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.”

• With 3 Dakar podiums in 3 appearances - and 3 consecutive W2RC crowns - Rokas Baciuska has established himself as one of the hottest young prospects in rally-raid. At just 25 years of age, the Lithuanian is stepping up to the Ultimate class with Overdrive Racing at Dakar 2025.
• Rokas has been racing since the age of 7. He began in karting and won his national title in 2010. In 2018 he started competing in World Rallycross, winning the European Super1600 Championship. And in 2019 he became the first Lithuanian to do the World Rallycross Championship, finishing 11^th (just ahead of fellow Dakar competitor Guerlain Chicherit).
• Rokas got his first taste of rally-raid in 2021, impressing with top-5 finishes in Andalucia and Morocco. He then made his Dakar debut in 2022, finishing 3^rd in the SSVs alongside Oriol Mena. The two men have been reunited for Dakar 2025, because Rokas' usual co-driver Oriol Vidal has been sidelined by a persistent back injury.
• Rokas came agonisingly close to winning Dakar 2023 but slipped to 2^nd 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!
• Rokas has raced in a T1+ car twice before, at Baja Hail (February 2024) and Baja Aragon (July 2024). He finished 2^nd overall at Baja Aragon behind Guillaume de Mévius.
• 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.