Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally concluded with another Defender success.
In the Stock Category of this year’s Dakar Rally, the cherished off-roading manufacturer Defender is trying its hand at victory for the first time, having brought three Defender OCTA-based D7X-R rally cars to the historic, legendary race with drivers Sara Price, Rokas Baciuška, and Stéphane Peterhansel behind the wheels of each. The race is off to a great start of the team, as the Prologue and Stage 2 of the 2026 Dakar Rally giving the team 1-2-3 finishes within their category.
Stage 3 has since come to a close, and with over 250 miles of racing behind the team in the stage, another 1-2-3 stage victory in the Stock category was the result for the Defender Rally team. At the end of the stage, each driver pair now has a win, with Stage 3 seeing Stéphane Peterhansel with Mika Metge finishing in just 4 hours, 59 minutes, and 7 seconds, with Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal finishing second just a minute behind, and Sara Price and Sean Berriman finishing two and a half minutes later.
Stage 4, with almost 300 miles of driving, takes place on January 7, and the first half of the marathon stage of the 2026 Rally is beginning. Already a legendary name in the world of off-roading and bold adventure, Defender’s racing effort at the 2026 Dakar Rally is quickly building a reputation for it in the rally motorsport world as a formidable contender on one of the world’s most challenging racing stages, and as the Dakar Rally continues, with the rest of the FIA W2RC ahead of that, a legacy is blossoming for the new Defender Rally team.
Image Source: JLR