Defender has signed trailblazing American rally driver, former motocross champion and four-time Dakar Rally stage winner Sara Price to compete in the 2026 edition of the world’s most epic long-distance off-road race.
Signing Sara sees Defender complete its world-class driver line-up ahead of the adventure brand making its competitive manufacturer team debut in the 2026 Dakar Rally, an extreme off-road test of human and machine. Sara joins fourteen-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel and promising talent Rokas Baciuška, in a trio of competition-spec Defender D7X-R rally cars in the ‘Stock’ category for production-based cars.
At the age of eight in southern California, Sara’s passion for racing began on two wheels. After just eight years, Sara had achieved 19 national championships before turning professional and becoming an X-Games Medalist, before starting her journey in four-wheel racing.
She has a wealth of experience competing and succeeding in a range of different off-road categories, including winning the legendary Baja Series SCORE International in Trophy Truck and driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in the all-electric rallying championship Extreme E, becoming the team’s first-ever female race winner.
In 2024, Sara made her Dakar Rally debut in the SSV class, becoming the first American woman and third woman ever to win a Dakar Rally stage. She went on to finish fourth overall in the rally and won the title for best rookie. Sara now joins Defender as the brand embarks on its inaugural year competing in the Dakar Rally as a works entry.
source: JLR SA
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