Defender Rally has swept the Stock class podium at the Portugal Rally-Raid, with Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge taking victory and all three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs reaching the finish.
The legendary “Monsieur Dakar” and his co-driver claimed first place with an overall time of 11:57:33, followed by teammates Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal in second (12:00:02) and Sara Price with Sean Berriman in third (13:09:58). Not bad for a car based on something you could buy from a Land Rover dealer.
The three Defenders covered a combined 6,600km across Portugal and Spain over five days, dealing with mud, water, trees and the sort of tight tracks that would make your average SUV owner weep into their latte.
Production-Based Pedigree
The Defender Dakar D7X-R is based on the Defender OCTA, sharing the same D7x body architecture, transmission, and driveline layout. The 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 provides the grunt, while modifications for FIA compliance include enhanced cooling, new suspension, and a wider track.
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ABOVE: Defender Dakar D7X-R in action, Peterhansel and Metge celebration, Baciuška on stage
Running with the Ultimates
The Stock class cars, which must be production-based, lined up with comparable timings to the Ultimate class machinery. In the overall Car category, Peterhansel placed 16th, Baciuška 17th, and Price 30th. Given they’re racing what is fundamentally a road car against purpose-built race machines, that’s rather impressive.
“We know that this is a new project with Defender in the World Rally-Raid Championship,” said Peterhansel. “The Dakar Rally was perfect for the team, but here it was a completely different condition of track, more rain, more humid, a little bit more narrow. So the team did a really good job.”
Final Stage Drama
Baciuška took the final stage win with a time of 1:07:39, gaining back 1:25 over the last 100km but coming up just short of overhauling Peterhansel for the overall. “That’s how short rallies go — one mistake can cost a lot,” he said. “But congratulations to Stéphane and Mika on the win in Portugal.”
Sara Price, the American who finished third overall, described the final day as “a blast” despite losing about 30 seconds getting stuck in a couple of corners.
The next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship takes place at the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina from 24-29 May 2026.
More Land Rover Stories
- Defender Rally Make History with Debut Dakar Victory
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- Land Rover Defender OCTA Review
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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