Three Races Can-Am Has Dominated in 2026 (So Far)
Racing is where a side-by-side's engineering actually gets tested — not on a showroom floor. So far in 2026, Can-Am's Maverick platform has been tested in three completely different ways: brutal rock crawling, a flat-out desert sprint and a multi-day international rally raid. Here's what happened at each.
Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship — King of the Hammers
2026 marked the 20th anniversary of King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California, which is widely regarded as one of the toughest one-day off-road races in the world. The Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship is the marquee UTV race run during KOH week.
The Course
A brutal mix of unforgiving rock trails and fast desert sections that caused constant lead changes and heavy mechanical carnage. Of the 122 teams that started, only 25 finished after 10 hours of racing.
The Win
Jeff Martin drove his Can-Am Maverick X3 to the overall victory. As a privateer, Martin is the first one ever to win this race outright, beating factory-backed teams by preserving his machine through the rocks and capitalizing when leaders broke down. He won by more than seven minutes. In the same event, Can-Am ambassador Hubert Rowland took the Sportsman class in a Maverick R.
The History
Run by Best in the Desert, founded in 1984 and the longest-running desert racing series in the US, now part of the American Off-Road Racing Championship, the Silver State 300 is one of the series' signature fast-paced events.
The Course
A 106-mile course through Tonopah, Nevada, a historic silver-mining town. Known as one of the fastest, most flowing courses on the calendar, where a mistake is nearly impossible to make up.
The Win
Kyle Chaney took his Can-Am Maverick R to victory by the narrowest of margins. The top three finishers were separated by just 53 seconds after more than five hours of racing. The race had a late twist, too: early leader Mitch Guthrie was hit with a five-minute penalty for an illegal race line, handing the win to Chaney.
Dakar Rally
Photo Credit: UTV Action Magazine
The History
Widely considered one of the most demanding tests of durability and performance in all of motorsports, the Dakar Rally is run across the Saudi Arabian desert over more than 8,000 kilometers.
The Course
Fourteen stages of extreme desert terrain, including marathon stages that push both driver and machine to their limits over multiple consecutive days with minimal support.
The Result
Kyle Chaney, in his Dakar debut, finished second overall in his Can-Am Maverick R and won Stage 5 outright. Across the full Can-Am factory team (prepared by South Racing), drivers took six of the top 10 overall positions and five stage wins total, including a podium sweep on Stages 7 and 12. The Maverick R ran a Rotax turbocharged triple-cylinder engine, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and tall-knuckle suspension specifically recalibrated for the desert conditions. While not an outright overall win, this dominant team performance and podium finish is still one of the most complete showings of the year.
Honorable Mention: Baja 1000 (2025)
Technically last season, but too big to leave out. The SCORE Baja 1000, founded in 1967 and often called the Super Bowl of off-road racing, ran an 854-mile loop course out of Ensenada in November 2025. Phil Blurton drove his Can-Am Maverick R to the Pro UTV Forced Induction class win, with teammate Kaden Wells right behind him in second for a factory 1-2 finish.
The Machines You Can Actually Ride
Every one of these wins came from the same two platforms sitting in Basecamp's showroom right now: the Can-Am Maverick X3 and Maverick R. Come see them in person or give us a call at 403-441-1299 to talk about which one fits how you ride.
