The following article is an advertisement. It was a clean sweep. All three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs cross the finish line at the 2026 Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina. All three Defender Dakar D7X-R race cars completed one of the toughest rally raid events on the calendar. Stefan Peter Hansel and Mika Matge won the stock class with a combined time of 18:11:12.Rokas Baciuska and Oriol Vidal finished second in 18:20:30. Sarah Price and Sadie Gray finished third in 19:06:04. For a program that is still building its rally-red record, a one-two-three finish is about as good as it gets.
In addition, the three crews also placed 18th, 19th and 20th overall in the car category. It’s worth noting that the D7X-R competes in the stock class for production-oriented vehicles. The cars ahead of them in the overall standings were running in the T1+ Ultimate category, an unrestricted class designed for full speed.
What the Defender Dakar D7X-R is, and what it isn’t.
The D7X-R is not a ground-up race car. It is based on the production Defender OCTA and competes in the stock class for production based vehicles. Engineers have modified it to meet FIA rally raid regulations, but the basic body architecture, transmission and driveline layout carry over from the road-going model. Changes include a wider track, revised suspension and improved cooling system.
Defender Dakar D7X-R Durability on mountains, dunes and river banks
Desafio Ruta 40 covered 1,523 kilometers of scheduled stages. The route started in San Juan, pushed through the Mendoza region, cut through parts of the Andes and returned to San Juan. Drivers tackled dry riverbanks, steep hill sections and deep sand dunes throughout the event.The final stage was 340 km. Baciuska and Vidal won it in 2:53:05. Peter Hansel and Matge finished second on the stage. Price and Gray finished third. A clean sweep on the final day for a clean sweep finish on the podium.
The biggest story of the rally may not be the overall result. Sarah Price and Sidi Gray became the first all-female crew to take part in the Desafio Ruta 40. He also won a stage during the event. It was also Gray’s first competitive outing with Defender Rally.
Drivers highlight the demanding conditions in the five-day rally.
Peter Hansel described the final stage as particularly demanding but was positive about the car and team’s progress through the rally. Baciuska had a tough week. He battled illness midway through the race but credited the mechanics and support staff for driving the car strong. Price said it was tougher than expected across the region. She added that the rally gave both her and Gray important learnings and confidence going into the next events.
What comes next?
After a successful campaign in Argentina, Defender Rally will now head to Morocco for the next round of the World Rally-Red Championship. Rallye du Maroc is scheduled to take place from September 28 to October 3, 2026.
