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Cars in Taylor Swift Music VideosSara Price Is Ready to Make History at the Dakar Rally
We sit down with Sara Price to talk about the upcoming Dakar Rally, growing up off roading, and the new Defender OCTA.
Sara Price at Destination Defender Weekend
Destination Defender is a weekend-long event celebrating the iconic Land Rover Defender, from the original Series models to the modern luxury off-road powerhouses. Most recently, it was held in Temecula, California, where the automaker leaned into its heritage and held an emotional ceremony for the non-profits honored as Defender Service Award winners. But a highlight was getting to chat with American off-road racer Sara Price, who shared her story of running the upcoming 2026 Dakar Rally as part of the Defender team.
How Sara Price Got Signed to the Defender Team
Down-to-earth, relaxed, and quick with a laugh, Sara is easy to talk to. She also happens to be a world-class racer. Like off-road racing legend Vic Hickey, Sara started racing as a kid in Southern California. Before turning 18, she had 19 national championships to her name. From there, she went professional and proceeded to rack up a list of accolades that are far too vast to share in full here. Brief highlights include being the first female signed by Chip Ganassi Racing, winning her class in the famous SCORE International Baja 500 race, and being the first American woman to win a stage in the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Facing the 2026 Dakar Rally
All of which has led to Sara joining the Defender team for the 2026 Dakar Rally. For those unfamiliar, the Dakar Rally is considered one of, if not the single toughest races on the planet. Dating back to 1979, when it was known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, this race is a staggering feat of mechanical and human endurance. Racers cover up to 600 miles daily, hitting 100 mph across sand dunes, through rocky valleys, and over mountains. Total distance covered comes in around 5,000 miles over 2 weeks of grueling “rally raid” racing. To say the Dakar Rally is reserved for the best in the racing business is an understatement. It’s a big deal and based on my discussion with Sara, she is understandably excited.
Because not only will she be racing in a D7X-R, which is based on the mighty Land Rover Defender OCTA, Sara is racing for the automaker that makes the vehicles she dreamed of owning as a kid. Talking about the Range Rover being her dream car when she was little, but not exactly realistic at the time, she shared, “I always loved them, but I didn’t think I’d be driving for the dream company of a car I’ve always wanted…And now a Defender…It’s kind of a mix of my worlds. I want to be a girl sometimes and get into a nice luxury vehicle. But then I also want to go out in the dirt and get dirty…I’m an off-roader.”
Talking Up The New Defender OCTA
To be clear, Sara is talking about the Defender OCTA. Among the many impressive Defender models currently on the market, the OCTA sits comfortably at the top. Like its stablemates, the OCTA is loaded with the British automaker’s signature level of luxury appointments and is incredibly capable off-road. Its departure angle is better than a Ford Bronco Raptor and it can ford more than 3 feet of water.
It is under the hood, however, where you might argue the most exciting aspect resides. That being a twin-turbo 4.4L V8 making 626 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. A sub-4-second split for the 0-60 sprint is borderline outrageous for a rig that weighs nearly 3 tons, rides on 22” wheels, and sits more than 12 inches off the ground. Top speed? 155 mph.
All of which will come in handy when Sara and her Defender teammates pilot the D7X-R in the 2026 Dakar Rally. To comply with racing regs as part of the Stock category, the Octa-based D7X-R will be detuned somewhat and it does have unique features like a full roll cage, extra fuel capacity, a beefed-up suspension, and special seats. That said, it is based on the same D7x aluminum body architecture as the “regular” OCTA, which will make the upcoming race an interesting real-world testbed for Land Rover’s most impressive Defender.
It was a pleasure talking with Sara Price at the recent Destination Defender and I, for one, am looking forward to following her progress in the 2026 Dakar Rally, which will run from January 3rd to the 17th.
You can listen to the Niel’s full interview with Sara on Spotify courtesy of The Knocking Rod Podcast.
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