Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver Mika Metge claimed victory in the Stock class on Stage 2 of Rallye du Maroc, leading a Defender one-two as Sara Price and Sean Berriman retained the overall rally lead.
Driving the #500 Defender Dakar D7X-R, Peterhansel and Metge completed Wednesday’s 423km stage in 4:14:53, with Price and Berriman finishing just one minute and 58 seconds behind in the #504 Defender.
Price and Berriman’s second-place finish, following their victory on Tuesday’s opening stage, leaves the pair almost 14 minutes clear at the top of the overall Stock standings after two days of competition.
Yasir Seaidan and Jean-Michel Polato finished third for Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body in 4:54:27, almost 40 minutes behind Peterhansel and Metge.
For Peterhansel, victory came despite losing around ten minutes after getting stuck in deep ruts during a demanding stage through the dunes surrounding Zagora.
“It wasn’t an easy stage, and although it was only 300km, it had a mix of terrain, so it wasn’t very fast,” Peterhansel said.
“I was driving on some big ruts, they were super deep and I tried to follow a dusty route. I couldn’t see where I needed to put the wheels and I wasn’t aggressive enough, so I got stuck and it took us ten minutes to get going again.”
Peterhansel responded by increasing his pace over the closing kilometres.
“After that, I was annoyed by my mistake, so I pushed and pushed to the end. The end section was a clear stage, so we had good speed and we’re happy with the result.”
Price protects the rally lead
After winning Stage 1, Price and Berriman took a more measured approach to Wednesday’s running.
The stage featured rocky riverbeds and demanding dune sections, with Price describing it as expected to be the most treacherous of the rally. With a sizeable advantage already established on Tuesday, the American’s priority was reaching the finish without sacrificing her overall lead.
“Today was a good day for us. We had a pretty solid day; we just needed to get to the end,” Price said.
“It’s supposed to be the most treacherous stage of the rally, and we had a good, decent lead from stage one, so we just needed to keep it together. The aim was to get through another day, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Baciuška hit by Stage 2 retirement
It was a much more difficult day for Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal in the #502 Defender.
The pair were forced to retire from the stage after an impact between KP243 and KP275 broke the car’s rear-right wishbone. Without sufficient spare parts onboard to make the repair, the crew was unable to complete the special section.
Baciuška and Vidal are expected to return for Stage 3 on Thursday but will receive a time penalty for failing to complete Wednesday’s special, dealing a significant blow to their hopes of winning Rallye du Maroc.
“Towards the end of the stage, we were in a riverbed, we followed the lines and then there was an impact that broke the rear right wishbone, so it was a problem because we couldn’t fix it with the parts we had,” Baciuška said.
“In the end, we’re back and we race again tomorrow. It was a long day, we spent almost ten hours in the car, but sometimes this is how it goes. I hope tomorrow and for the rest of the rally, we can enjoy it.”
Defender takes another Stock victory
Despite Baciuška’s retirement, Defender finished Stage 2 with its second Stock victory in as many days and a one-two at the front through Peterhansel and Price.
Defender Rally Team Principal Ian James praised Peterhansel and Metge while acknowledging the setback for Baciuška and Vidal.
“Firstly, a huge congratulations to Stéphane and Mika. Stéphane had high praise for the D7X-R and said how much he enjoyed driving it today, so credit to the team for giving him a car that was so pleasurable to race in,” James said.
“Some pretty challenging conditions, once again, here at Rallye du Maroc, but a really strong performance from Sara and Sean too who came back in second place.”
James said Baciuška’s retirement was a major setback to his hopes of winning the event but expects the crew to continue pushing over the remaining stages.
“Having said that, we know that they’re going to be giving their all in the final few days. One thing’s for sure; it’s going to make the championship quite an exciting prospect for the final event of Defender Rally’s 2026 season.”
Three stages remain in Morocco
With two stages completed, three competitive stages remain at Rallye du Maroc.
Stage 3 takes place on Thursday, 1 October, with another start and finish in Zagora. At 589km overall, including a 360km special, it will be one of the longest stages of the rally.
Competitors will face extended sections of open desert terrain, rocky tracks and sand, placing another premium on accurate navigation.
Price and Berriman head into Stage 3 holding an almost 14-minute advantage in the Stock classification, while Wednesday’s winner Peterhansel will look to build on a performance that delivered Defender’s second consecutive stage victory in Morocco.
