Legendary driver Stéphane Peterhansel joins Defender's 2026 Dakar Rally Campaign with D7X-R prototype
Image: Supplied
Defender is well on the way in its preparations for entering the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), having finished prototype testing in Morocco with the Defender Dakar D7X-R.
They have also signed 14-time Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel alongside emerging talent Rokas Baciuška.
Peterhansel joined the Defender Rally team in Morocco, completing early testing with the prototype of the Defender Dakar D7X-R as they began preparations for competing at the Dakar Rally in January 2026.
Defender have signed 14-time Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel alongside emerging talent Rokas Baciuška.
Image: Supplied
Dakar success
Peterhansel, 59, the most successful Dakar Rally driver of all time, has competed in the Dakar Rally 35 times on both bike and car and has won the ultimate off-road race 14 times. In 2026, he will race for Defender in all rounds of the W2RC to help pave the way for Defender's future in the sport as he strives to build on his record win tally.
Emerging talent
Twenty-five-year-old Lithuanian Baciuška is the first driver in the history of the FIA to win world champion titles in two different categories. In 2022, he made his Dakar Rally debut and finished third in the T4 category.
He went on to complete the 2022 W2RC with four podiums, including winning the 2022 Rallye du Maroc, which secured him the overall W2RC championship in T4. Baciuška finished second in the T4 category of the 2023 Dakar Rally and third in the T3 category in 2024.
Defender will make its works debut at the Dakar Rally, where three Defender Dakar D7X-Rs will compete in the Stock category for production-based cars. A two-car entry will contest the remaining rounds of the 2026 FIA W2RC.
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The Defender Dakar D7X-R shares the same D7x aluminium body architecture, transmission and driveline layout as production Defenders.
Image: Supplied
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