Defender’s maiden World Rally Raid Championship program hasn’t started too badly, with back-to-back wins at Dakar and Rally-Raid Portugal – but with the Stock class competition seemingly sussed, it’s time to make some history.
And that history will come in South America next week, with Defender fielding the first ever all-women crew at Argentina’s Desafío Ruta 40, the FIA’s latest W2RC round.
Double podium finisher Sara Price will be co-driven by fellow American Saydiie Gray on the May 24-29 event. The San Juan-based event will be 19-year-old Gray’s debut aboard a factory Defender Dakar D7X-R – but the pair have plenty of competition experience together and actually won their first ever event together, the NORRA 1000, a five-day off-road event in Baja, Mexico.
DirtFish Women in Motorsport advocate, Price said: “I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the D7X-R, and this time with Saydiie as my navigator. We have loads of racing experience together so I’m confident we will put that to good use in Argentina. I’m sure there will be challenges thrown our way, but with our incredible team behind us, there’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Gray and Price are the first all-female crew to take on the Desafío Ruta 40
Gray, who is standing in for Price’s regular W2RC co-driver Sean Berriman, added: “Joining Defender Rally team for the race in Argentina is a massive step for me and I’m buzzing to take on the challenge. Competing with a friend by my side just makes this even more special and makes me even more determined. We’re here to learn, push, and make our mark on the Desafío Ruta 40.”
Defender will field sister D7X-Rs for Stéphane Peterhansel and Rokas Baciuška for a 1,677-mile itinerary which offers a mix of gravel and sand stages on a route which crosses the dramatic El Nihuil dunes.
At the front of the classification, Dacia is chasing a hat-trick of wins with Dakar winne Nasser Al-Attiyah leading the charge ahead of fellow Sandrider driver and round two winner Sébastien Loeb with Lucas Moraes in a third car.
Ford fields its trio of Raptors for Carlos Sainz, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie, while Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Henk Lategan and Seth Quintero run factory Toyota GR DKR Hilux Evos.
