Can-Am Factory Team dominated the 2025 Dakar Rally but had little to show for it as mechanical issues took them out of contention, allowing rival Polaris to score their second straight SSV victory. For 2026, they will be a five-car effort with the returning Francisco López Contardo, Jeremías González Ferioli, João Monteiro, and Hunter Miller joined by Dakar newcomer Kyle Chaney.

All five will be in the Can-Am Maverick R prepared by South Racing.

“For BRP, the Dakar Rally is more than a race. It’s about continuing to prove the incredible performance of our vehicles in some of the harshest conditions on Earth,” BRP Inc. racing manager Jean-François Leclerc stated. “For 2026, we’re returning to Dakar with the most refined version of our Maverick R platform and an impressive driver roster, featuring seasoned Dakar veterans and ambitious rookie talents.

“We race to win and we race to learn. From suspension geometry to powertrain tuning, the Dakar Rally advances our research and development efforts so drivers everywhere can trust their machine when the terrain demands more. Last year, we proved what the Maverick R is capable of. This year, we aim to showcase the full potential of the platform, our drivers and team.”

Chaney enjoyed an eventful 2025 that began with him winning the Race of Kings with his Maverick R, becoming the first UTV driver to take the King of the Hammers’ premier event. In the summer, he was involved in one of the wildest finishes in short course history at the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run en route to finishing second, followed by a sixth at the Red Bull Crandon World Cup.

Once the Championship Off-Road season wrapped up, Chaney made his rally raid debut at the Rallye du Maroc in October. Despite a broken A-arm in Stage 1, he finished fifth in SSV. Jacob Argubright, who’s done Dakar on a bike, remains his navigator.

López is a three-time Dakar UTV victor with previous triumphs in 2019, 2021, and 2022. The inaugural World Rally-Raid Champion in T3, he has since been in the production-based T4/SSV class to help develop the Maverick R for rally raids. At the 2025 Dakar, he won five stages and placed runner-up. He also won the Rallye du Maroc in SSV. Alvaro León returns as navigator.

Ferioli claimed two stage wins but a mechanical issue in Stage 4 prevented him from finishing higher than 30th overall. He went on to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first victory for the Maverick R as a homologated vehicle. Gonzalo Rinaldi is his co-driver.

An FIA European Baja Cup and CPTT regular, Monteiro was fifth in class at his Dakar debut in January. Morais Nuno will call the shots.

Like Chaney, Miller is an American desert racer. He placed tenth in SSV at Dakar before retiring from the Race of Kings. Jeremy Gray will sit in the passenger’s seat again; Miller’s 2025 Dakar navigator Andrew Short is now with Seth Quintero at Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Featured image credit: BRP Inc.