Defender Rally triumphs in Argentina as all three cars complete Desafío Ruta 40
Defender Rally triumphs in Argentina as all three cars complete Desafío Ruta 40
Defender Rally has successfully brought all three crews and cars to the finish at the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40, held in Argentina, with Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge taking the overall win in the Stock class with a time of 18:11:12.
Teammates Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal placed second (18:20:30), followed by Sara Price and Saydiie Gray in third (19:06:04), after five days of racing. Overall, the Defender crews ranked within the top 20 in the Car category, in position 18 (Peterhansel), 19 (Baciuška) and 20 (Price), and amongst the T1+ Ultimates, demonstrating the capability and pace of the Defender Dakar D7X-R.
In the final stage of the rally, Baciuška and Vidal secured first place and completed the 340km special stage in 02:53:05, followed by Peterhansel and Metge, then Price and Gray in third.
Widely regarded as one of the toughest rally-raid events, with this location being previous hosts of the iconic Dakar Rally, the race spanned five stages across a total of 1,523km of timed sections. 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.
Price and Gray also made history as the first all-female crew to race the Desafío Ruta 40 and to secure a stage win. This rally also marked Gray’s competitive debut with Defender Rally.
Stéphane Peterhansel, Defender Rally Driver, said:
"Stage 5 was long, and really demanding for both me and Mika, but especially for the car. We had nice competition in the beginning, with the three Defenders together, competing with Rokas and with Sara, but overall, we won the race by nine minutes. So, it's a really good result. I'm really happy also with the team and the progress we made on the car at this race, we made improvements and yeah, it was really fun to drive. So, super good memories here and also nice to be back with a lot of people. You can see there are lots of fans in Argentina, and it's a nice feeling.”
Rokas Baciuška, Defender Rally Driver, said:
“Argentina rally is complete and the team all made it. In the middle, I felt a little unwell but it is what it is and overall, it was a great rally. We finished in second and had some penalty points for speeding, but the car performed well. Throughout the race, the mechanics and the team did a really good job and we finished with the car in good shape. I can’t wait to see you all in Morocco.”
Sara Price, Defender Rally Driver, said:
“Argentina was a first for myself and for my co-driver, Saydiie Gray. It 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. In Stage 5, we were stuck in the dust for the first part, then in the second half we made up some time. Overall, it was a great experience, we’re super grateful to be here and I can’t wait to keep getting better and better.”
The Defender Rally crews race in the Defender Dakar D7X-R, derived from the most capable Defender in the line-up, Defender OCTA. Modified to meet FIA regulations, the race car has adjustments such as wider track, new suspension and enhanced cooling to enable the car to handle the demands of the W2RC race routes. The bodyshell is consistent with Defender OCTA’s and built on the exact same line as production Defenders. The race car also retains OCTA’s driveline layout, D7x body architecture and transmission, proving the capability of the core Defender on the rally-raid world stage.
Defender Rally was supported by Official Partners Castrol, YETI, Bilstein and Bell & Ross, along with official suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars, for the duration of the Argentina rally-raid.
Ian James, Team Principal, Defender Rally, said:
“Argentina was undoubtedly a tough rally, but the Defender Dakar D7X-R did us proud and showcased what it’s truly capable of. All three Defender Rally crews drove superbly and provided fans with an awesome race. Huge congratulations to Stéphane and Mika for placing first, their second victory in this year's championship. This rally put our cars to the test, with high-altitudes, extensive mountain sections and broken terrain. The fact that the Defender Dakar D7X-R once again performed in line with the speed of cars in the T1+ Ultimate category showcases the impressive engineering and capability of Defender. As always, the mechanics and engineers have given their all to ensure the cars are stage-ready each day, and the results show what an exemplary job they have done. We’re excited to head to the next challenge and race in Morocco later this year.”
Defender Rally will compete at the next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship at the Rallye du Maroc, Morocco, from the 28 September to 3 October.
*Information provided by the publicist.
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