Relive Defender’s mighty first week on the Dakar Rally

That first week back at work after New Year’s often feels like a particularly slow grind. Not so for Defender on the 2026 Dakar Rally. Six wins from six stages in the Stock category and five podium lockouts point to the team nailing the brief so far in Saudi Arabia. Those results hoist drivers Rokas Baciuška and Stéphane Peterhansel into a half-time 1-2 on the overall class leaderboard. Good going for the brand’s first official entry in the 8,000-kilometre off-road enduro. But the job’s not done yet. 

In a taste of what was to come, Sara Price was quickest in the short ‘Prologue’ last Saturday. Per event tradition, this quick-fire 23-kilometre stretch in Yanbu helps decide the starting order for the first proper stage. The American narrowly pipped Peterhansel and Baciuška in what seemed like a perfect kick-off for the Extreme E race winner. But as ever with the Dakar, a change of fortune is only the other side of a sand dune. 

A broken rear suspension arm on Stage 1 forced her into a two-hour delay while waiting for a support truck to aid repairs, clearing the way for next-generation rally-raid star Baciuška to triumph. The 26-year-old Lithuanian conquered the 305-kilometre route to take the outright lead in the production car-based Stock class. Ever since, he hasn’t let it slip. Price proved the power of perseverance the following day as she bounced straight back to head the team’s clean sweep of the top three on Stage 2. 

The early starts, long days and late nights on the Dakar mean tempers can fray. Happily, the Defender camp has made a habit of sharing the success. Stage 3 marked a first-ever Stock win for Peterhansel, as he and navigator Michaël Metge aced the run through ancient AlUla aboard the Defender Dakar D7X-R. There’s good reason for the car looking like it’s just rolled off the production line, by the way. It houses a showroom-spec gearbox, drivelines, bodywork and chassis. Even the thumping twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is borrowed right from the Defender OCTA.

Next came the 48-hour ‘Marathon Stage’. Returning for 2026 and every bit as gruelling as it sounds, this part of the Dakar timetable combined the Wednesday and Thursday running into one feat of endurance - with only a few hours’ kip in a tent in between to recover. Peterhansel became the first of the Defender trio to win two stages, as he led Price and Baciuška for another 1-2-3 in part one. 

But the crews couldn’t put their feet up and toast marshmallows over a campfire. Partly, that’s because the sweet treats weren’t part of the military rations. Mainly, it’s because Marathon rules don’t allow teams’ support mechanics in to help fix any issues. For Baciuška and co-driver Oriol Vidal, they were busy well into the evening changing a right-rear knuckle. Testament to their handywork, the pair went on to win the second leg of the Marathon.

At this point, energy levels were depleted and the prospect of a rest day seemed tantalisingly close. Surely the competitors had earned an easy ride? Think again. The Dakar organisers threw in the longest day of the entire event. Stage 6 on Friday took the convoy from Ha’il, through the Qassim region right in the heart of country, to the capital city of Riyadh. That meant a 331-kilometre timed course sandwiched between a massive 589 kilometres of road section for a staggering total of 920 kilometres.

Here, the honours went to Price again. She’s been regularly starting stages lightning fast. Friday was no exception. Her and co-driver Sean Berriman flew out of the gates to lead from start to finish – signing off from week one by extending Defender’s perfect winning streak at the head of a fifth 1-2-3 result. 

Second place on Stage 6, to go with his other two victories, firms up first place overall in the Stock category for Baciuška. When he resumes on Sunday, he’ll hope to build on a 45-minute advantage in front of Peterhansel. Thanks to that earlier mechanical hiccup, Price sits fourth in the combined times behind a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by Ronald Basso. And yet, with just shy of 4,000 kilometres still to go, anything can happen to turn that leaderboard on its head. 

So, what’s the half-time verdict? Well, this year marks Peterhansel’s 36^th entry in the Dakar. In fact, since making his debut on a motorbike in 1988, the 14-time event winner has only missed two editions. Little wonder he’s known as ‘Mr Dakar’. Anyway, he’s certainly well qualified to sum up Defender’s progress.

The 60-year-old says: “After one week of the rally, we are super happy. We find all the kinds of terrain – fast tracks, rocky tracks, a beautiful stage of sand – in all the conditions, the Defender is super fast and also super nice to drive…To be honest, since the beginning I took a lot of pleasure. The first day we had a technical problem [with the steering] where we lose one hour. But at the end, we are really happy to be here and also really satisfied. We enjoy a lot to drive this car in the desert.”

While the rest day has at least given the drivers some time off, the Defender mechanics have been beavering away stripping, inspecting, and readying the three cars in preparation for week two. Up ahead: the final seven stages (including another Marathon double-header) en route to the eventual finish back in Yanbu. They get going with Sunday’s trek from Riyadh to Wadi ad-Dawasir, which adds a 464-kilometre competitive leg over fast sandy tracks to a 414-kilometre road section. Stay tuned for more updates. 

Defender OCTA | Master of Extreme Performance, Everywhere