Stéphane Peterhansel was in a celebratory mood after winning the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in the Stock class, even with his wallet lighter than usual shortly after.

During post-race inspection, he was unable to provide the original FIA homologation form for his Defender D7X-R. Under Article 26.3 of the FIA Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations, “The complete original FIA homologation form/FIA Technical Passport and all other necessary certifications/documents must be available for final checks.”

Gustavo Beteli, who represented Peterhansel at the meeting with FIA stewards, admitted he didn’t have the form on hand but offered to supply a copy. However, since the original document is required, a €500 fine was given.

Such paperwork is required for all vehicles, especially those registered to score points for the World Rally-Raid Championship like Peterhansel and his Defender teammates.

The D7X-R and Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport VJA300JL are the only homologated cars for the Stock class in 2026, meaning only those are eligible to earn W2RC points this year. Entrants in other vehicles would either not get points or have to take part in an Open class. The FIA also maintains T2 homologation for the Baja Cups, which includes cars such as the Isuzu D-MAX and Nissan Patrol.

Peterhansel won a stage and beat his teammates Rokas Baciuška and Sara Price for the Stock win. It is his first W2RC victory since overalling the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

The stewards for Portugal—consisting of chief Jordi Parros, FIA steward Omar Zarour, and Portugal rep Paulo Laginha—also handed out a suspended €10,000 fine to Yazeed Al-Rajhi for missing the label on his fuel cell before the race, a suspended disqualification to Lucas Del Rio for opening the sealed pouch containing his cell phone in Stage 3, and a full DSQ to Steven Rotsaert for refueling at an unapproved gas station.

Featured image credit: Edoardo Bauer / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO