American off-road star Sara Price has signed to drive for Defender as the British brand builds towards its maiden Dakar entry in January.
Price is no stranger to the Saudi Arabian marathon, having tackled the event for the last two years and become the first American woman and only the third woman ever to win a stage of the Dakar in 2024. She has also guided a Trophy Truck to Baja Series SCORE International victory and competed in Extreme E with Chip Ganassi Racing.
The Californian, who joins 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel and former W2RC T4 title winner Rokas Baciuška in the team, said: “To join the works Defender team in its competitive debut at the Dakar will be a huge honour, and I cannot wait to get started with the team. The Dakar is the pinnacle of rally-raid competition and I’m extremely proud to have competed in this competition before.
“Defender is an iconic vehicle with extreme capabilities, as well as a brand fueled by purpose, so to drive for this British adventure brand at such a huge moment in its history is an amazing accomplishment for me.
“The testing and preparation work going on behind the scenes is insanely impressive to see and I’m excited to get behind the wheel. As a born racer, I’m very competitive and working with Defender I know we’re aiming high and won’t rest until we succeed.”
Managing director of JLR Motorsport, James Barclay is delighted with the addition to an already impressive line-up.
“We couldn’t be happier to have secured such a formidable talent in Sara Price,” said Barclay. “With trailblazing achievements to her name already including Dakar stage wins, coupled with her determination and passion for the sport, Sara is a perfect fit for Defender.
“She has earned this opportunity and so we are extremely pleased to have her on board with us. She joins a super-strong Defender driver line-up alongside Stéphane Peterhansel and Rokas Baciuška and I have no doubt that our excellent driver line up can help us secure the results we are aiming for.”
Testing of the stock class D7X-R is already underway, with Peterhansel having run the car in Morocco. Defender will enter the final two W2RC rounds this year in its final preparations for January.
Defender’s D7X-R will run in the new-for-2026 stock category. Powering a chassis plucked from the production line will be a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine.
