Defender Rally enters bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal after Dakar win

Defender Rally returns to the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship at bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal after its Dakar 2026 Stock class victory, with three D7X-R crews competing.

Defender Rally is set to continue its campaign in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) as the team prepares for the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, scheduled to take place from 17 to 22 March. The event will mark the team’s return to competition following a strong performance at the 2026 Dakar Rally, where Defender secured victory in the Stock category.

Three Defender crews will line up for the Portuguese round. Rokas Baciuska and Oriol Vidal will compete alongside Sara Price and Sean Berriman, as well as Stéphane Peterhansel with Mika Metge. All three crews drove the Defender Dakar D7X-R during the Dakar Rally, where the team demonstrated remarkable pace and consistency. Baciuska and Vidal claimed victory in the Stock class, while Price and Berriman finished second.

The result marked a significant milestone for the Defender Rally programme, which began its full participation in the W2RC from the 2026 season. In its debut Dakar appearance, the team delivered a dominant performance, with Defender crews winning all 13 stages of the rally in the Stock category and consistently occupying the leading positions throughout the event.

Those results have also translated into a strong start in the championship standings. Rokas Baciuska currently leads the W2RC Stock drivers’ standings with 107 points, followed by his teammates Sara Price with 87 and Stéphane Peterhansel with 69. In the navigators’ standings, Oriol Vidal holds first place, Sean Berriman is second, and Mika Metge sits third.

The next round of the championship, bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, is widely regarded as one of the most technical events on the W2RC calendar. Unlike the vast desert stages of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese rally features narrower roads, tighter sections and terrain that demands precision driving and consistent navigation.

The rally will consist of five stages covering a total distance of 2,175 kilometres, including 1,320 kilometres of timed sections. The route begins in Grândola, crosses into Spain with a stop in Badajoz in the Extremadura region, and concludes in Loulé in Portugal’s Algarve. According to the organisers, the Automóvel Club de Portugal, the 2026 route has been redesigned to reach the Atlantic coast, introducing more varied terrain and new technical challenges for competitors.

Weather conditions could also play a role in the outcome of the event. Spring in the region can bring heavy rainfall, potentially making the narrow and rocky stages even more demanding for teams and drivers.

At the centre of the team’s effort is the Defender Dakar D7X-R, a competition vehicle derived from the production Defender OCTA. The rally car retains the robust D7x aluminium monocoque body architecture while receiving several modifications for rally-raid competition, including a wider track, increased ride height and revised suspension setup. Power comes from a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

Before the rally begins, the team will conduct a test programme in Portugal in order to prepare the vehicles for the more technical European terrain. The upcoming event will therefore serve as the next major test for the Defender Rally project as it seeks to maintain momentum in its first full season of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.