Since 2020, Saudi Arabia has hosted the rally-raid. Interestingly, JLR’s Range Rovers have a long history with the event. Launched in 1970, the Range Rover completed the west to east Sahara desert expedition — a 12,000km, 100-day expedition —  in 1974, and then went on to win the first Paris‑Dakar Rally in 1979.

After the stunning winning debut at the 2026 Dakar Rally, the Defender D7X-R announced itself as a true competition icon and it continued to dominate the 2026 W2RC.

“Dreams come true you know, and it was my dream to win Dakar,” says Mr Baciuška. “For the first year for Defender, it is amazing. 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. It is great to be P1 and P2.”

As many participants say, it stops feeling like a race and becomes something they need to get through, with the terrain, sand, rock and dunes never giving them a rhythm to settle into. And as Mr Peterhansel puts it, it’s only “a super good team, super team spirit … the mechanics and all the staff” that help you stay in it.

For drivers, teams and machines, Dakar is a test of endurance, unfolding over 15 days and more than 8,000km. The terrain and the weather make it even more difficult. What makes it brutal, though, is the daily kilometre count that includes timed as well as liaison drives, sometimes as much as 800km a day. 

Markedly different from Dakar, the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal presents a unique challenge for drivers, navigators and support teams with its humidity, rain, and narrow roads. The only rally-raid in Europe, the rally comprises five stages, covering 2,175km in total, including 1,320km of timed sections. The pace is much faster, with little scope for error. As Mr Baciuška, the 2026 Dakar winner in the Stock class, puts it, “one mistake can cost a lot.”

Just two years old, with its first edition taking place in 2024, the rally continues to evolve. The 2026 route was redesigned to touch the Atlantic coast, adding another layer of complexity to an already demanding course. 

Mr Peterhansel with co-driver Mr Metge (seen in the picture) finished on top, with the Baciuška-Vidal duo finishing second, followed by Ms Price and Mr Berriman. 

“The Dakar Rally was perfect for the team, but here, there were completely different conditions of the track: more rain, more humidity, and narrower,” says Mr Peterhansel. “But the team did a really good job. This is why I am really proud. They adapt the car to the condition of the route, and it was not an easy job for the team.”

The three Defender Dakar D7X‑Rs covered a combined total of 6,600km, with routes traversing Portugal and Spain. In every stage, the Defender crews ranked among the timings of the Ultimates, showcasing the impressive speed and capability of the car in brutal conditions. In the Car category overall, the Defender drivers ranked 16th (Peterhansel), 17th (Baciuška) and 30th (Price).

The Desafío Ruta 40, the third round of the W2RC, is named after Ruta 40 (Route 40) — an iconic and scenic highway that stretches along the north-south length of Argentina, running parallel to the Andes

The route combines a range of terrain — sandy dunes, rocky climbs and descents, high-altitude mountains and dry riverbeds. 

Saydiie Gray joined Ms Price as co-driver (seen in picture), making history as the first all-female crew to race the Desafío Ruta 40 and to secure a stage win. They finished third after the Peterhansel-Metge duo, with Baciuška-Vidal finishing second.

Spanning five stages across a total of 1,523km of timed sections, Ruta 40 is widely regarded as one of the toughest rally-raids in the competition. The Dakar Rally took place in this route before it shifted to Saudi Arabia..

Not only do these conditions demand the best from drivers, navigators, engineers and support staff, they also test the cars to the limit. Unlike other segments, the Stock class features production cars with permitted modifications to make them competition ready. 

Ms Price says, “Ruta 40 was tougher than I expected, with a lot of treacherous terrain, but we made it. We didn’t know what racing in Argentina in rally-raid would be like so it was a really cool experience. Saydiie and I both had a blast and we were put through it all. We had good days and bad days.”  

From San Juan, into the Mendoza region, through the Andes mountain range and back to San Juan to finish, Defender crews achieved extraordinary speeds, across dry riverbeds, high‑altitude mountains and extensive sand dunes. This is a significant achievement when competing in the Stock class, in a car derived from the production Defender OCTA. 

Rallye du Maroc, the fourth and penultimate round of the W2RC takes place between the city of Agadir on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, and the town of Zagora on the foothills of the Zagora mountains. The rally originated as the Paris-Agadir Rally in 1982, became the Atlas Rally the next year, and continued till the 1990s, becoming Morocco’s premiere rally and attracting the best drivers and manufacturers. In the 2000s, it was revived as the Rallye Du Maroc and has been a challenging and attractive fixture ever since.

Defender Rally driver Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver Mika Metge won the 2026 edition, their third this season after wins in Portugal and Argentina. Says Mr Peterhansel, “This year has given us really demanding races, especially Morocco, which was demanding for the car, demanding for the people, and the drivers. But it was also a really interesting test, to see the limit of the car in hot conditions. I have a good relationship with Mika, and we are really happy with our crew of mechanics and engineers. Every morning they gave us a good car, ready to start, ready to fight for the victory each stage.”

Before the fourth round, the Defender Rally drivers Rokas Baciuška and co-driver Oriol Vidal were already leading the championship in the stock car category, with the Defender Rally team leading the manufacturer’s standings. Their performance at Morocco consolidated their position.

Rokas Baciuška: “It's amazing to be Stock Champions. It was long season. Now, I’m a four‑time Rally‑Raid champion in different categories, two times in SSV, one time in Challenger and this year now for Stock. I’ve won stages at Dakar in different categories too. To be the winner, especially in Stock for the first year for Defender, it’s really amazing.”

Photo credits: Birgit Dieryck,  Edo Bauer, Irina Petrichei, Helena Clancy, Matteo Gebbia (Edophoto), SimonBauchau, MikolajWalczewski, JoanGalvan (AllTerrainmedia)