Defender Makes Dakar History in the Saudi Desert

There are moments in motorsport that transcend competition,moments when engineering, endurance, and human will align to create history. Under the vast skies of Saudi Arabia, amid endless dunes and unforgiving terrain, Defender Rally achieved exactly that, securing a sensational debut victory at the 2026 Dakar Rally, the world’s most demanding off-road challenge.

For those of us witnessing Dakar 2026 firsthand, the scale of the achievement was unmistakable. The Saudi desert does not forgive mistakes. It tests machinery to its limits and drivers beyond exhaustion. Yet, after two relentless weeks and more than 24,000 kilometres of combined racing across sand, rock, and gravel, Defender Rally emerged victorious in the Stock class, finishing not only first but dominating the leaderboard with a historic debut performance.At the heart of this triumph were Rokas Baciuška and co-driver Oriol Vidal, crowned Dakar champions in the Stock class with an overall time of 58 hours, 09 minutes, and 45 seconds. Their victory was sealed on Stage 13, a short but intense final test where precision mattered as much as speed. Baciuška and Vidal claimed the stage win in just 55 minutes and 51 seconds, underlining their control and confidence to the very last kilometre.

Behind them, the Defender story grew even stronger. Sara Price and Sean Berriman finished second in class, while Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel, alongside co-driver Mika Metge, completed the rally in fourth. Over the course of 13 stages, the three Defender crews achieved an extraordinary 1-2-3 finish across 10 stages, a level of consistency rarely seen at Dakar, especially from a debut team.

Central to Defender’s success was the Defender Dakar D7X-R, competing in the Stock category reserved for production-based vehicles. Closely derived from the Defender OCTA, the most capable production Defender ever built, the D7X-R proved that rugged luxury and uncompromising performance are not mutually exclusive.Each Dakar D7X-R began life on the same production line in Nitra, Slovakia, sharing its core D7x body architecture, transmission, and driveline layout with customer Defenders. Power came from the OCTA’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, while Dakar-specific modifications,wider track, increased ride height, bespoke suspension, and enhanced cooling,prepared the vehicle for the extremes of World Rally-Raid Championship competition.

Watching the Defenders charge across the Saudi dunes day after day, absorbing punishment without compromise, it became clear that this was more than a race car. It was a proof of concept,an endurance showcase rooted in production reality.Yet Dakar is never only about machinery. It is about people. The long nights in the bivouac, the mechanics working into the early hours, the engineers recalibrating strategies stage by stage,all were as vital as the drivers behind the wheel.

“Dreams come true,” Baciuška told us at the finish line. “It was my dream to win Dakar. For the first year for Defender, it’s amazing. The mechanics did unbelievable work every single day. Without them, we would not be here.”That sense of unity was palpable at the final finish. Sara Price, still visibly emotional, described the moment when the team gathered together at the line. “To see the whole Defender team sitting there, all their excitement and emotions,it just shows what this is all about. To finish P1 and P2 together is just incredible.”

For Peterhansel, a 14-time Dakar winner, the experience carried a different weight. “It was full of emotion,sometimes up, sometimes down,” he reflected. “But what I will remember most is the team spirit. It was a really nice Dakar for me.”For Defender as a brand, this victory marks a defining chapter. As Mark Cameron, Managing Director of Defender, expressed: “To win Dakar in our first race has made history. To see the three Defenders cross the line together—it’s the culmination of an incredible team effort.”