“I want to be the first American female to win the Dakar”
Crew facts
S.P.
- Sara Price will be making her third Dakar appearance in 2026 with the ambitious Defender team, who are looking to shake things up in the revamped Stock category.
- The 33-year-old American made an impressive Dakar debut alongside Jeremy Gray in 2024, finishing fourth overall in the SSVs and winning Stage 10. That made her just the third woman (and first American woman) to notch a Dakar stage victory in a class, after Germany's Jutta Kleinschmidt (overall win in 2001) and Spain's Cristina Gutierrez.
- At Dakar 2025, with current co-driver Sean Berriman, Sara had a mechanical that took her out of overall contention on Stage 2, but roared back to claim three stage wins in her Can-Am Maverick R.
- Sara started riding dirtbikes at the age of eight and went on to become a trailblazer on the domestic and international motorsport scene. She won 17 national amateur titles in motocross and secured a bronze medal in Super X at the 2010 X Games.
- In 2012, she switched from two wheels to four and continued to enjoy regular success. In 2019, she became the first woman to win the SCORE International Trophy Truck Spec Championship while also IronWomaning the Baja 1000, staying behind the wheel for over 19 straight hours! She was also the first female to join Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, winning her first Extreme E race for the team in 2022.
- Her remarkable CV includes victories at the California 300, Mint 400, Baja 500 and the Sonora Rally, part of her Road to Dakar triumph in 2023. She is also the owner of her own offroad racing team, SP Motorsports.
- Sara is a professional stunt woman who has done extensive work in television and film. Her credits include the movie Jumanji: The Next Level and the music video for the Lady Gaga song John Wayne.
- Along with her partner, two-time Dakar winner Ricky Brabec, Sara runs the Rip & Dip Ranch, an exclusive action sports compound.
Ambition
S.P.: “My friends and family are beyond excited for this new adventure with Defender. Everyone is so hyped for me because they see how hard I work. They're like, this is your moment. When I started this journey, it was a bit like putting all the eggs in one basket, but now it's really happening. It's a whole new experience because the Defender infrastructure is huge. You'd think in such a big company the passion would be lost but it's the complete opposite. They all know their stuff and work really hard, although my dad is always checking up on them! (laughs). We want to put Defender on top and make their presence felt. And I want to win! I want to be the first American female to win the Dakar, like Ricky was the first male. But obviously you have to be humble. You have to do the best you can and deal with everything that’s thrown at you. Good navigation and working well with Sean is key, to make sure our vehicle makes it to the end. I absolutely love the car, it's amazing. I was blown away because I didn't think it would be this capable. One thing we were nervous about was the dunes, because it's heavier than other cars, but we went testing in Morocco and killed it. It's also been amazing to work with a Dakar legend like Stephane. He has the same background as me, in motorcycles, so we relate a lot. Then there's Rokas, who's like a young kid. He has so much energy and brings a whole other pizazz, plus he sends it really hard! I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle (laughs). Defender don't expect to be battling with the top Ultimates, but they think we'll be the second-fastest class. Stock vehicles have been quite slow in the past, but they've revised the rulebook so the cars now have a lot more capabilities.”
