DEFENDER

“Portugal turned out to be a surprising race for our team, as we had expected to be slower than the Challenger and SSV category vehicles that started behind us – vehicles we know to be very fast on this type of terrain. The Defender proved to be very capable, and once again we’re pleased to have brought all three cars home without any trouble, which was no mean feat for a first race in new conditions that were completely different from the Dakar.”

• Rokas Baciuska is one of the hottest young prospects in rally-raid, with three W2RC titles and three Dakar podiums in the Challenger and SSV classes. In 2025, he made an impressive debut in the Ultimate class, finishing 11th overall and winning the gruelling 48-Hour Chrono stage.
• For Dakar 2026, the 26-year-old Lithuanian has joined the Defender Rally factory team, who are hoping to make a splash in the new-look Stock class. 
• Rokas has been racing since the age of seven. He began in karting and won his national title in 2010. In 2018 he started competing in World Rallycross, winning the European Super1600 Championship, then in 2019 he became the first Lithuanian to do the World Rallycross Championship. 
• Rokas got his first taste of rally-raid in 2021 and made his Dakar debut in 2022, finishing third in the SSVs alongside Oriol Mena. The two men were reunited for Dakar 2025, because Rokas' usual co-driver Oriol Vidal - who returns in 2026 - had been sidelined by injury.
• Rokas came agonisingly close to winning the Dakar in 2023 but slipped to second in the SSVs behind Eryk Goczal after a final-day mechanical. 
• In the World Rally-Raid Championship, Rokas secured the SSV title in 2022 and 2023 before adding his first Challenger title in 2024. He has now set his sights on the overall FIA crown.
• In June 2024, Rokas obtained a bachelor's degree in Sports and Tourism Management from the Lithuanian Sports University. He also runs his own 'RB Driving Experience' back home.