SARA PRICE & HELEN TAIT WRIGHT Lead Land Rover’s Dakar Rally Domination

February 17, 2026

• SARA PRICE delivered a stellar second-place finish in the Stock class, partnering with Sean Berriman in their Land Rover Defender D7X-R. The motocross champion with 19 titles and X-Games medals proved her desert racing credentials despite early rear suspension issues that could have derailed lesser competitors. Her near four-hour gap behind winner Rokas Baciuška shows just how competitive this field was, with Price demonstrating the racing intelligence that’s made her a force across multiple motorsports disciplines.
• The all-female HELEN TAIT WRIGHT and MARCELLA KIRK duo from Gazelles Racing showed what grit looks like, finishing 83rd overall in the Classic Section with their 2.5-litre Td5 Range Rover. While that might not sound glamorous, anyone who’s witnessed Dakar’s brutal two-week, 8,000-kilometer gauntlet knows that any finisher is indeed a winner. Their completion rate alone puts them in elite company in one of motorsport’s most unforgiving tests.
• Land Rover’s investment in showcasing their Defender OCTA capabilities paid dividends as their team swept the Stock class podium with 1st, 2nd, and 4th place finishes. The $150,000 civilian OCTA got the full Dakar treatment with reinforced bodywork, roll cages, and enough modifications to handle the desert’s relentless punishment. When veteran Stephan Peterhansel suffered a 12-hour alternator belt failure and 24-hour penalty, he became mobile support for his teammates – the kind of strategic teamwork that wins championships.

classic range rover, dakar rally, land rover defender, stock class