Defender Rally made an exciting debut earlier this year at the Dakar Rally, one of the motorsport world’s most daunting and legendary challenges, emerging victorious in the Stock Category of the race that it participated in. With three Defender D7X-R cars racing in the event, the plan was initially to have only two cars continue to race in the W2RC for the rest of the current season.
However, that changed when it was announced that Sara Price and Sean Berriman would be racing at the Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, which featured over 4,000 miles of racing in five stages. Racing through Portugal and Spain, that race has recently concluded, and all three Defender D7X-R rally cars crossed the finish line, helping maintain the team’s top standing within the Stock class of the championship.
Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge took the overall win in the Stock class of the race, finishing in 11:57:33. Meanwhile, Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal came in second place with a 12:00:02 finish, and Sara Price and Sean Berriman finished in 13:09:58, finishing third after an arduous race including mud, water, trees, tight tracks, and more challenges.
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Official partners Castrol, YETI, Bilstein, and Bell & Ross, along with suppliers Shackleton and Alpinestars supported Defender Rally throughout the race, and the vehicle, the Defender D7X-R, is closely related to the roadgoing Defender OCTA. The flagship of the current Defender lineup, the OCTA is the pinnacle of Defender performance and luxury, with a 626-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 engine, impressive torque, luxurious features, and advanced technology for engaging and spirited driving on and off the tarmac. With another successful race completed in Portugal, Defender Rally is continuing the W2RC season with wind in its sails.
Image Source: JLR
