Defender Rally Eyes Continued W2RC Momentum at bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal

After a dream debut at the Dakar Rally, Defender Rally is set to resume its campaign in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship at the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, starting 17 March.

The British marque heads to Portugal brimming with confidence following a commanding Stock class victory at Dakar. The pairing of Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal clinched class honours in the Defender Dakar D7X-R, while Sara Price and Sean Berriman secured second place. Across 10 of the 13 Dakar stages, Defender Rally delivered an emphatic 1-2-3 stage result in the Stock category — underlining the competitiveness and durability of the new challenger.

Championship Standings: Defender Crews Lead the Charge

Momentum is firmly on Defender’s side in the 2026 W2RC standings. Rokas Baciuška currently leads the Stock drivers’ championship with 107 points, ahead of Sara Price (87 points) and rally legend Stéphane Peterhansel (69 points). In the navigators’ standings, Oriol Vidal, Sean Berriman and Mika Metge occupy first, second and third positions respectively — a clean sweep for the team after round one.

Ian James, Team Principal of Defender Rally, emphasised the shift in challenge from Saudi Arabia to southern Europe:

“Portugal poses an entirely different test to Dakar. The stages are tighter and more technical, where precision and consistency are critical. Reliability is everything in Stock, and Dakar proved the Defender Dakar D7X-R is extremely competitive. Our goal is to build on that momentum as we focus on the W2RC campaign ahead.”

A Revised and More Technical Portuguese Challenge

For 2026, event organiser Automóvel Club de Portugal has significantly revised the rally route. The event begins in Grândola, crosses into Badajoz in Spain’s Extremadura region, and concludes in Loulé in the Algarve.

The five-stage rally spans 2,175km, including 1,320km of competitive timed sections. Organisers have redesigned the route to extend to the Atlantic coast, promising more varied terrain compared to previous editions. Narrower tracks and higher average speeds will demand pinpoint accuracy, while unpredictable spring weather — often bringing heavy rainfall — could add another layer of complexity.

Compared to the wide-open desert stages of Dakar in Saudi Arabia, Portugal’s rocky terrain and confined sections will test both machine and crew in entirely different ways.

Rokas Baciuška said:

“Dakar was an incredible debut for us and the whole team. In Portugal, the terrain is rockier and the course narrower, but our approach remains the same — protect the car, stay consistent, and maintain our championship position.”

Defender Dakar D7X-R: Built for Stock Class Supremacy

The Defender Dakar D7X-R is derived from the road-going Defender OCTA and retains the production model’s robust D7x aluminium body architecture, transmission and driveline layout. However, to meet the latest FIA Stock class regulations for the W2RC, the rally-raid machine features critical enhancements.

Key upgrades include a wider track, increased ride height to cope with rocky surfaces, and revised suspension components engineered to withstand the brutal demands of long-distance rally-raid competition.

With backing from partners Castrol, Bilstein, YETI and Bell & Ross, along with technical suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars, Defender Rally will undertake a comprehensive pre-event test programme in Portugal before competition runs from 17–22 March.

As the 2026 W2RC season gathers pace, Defender Rally arrives in Portugal not just as a newcomer but as the benchmark in the Stock class.

Also Read: Land Rover Defender Launches India’s First Luxury Anamorphic Display in Mumbai

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