Defender Rally has delivered a strong result at the 2026 bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. All three crews and their Defender Dakar D7X-R cars reached the finish safely after five demanding days of racing.
Despite the highly variable conditions, the three Defender Dakar D7X-R cars performed with impressive reliability and speed. In the overall Car category, the Defender crews finished 16th, 17th and 30th, staying remarkably close to the pace of the Ultimate class cars.
In the final stage, Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal set the fastest time, while the entire team showed great adaptability and teamwork throughout the event.
Stéphane Peterhansel said after the finish: “We finished third on the last stage, but it was enough to keep our first position overall, which is what matters most. I am really proud of the whole team. This is a new project for Defender in the World Rally-Raid Championship. The conditions here were very different from Dakar, with more rain, humidity and narrow tracks. The team worked hard to adapt the car, and it paid off. It is a great feeling for all of us.”
Rokas Baciuška added: “We won the final stage and gained back some time, but it was not quite enough for the overall win. Congratulations to Stéphane and Mika on a strong performance all week. A big thank you to the team for the preparation and support. We collected important championship points and now look forward to the next round.”
Sara Price enjoyed the day too: “Today was a blast. We had great pace and some really good racing. It was close and fun out there.”
Team Principal Ian James said: “This was an incredible performance from all three crews, especially Stéphane and Mika on their way to first place in the Stock class. The terrain in Portugal is unique, with tight tracks and difficult sections. The way our cars handled these conditions shows the engineering quality, versatility and durability of Defender. We have learned a lot and will take those lessons forward.”
Defender Rally was supported throughout the event by official partners Castrol, YETI, Bilstein and Bell & Ross, together with suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars.
The team now prepares for the next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina, which takes place from 24 to 29 May 2026.
Defender Rally: Portugal 2026
Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge took the overall victory in the Stock class with a total time of 11 hours, 57 minutes and 33 seconds. Their teammates, Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal, finished second, just two minutes and 29 seconds behind. Sara Price and Sean Berriman completed the podium in third place. The rally took the teams across technical, fast and challenging terrain in Portugal and Spain, including muddy sections, water crossings, trees and narrow tracks.Despite the highly variable conditions, the three Defender Dakar D7X-R cars performed with impressive reliability and speed. In the overall Car category, the Defender crews finished 16th, 17th and 30th, staying remarkably close to the pace of the Ultimate class cars.
In the final stage, Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal set the fastest time, while the entire team showed great adaptability and teamwork throughout the event.
Stéphane Peterhansel said after the finish: “We finished third on the last stage, but it was enough to keep our first position overall, which is what matters most. I am really proud of the whole team. This is a new project for Defender in the World Rally-Raid Championship. The conditions here were very different from Dakar, with more rain, humidity and narrow tracks. The team worked hard to adapt the car, and it paid off. It is a great feeling for all of us.”
Rokas Baciuška added: “We won the final stage and gained back some time, but it was not quite enough for the overall win. Congratulations to Stéphane and Mika on a strong performance all week. A big thank you to the team for the preparation and support. We collected important championship points and now look forward to the next round.”
Sara Price enjoyed the day too: “Today was a blast. We had great pace and some really good racing. It was close and fun out there.”
What is the Defender Dakar D7X-R
The Defender Dakar D7X-R is developed from the production Defender OCTA, sharing the same body architecture, transmission and driveline. It has been carefully modified for rally-raid competition while keeping the core strength and capability of the road-going vehicle.Team Principal Ian James said: “This was an incredible performance from all three crews, especially Stéphane and Mika on their way to first place in the Stock class. The terrain in Portugal is unique, with tight tracks and difficult sections. The way our cars handled these conditions shows the engineering quality, versatility and durability of Defender. We have learned a lot and will take those lessons forward.”
Defender Rally was supported throughout the event by official partners Castrol, YETI, Bilstein and Bell & Ross, together with suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars.
The team now prepares for the next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina, which takes place from 24 to 29 May 2026.
