Sara Price will switch from desert rally raid to electric hydrofoil racing in six days when she competes in the UIM E1 World Championship season opener at Jeddah on 23-24 January.
The American pilot finished the 2026 Dakar Rally on Saturday, securing second place in the Stock category for Defender Rally after two weeks racing across Saudi Arabia. She returns to the same country on Thursday to begin Westbrook Racing’s championship campaign in the all-electric powerboat series.
Price secured three stage victories at Dakar, winning Stages 2, 6 and 12 in the Defender Dakar D7X-R alongside co-driver Sean Berriman. The duo finished second overall in the production-based Stock class, with teammate Rokas Baciuška claiming the category victory by a commanding three hours and 58 minutes.
Dual Discipline Challenge
The transition from endurance racing in Land Rovers to piloting electric RaceBird hydrofoils represents one of powerboat racing’s most striking discipline crossovers. Price competed across 13 stages covering nearly 8,000 kilometres through desert terrain before switching to racing on the water.
Westbrook Racing confirmed Price and Lucas Ordóñez will return for the 2026 season on 16 December. Price addressed the compressed timeline in a team statement.
Joining the Team in Jeddah following the conclusion of the Dakar Rally, I’ll be hungry, focused and more motivated than ever. We believe in consistency, and with Lucas and the whole team, I know we have what it takes.
Championship Context
Westbrook Racing finished fifth in the 2025 UIM E1 World Championship, which Team Brady won for the second consecutive year. The Miami finale saw Team Brady defeat Rafael Nadal’s Team Rafa by three points in one of the tightest championship battles in the series’ brief history.
The Will Smith-owned team maintains its core driver lineup for 2026 after establishing itself as consistent finals contenders during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Phil Allen, Team Principal, emphasised the importance of continuity.
Maintaining stability across the Team is a strong reflection of our confidence in them both and also their confidence in the entire Westbrook Racing organisation. With the same pilots, engineers and technical team returning, the Team will be ready to perform from day 1 in Jeddah.
Ordóñez, the GT Academy winner who secured a Le Mans podium finish, acknowledged the competitive environment facing the team.
Consistency is key in E1 and after two seasons together, this team gives me great confidence. We will deliver in 2026.
Cross-Discipline Background
Price’s motorsport career spans motocross, trophy trucks, off-road racing and electric vehicle competition. She became the first American female to win a Dakar stage in 2024, securing three more stage victories across the 2025 and 2026 editions.
The California native won 17 national motocross championships before transitioning to four-wheel racing. She claimed the 2019 SCORE Trophy Truck Spec Championship and competed for Chip Ganassi Racing in Extreme E before joining Westbrook Racing for the E1 Series.
The 2026 UIM E1 World Championship runs eight rounds across four continents. Following Jeddah, the series travels to Lake Como in April, Dubrovnik in June, and Monaco in July before heading to Lagos, Miami and the Bahamas finale in November.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
