivers we’ve got, they aren’t from the Stock category. Stefan’s used to driving T1 Ultimates, as is Rokus, Sara comes from side-by-sides,” Cameron commented.

“What surprised me positively is the way they’ve quickly adapted to a production car. How they’ve adapted to the restraints of production architecture versus a purpose-built rally car, a rally raid car—that transition has been much better than I thought to be,” Cameron added.

He said Peterhansel, in particular, has been instrumental. He’s helping the team to develop the development of the car but also helping the other drivers.

Detailing the Defender Dakar D7X-R

The Defender Dakar D7X-R is based on the most rugged and capable production Defender yet: the OCTA, which is based on the Defender 110 body.

D7X-R is built to new FIA Stock class regulations to compete in the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC).

Stock class teams can’t change production-specific key architecture, like the engine, gearbox, differential housings, or the external body. But they can improve other parts within regulations to make it rally ready. This includes a wide multitude of upgrades, even though its in the Stock class.

Electronics and Interior Bits

The D7X-R electronics are managed by a single motorsport control unit including bespoke race-ready calibrations. Defender also masterminded “Flight Mode,” that adjusts torque to the wheels when its in the air, ensuring smoother landings.

Interior bits include a full race-spec roll cage and FIA-regulation race seats with six-point safety harnesses. The roll cage is designed to protect teams from the massive fuel tank and three, count ‘em, three full-size spare tires which sit right behind them.

Each tire is secured to the roll cage. A specifically built storage system is also fixed to the roll cage. It holds critical tools, spare parts, and compressed air.

Each D7X-R boasts a rally-spec Sabelt steering wheel with quick-release column mount. It also has a bespoke hydraulic steering system that has a faster ratio than a stock Defender OCTA.

Defender teams use an FIA-mandated Sentinel navigation system and a driver’s head-up display that shows the speed and heading information (which direction they’re going), alongside the driver-configurable motorsport display.

Teams carry just over two gallons (eight liters) of water for longer stages. They also use air conditioning that uses the stock Defender HVAC system but has bespoke plumbing and vents.

Summing It Up

“It feels amazing to win Dakar,” said #502 co-driver Vidal. “Three years ago, we lost Dakar at the last stage and it was painful. Finally, the time has arrived, it’s our fourth go and the first win. Really happy with how it went and really happy for Defender because they did a huge effort and a very good job in a tight schedule. Very happy for everyone and very well deserved for everyone.”

The Defender Rally Team signed up to compete for the first three years of W2RC. There is tons of action still to come! I was ecstatic to have been there in person to see Defender Rally Team kick off their new-world Dakar Rally debut, especially since a classic Land Rover won the very first Paris-Dakar Rally nearly 50 years ago.

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