Defender completes perfect Stock class sweep at Desafio Ruta 40

Key points

• Defender Rally delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 Desafo Ruta 40 in Argentina, securing a clean sweep of the Stock category with all three Defender Dakar D7 R entries reaching the finish and occupying the top three positions in class.
• The five-day rally-raid event, which forms part of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), saw rally legend Stephane Peterhansel and co-driver Mika Metge claim victory in the Stock class with a cumulative time of 18 hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds.
• Teammates Rokas Baciuka and Oriol Vidal finished second with a total time of 18:20:30, while Sara Price and Saydiie Gray completed the podium in third place with 19:06:04. Beyond dominating the production-based category, the Defender crews also delivered impressive performances against more specialised machinery.
• Peterhansel, Baciuska and Price finished 18th, 19th and 20th respectively in the overall Car category standings, competing alongside the more powerful T1+...