Price and Gray secure maiden stage win for Defender Rally in Argentina

Sara Price and Saydiie Gray claimed their first rally-raid stage victory together after winning Stage 3 of the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina for Defender Rally.

The all-female crew completed the demanding 409km special stage from San Rafael to San Rafael in a time of 04:58:41, placing first in the Stock class aboard the Defender Dakar D7X-R.

The stage proved to be one of the toughest and most varied of the rally so far, taking crews through the challenging El Nihuil dunes, salt flats and winding dry riverbeds, with navigation playing a key role throughout the day.

Defender Rally continued its strong form with Stéphane Peterhansel and Mika Metge finishing second, four and a half minutes behind the leading car. The experienced pairing encountered navigational issues during the stage before later suffering a broken left-rear driveshaft, forcing them to complete much of the stage with only three-wheel drive.

Rokas Baciuška and Oriol Vidal crossed the line in third after receiving a 12-minute penalty for speeding through controlled waypoints.

Team Principal Ian James praised all three crews after another strong showing for the Defender Dakar D7X-R programme.

“A huge congratulations to Sara and Saydiie on their first stage win,” James said.

“It means that with each of the three crews having won a stage, we're now headed to the final two days where it’s all to play for.”

Price described the result as a major moment for the pairing, particularly after overcoming navigation challenges during the stage.

“We had great pace, but I knew I needed to make up some time today, and I knew dunes would be in my favour,” Price said.

“We did make a few navigation mistakes, which is expected, and Saydiie’s still learning, but she killed it otherwise.

“To get her first stage win, and by an all-female team, I think this is the first time that's ever happened.”

Stage 4 of the Desafío Ruta 40 takes place on Thursday, with competitors heading into high-altitude terrain near the Andes mountain range for what is expected to be the toughest stage of the rally.