The Defender Rally program achieved a historic milestone at the 2026 Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina, securing a flawless one-two-three clean sweep in the Stock class (production-based vehicles). Widely regarded as one of the most punishing fixtures on the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) calendar, all three Defender Dakar D7X-R race vehicles successfully crossed the finish line after a brutal five-day mountain-and-desert endurance test.
The Stock Class Podium Lockout
The three Defender crews dominated their category, locking out the podium steps and placing comfortably within the top 20 of the overall Car category—rubbing shoulders with highly modified, unrestricted T1+ Ultimate prototype speed machines.
| Position (Class) | Drivers / Co-Drivers | Overall Time | Overall Car Rank |
| 1st Place | Stéphane Peterhansel & Mika Metge | 18 hrs, 11 mins, 12 secs | 18th |
| 2nd Place | Rokas Baciuška & Oriol Vidal | 18 hrs, 20 mins, 30 secs | 19th |
| 3rd Place | Sara Price & Saydiie Gray | 19 hrs, 06 mins, 04 secs | 20th |
The final day culminated in an absolute sweep during the grueling 340-kilometer Stage 5. Baciuška and Vidal clinched the final stage win in 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 5 seconds, followed closely by teammates Peterhansel and Price to cement the flawless team result.
Historic All-Female Finish
Adding to the historic weekend, the duo of Sara Price and Saydiie Gray became the first all-female crew to ever compete in the history of the Desafio Ruta 40. Far from just participating, they proved their elite pace by securing a magnificent outright stage victory during the event. The relentless Argentine terrain also marked a brilliant competitive debut for co-driver Saydiie Gray within the Defender Rally outfit.
The Machine: Defender Dakar D7X-R
Unlike the bespoke prototype buggies that typically dominate rally-raids, the Defender Dakar D7X-R relies heavily on customer showroom engineering.
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Production DNA: The vehicle is derived directly from the high-performance road-going Defender OCTA.
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Assembly Line: Its core structural bodyshell is manufactured on the exact same commercial production line as regular customer vehicles.
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Stock Components: The race car retains the identical D7x body architecture, heavy-duty automatic transmission, and standard driveline layout from the commercial model.
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Motorsport Tweaks: To satisfy strict FIA regulations and survive extreme impacts, engineers merely integrated a wider track, upgraded long-travel competition suspension, and enhanced high-volume powertrain cooling networks.
1,523 Kilometers of Argentine Torture
Operating out of San Juan, the 2026 route mapped out a punishing 1,523-kilometer loop pushing deep into the Mendoza region. The crews were forced to battle high-altitude Andean mountain passes, jagged dry riverbeds, and massive shifting sand dunes that pushed driver stamina and mechanical cooling limits to the absolute edge.
Driver’s View: “Stage 5 was long and demanding for both me and Mika, but especially for the car,” said 14-time Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel. “The team has made significant progress with the car and it was great fun to drive.”
What’s Next? Flush with silverware from South America, the Defender Rally team will prep its production-based behemoths for the next high-stakes round of the World Rally-Raid Championship: the legendary Rallye du Maroc in Morocco, scheduled to run from September 28 to October 3, 2026.
