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Land Rover Defender Wins Dakar Stock Class on Factory Return

Land Rover maps a sustained rally‑raid push, with Rally‑Raid Portugal in March next on the calendar.

Overview

  • Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal won the production category, with Sara Price and Sean Berriman second and Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge fourth.
  • Defender D7X‑R crews swept 1‑2‑3 on 10 of 13 stages across roughly 5,000 miles in Saudi Arabia.
  • Toyota secured third in the Stock standings, and all three Defenders reached the finish.
  • The D7X‑R is derived from the Defender Octa, retaining its 4.4‑liter twin‑turbo V8 under FIA limits with Bilstein race suspension, a wider track and a 145‑gallon fuel tank.
  • Dacia took the overall victory with Nasser Al‑Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin, and Land Rover has committed to factory entries through 2028.