Rokas Baciuška, Oriol Vidal 502 Defender Dakar D7X-R Stage 3  © Mercedes Lilienthal
Twenty-six-year-old driver Rokas Baciuska and his co-driver, Oriol Vidal (#502), are 2026 Dakar Rally Stock class champions. They drove a factory-backed Defender Dakar D7X-R for 13 grueling stages and finished with an overall time of 58h 09′ 45”. Three years ago, the team lost their Dakar Rally win on the last stage. But this year, for them, the fourth time running Dakar was the charm.

Rokas Baciuška, Oriol Vidal 502 Defender Dakar D7X-R Stage 3  © Mercedes Lilienthal
This year’s Stock class win makes the young prodigy, Baciuska, the first-ever driver in the history of the World Rally-Raid Championship to win a stage in four different categories. “The partnership with Rokas is amazing. We’ve been together now for four years. He’s really powerful and has a lot of energy. I can work with him and balance that with my calmness and my experience, and that’s part of the key to success,” said his co-driver Vidal in comments only shared with us.

Rokas Baciuška, Oriol Vidal  © Defender
The dynamic duo: Rokas Baciuska from Lithuania (right) and his co-driver, Oriol Vidal from Spain (left). It was Baciuska’s dream to win the Dakar Rally. “For the first year for Defender, it’s amazing,” Baciuska exclaimed. “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 [as 1st and 2nd-place Stock class winners].”

Defender Rally Team Dakar D7X-Rs  © MarcinKin
A pair of Defender Rally Team Dakar D7X-Rs sat in Stage 1’s line awaiting their turn to compete. All three D7X-R rally raid rigs were based on the production OCTA, which anyone can purchase from a dealership. Stock class teams can’t change production-specific items such as the engine, gearbox, differential housings, or external body. However, they can improve upon other stock parts like modifying the internals within the differential housings, increasing track width and extending wheel arches, and more.

Sara Price with Sean Berriman © Defender
American driver Sara Price, along with teammate and co-driver Sean Berriman (also from the US, #504), earned 2nd place in the Stock class at the 2026 Dakar Rally driving a Defender Dakar D7X-R. “Dakar Rally was just incredible,” Price said. “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.”

Sara Price, Sean Berriman 504 Defender Dakar D7X-R Stage 3  © Mercedes Lilienthal
Price said Stage 3 was “a blast.” And the team had a lot of fun. She said the day included a lot of “fast tracks, a lot of sand.” They competed alongside their teammates (which we saw first-hand) and witnessed Peterhansel win. “Yesterday was rough, so it was a good change of scenery for us, and we’re pumped to finish out another day [Stage 3]. It’s a long race ahead of us, and we know we just have to be there every day in order to have a chance at getting our time back and getting a chance to win this thing,” Price said exclusively to us.

Sean Berriman with Sara Price © Mercedes Lilienthal
Price’s co-driver Berriman is a skilled mechanic and navigator. He’s surrounded himself with one form or another of racing his entire life. He’s been involved in the Dakar Rally multiple times as a mechanic but also as a navigator. In 2015, he was propelled into the navigator’s seat as his role as an onboard mechanic for Jordi Ginesta changed. Ginesta broke his back and Alberto Herrero took over driving duties. Berriman was also a navigator in 2020 in the T3 class, in 2025 in the SSV class with Price, and in 2026 Stock class, again with Price.

Sara Price in Defender D7X-R  © Defender
All three Defenders kept their OCTA DNA, but enhanced multiple features to make them rally-ready. They included key upgrades like enhanced suspension with single coil-over front and rear parallel twin dampers developed with Bilstein (mounted to stock locations), modified rally-specification brake system with vented discs, six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, and 35-inch BFGoodrich race tires with smaller 17-inch rims.

Stephane Peterhansel © MatteoGebbia Edophoto
To beat the heat in Saudi Arabia, the Defender Dakar D7X-Rs employed air conditioning that uses the stock Defender HVAC system but has bespoke plumbing and vents.

Stephane Peterhansel © Simon Bauchau
Sixty-year-old driver Stephane Peterhansel is known as “Mr. Dakar” and with good reason. He’s won 14 Dakar Rally titles and lined up for his 36th run at the 2026 Dakar Rally.
“First, [Defender’s] decision to enter the Stock category is somewhat reminiscent of the early days of rallying,” Peterhansel said. “It makes sense because it’s a proper adventure and off-road car brand. Secondly, it will be less stressful than fighting for victory in the general classification. Thirdly, my love for the Dakar! It’s like a second family, and a race that I love in principle.”

Stephane Peterhansel and Mike Metge  © Defender
Peterhansel and accomplished co-driver Mika Metge (#500) finished 4th in this year’s competition. “Overall, it was a Dakar with full emotion, sometimes up, sometimes down,” Peterhansel said only to us. “The main target was to win the Stock class, and Rokas finished first and Sara second. For us, it was a little bit more complicated, but what I keep in my mind, that it was nice adventure with a super good team, super team spirit between all the members – the mechanics and all the staff.”

Michaël Metge talking to Rokas Baciuška, Oriol Vidal © Mercedes Lilienthal
Accomplished co-driver Metge has his own off-road rally tale to tell. Metge experienced his first Dakar Rally with the Yamaha factory team in 2013, and then went on to further his rally career as navigator and driver in many different respects. “Driving alongside Stephane as part of the highly-anticipated Defender Rally team is a true career highlight,” Metge said. “An icon like Defender joining the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship is a monumental moment for off‑road racing and I can’t wait to return to Dakar Rally and make my mark. There’s nobody better to race with than the Dakar legend [Peterhansel] himself!”

Stephane Peterhansel © DPPI AntoninVincent
Saudi Arabia’s Dakar Rally crosses stunning desert swaths, massive dunes, rocky segments, and other challenging stretches. Defender appropriately built a trio of D7X-Rs to make their maiden Dakar appearance successful. The revamped Stock class included three Defenders D7X-Rs, two factory-sponsored Toyota Land Cruisers, and three privateer entities piloting Nissan Patrols. The trio of Defender Rally teams dominated, achieving 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place results across 10 of the 13 stages. Each team earned stage wins.

Award Ceremony © ASO a.vincentdppii
“I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team,” said Ian James, Team Principal of Defender Rally. “Not only the fact that we’ve won Dakar in the way that we have, but the manner in which everybody’s pulled together and worked so hard throughout has been simply outstanding.” James is looking forward to the celebrations. “A huge congratulations, of course, to Rokas and Oriol in particular, but to every member of the team. A huge thank you for the efforts in getting us to this point, and long may it continue.”

Rokas Baciuška, Oriol Vidal 502 Defender Dakar D7X-R Stage 3 © MarcinKin
Want more Defender Rally Team action? Strap yourselves to your seats and hold on. Defender Rally Team signed up for three years of rally raid action via the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). The Defender crew is only getting started …