Sara Price Finishes Second at Dakar Rally in Debut Season with Defender

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia – Saturday 17 January 2026: Sara Price delivered a standout performance at the 2026 Dakar Rally, finishing second overall in the Stock class in her first year competing with Defender Rally at the world’s toughest off-road endurance event. Price’s campaign was highlighted by a victory in the event prologue and stage wins on Stages 2, 6, and 12, showcasing both her pace and the competitive capability of Defender from the opening kilometres of the rally.

Competing alongside co-driver Sean Berriman, Price completed the two-week, 14-day rally across the punishing terrain of the Saudi Arabian desert, helping Defender Rally secure an historic first-and-second-place finish in the Stock classin its debut appearance at Dakar. The result marks a major milestone for both Price and the Defender Rally programme.

Price and Berriman consistently ran at the front of the field, contributing to Defender Rally’s remarkable achievement of 1-2-3 stage results across 10 of the 13 stages. At the final stage, the Defender Rally crews crossed the finish together, underscoring the strength, reliability and teamwork behind the all-new Defender Dakar D7X-R.

“Dakar Rally was just incredible,” said Sara Price. “We had a goal at the final stage to get to the finish line as a team together. To see the whole Defender team there at the finish line and feel that energy and emotion really shows what this is all about. To finish P2 in our first year with Defender, to win the prologue and take victories on Stages 2, 6, and 12, and to bring the team home P1 and P2, is just unbelievable.”

The Defender Dakar D7X-R, derived from the production Defender OCTA, competed in the Stock class for production-based vehicles. Built on the same D7x body architecture as the road-going Defender, the rally car demonstrated exceptional durability, performance and capability across more than 24,000 combined kilometres of competition.

About Sara Price

Sara Price, owner of SP Motorsports, began racing dirt bikes at age eight, winning 19 amateur titles and medaling at the 2010 X-Games. As the most decorated female amateur in motocross, she became the first factory-supported female racer with Monster Energy Kawasaki. In 2012, she transitioned to UTV racing, claiming the Women’s Championship in the Terracross undefeated in every round of the series, while also campaigning multiple disciplines as a driver and leading laps in the Stadium SUPER Truck Series as the first woman to do so.

In 2019, Sara made history IronWomaning the infamous Baja 1000 and becoming the first woman to win the SCORE International Trophy Truck Spec Championship. She joined Chip Ganassi Racing’s Extreme E team in 2021, adding another major victory to her resume. In 2023, she dominated the off-road scene with wins at the Mint 400, California 300, Baja 500, Sonora Rally, earning the Road to Dakar, and the Triple Crown Championship.

Sara realized her dream of competing in the world’s toughest race at the Dakar Rally in 2024, where she became the first American female to win a stage, earning the Rookie Award and finishing fourth overall in the SSV category. In 2026, she continued her Dakar success in her first year with Defender Rally, finishing second overall in the Stock class, helping secure a historic debut result for the team at the legendary event.

Beyond off-road racing, Sara is also a professional stunt performer and SAG-AFTRA member, with work featured in films such as Jumanji: The Next Level and commercials seen worldwide. She also competes in powerboat racing with Will Smith’s Westbrook Racing team in the E1 Series, securing the team’s first victory at the Lake Como Grand Prix.