Defender nears historic Stock class victory at the 2026 Dakar Rally

Just 141 kilometres separate Defender from a landmark first victory in the Stock class at the 2026 Dakar Rally. The team approaches the last day in strong shape, following Sara Price’s Stage 12 win, which maintained the brand’s unblemished record of victories so far. Rokas Baciuška completed the team’s ninth podium lockout on Friday and carries an enormous four-hour advantage into the final showdown.

Defender dominates Dakar Rally Stage 12

Stage 12 offered a condensed version of the Dakar experience, showcasing the full variety of Saudi Arabia’s terrain. Interrupting a lengthy 408-kilometre road liaison, the 311-kilometre special stage began on fast gravel tracks after the overnight halt at Al Henakiyah. The narrow, twisting route then crossed dusty, dry riverbeds, ran through fields of soft sand dunes and concluded in canyon passes edged by volcanic rock. At the finish awaited the familiar Yanbu bivouac, the base camp where this rally-raid began on 3rd January.

As he neared the end of his 36th Dakar appearance, Stéphane Peterhansel led the Stock category for production-derived vehicles at the opening checkpoint. After 45 kilometres, the 14-time Dakar winner held a narrow nine-second advantage over Price, with Baciuška third at the start of the day. The three Defenders had already established a six-minute cushion over the pair of rival Toyota Land Cruisers.

Over the following 50 kilometres, Price drove into the lead, moving 26 seconds ahead of Peterhansel as Baciuška remained one minute behind. The American and co-driver Sean Berriman continued to exploit the capability of the Defender Dakar D7X-R, which retains a showroom-specification gearbox, drivelines, chassis and bodywork, while using the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the Defender OCTA. Their lead reached one minute and 30 seconds before Peterhansel raised his pace.

By the 184-kilometre point, he had reduced the deficit to 19 seconds, with Baciuška just another 17 seconds behind. Peterhansel then took first place and built precisely the same 19-second margin over Price.

Sara Price takes a Stock class victory

The battle continued into the final third of the stage. With 60 kilometres remaining, Price reclaimed the lead, going 78 seconds ahead of Peterhansel and navigator Michaël Metge. The X-Games medallist therefore had the final word, winning the Stock class on Stage 12 in 4 hours 17 minutes and 35 seconds.

“Today was a good day,” said Price, who also won the Prologue plus Stages 2 and 6. “I started in front of our team-mates [in the running order]. The team just had a plan for us to stay cautious and stay collected and keep everything together to get through the stage. We all tried to stay in our positions and executed the day to make sure the car came back in one piece. I’m very pumped to get another stage win. Very excited about that. One more day!”

Peterhansel finished one minute and 25 seconds later, sealing Defender’s ninth 1-2-3 result during its first official entry in the world’s greatest rally-raid. ‘Mr Dakar’ added: “Today, it was not an easy stage. It was only 311 kilometres but a lot of rocks. It was not easy to be fast. For us, we took it super easy because it was super demanding for the tyres. On the way, we managed with no punctures at all. We drove also very often in the dust, so it was a mix of being sometimes nice to drive but sometimes horrible visibility.”

Baciuška leads Defender into the final Dakar stage

Having won six stages so far, Baciuška returned to Yanbu only 45 seconds behind Peterhansel. The Lithuanian and co-driver Oriol Vidal retain their commanding four-hour lead in the combined Stock category standings before the final stage. Price remains in P2, while Peterhansel is fourth after a broken alternator belt forced him to retire from Stage 8 on Monday, damaging his hopes of a podium finish.

Baciuška said: “It was a tough stage, actually – more than 80% of it over stones. So, while it was a short stage, it took a long time. Otherwise, the car worked well. We have the finish tomorrow. Let’s bring the Defender to the finish line!”

Following 14 days, 12 stages, the Prologue qualifying heat and almost 7,900 kilometres across the heart of Saudi Arabia, only the final leg of the 48th Dakar remains. Although Stage 13 is not the longest by distance, it will be far from a straightforward run to the chequered flag. Its 108-kilometre timed section winds through Yanbu’s mountainous landscape before descending towards the Red Sea coast. What late surprises await? Follow here for an update from the finish line.

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