When people think of rally ATVs, the Yamaha Raptor is usually the first that comes to mind. After all, the Raptor is the only model to win the Dakar Rally’s Quad class from 2009 until its removal after 2024. In recent years, the CFMOTO CFORCE 1000 has also made a name for itself by winning the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship in the category.

While Can-Am has its own ATVs like the Renegade and Outlander, the Canadian manufacturer’s rally focus is on the SSV class with the Maverick instead. That isn’t to say nobody shows up to a raid on a Renegade, but if you’re looking to do well, you’re probably better off with the tried-and-true Yamaha.

As it turns out, the Renegade’s got plenty of punch.

Half the Quad field for the Desafío Ruta 40 was on a Renegade, with Lucas Dominguez in particular riding the 850 XXC variant. Three were on Raptors while Antanas Kanopkinas was the sole CFMOTO.

Kanopkinas, being the W2RC points leader who narrowly missed out on the 2025 title to his teammate, figured to be a contender in Argentina. And he was, but, as the Russian joke goes, there is a nuance.

He was the only rider to win multiple stages, claiming four of the five main legs from Stages 2 through 5. However, his chances of even getting onto the podium were dashed from the beginning after a disastrous start to the race.

During the Prologue, he drifted off the course and went the wrong way, costing him some time as he finished seventh in class. The battery then went out 260 kilometers into Stage 1, and he managed to revive it and continue for another ten kilos before the piece gave up the ghost for good. The DNF resulted in eight hours of penalties, allowing him to continue the race once the battery was switched but solely for pride.

The new battery fortunately complied as did the rest of the CFORCE. Of course, the early troubles meant he could only finish fourth overall despite the stage wins. He also remains the points leader.

“It’s a pity that we had a technical issue on the first day, but we learned from it,” said Kanopkinas. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure a situation like that never happens again. Despite everything, the final result is solid.

“Every stage was extremely demanding. I’m happy to have been in Argentina and happy with what we achieved.”

With Kanopkinas out of the picture, the overall instead became Can-Am’s domain. Lucas Dominguez won Stage 1 to take the overall lead and never let go, securing the first W2RC win for the Renegade in a 1–2 finish ahead of Leonardo Martínez.

Dominguez was the 2025 South American Rally Race winner for Quads, ironically on a Raptor, before deciding to enter the DR 40 with the Renegade. He finished second in the Prologue to Tobías Carrizo’s Yamaha, which also retired in Stage 1 due to “several mechanical problems”. Carrizo salvaged a runner-up to Kanopkinas the next day, then had two days where he ran out of gas; he was not classified with the finishers, but still made it back to San Juan.

Alexis Varagne, another W2RC full-timer like Kanopkinas, also had a tough week. The welding on his handlebars gave out during the first stage, forcing him to a stop and he reached the bivouac late at night. Stages 2 and 3 were more compliant before another mechanical failure struck 60 kilometers into the fourth day.

Results

Finish	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Total Time	Margin
1	31	177	Lucas Dominguez	LD Racing Team	23:35:58	Leader
2	40	175	Leonardo Martínez	Team Can-Am Martínez	25:27:49	+ 1:51:51
3	42	173	Isidro Fernandez	KOT Pro Mechanic	25:34:21	+ 1:58:23
4	48	171	Antanas Kanopkinas	CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team	32:16:20	+ 8:40:22
5	52	176	Santiago Rostan	Pampa Rental Rally Team	35:42:53	+ 12:06:55
6	55	174	Suany Martínez	Team Can-Am Martínez	51:22:11	+ 27:46:13
DNF	DNF	172	Alexis Varagne	GM Motorsport	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	178	Tobías Carrizo	MED Racing Team	DNF	N/A

Stage winners

Stage	Overall	Rider	Total Time
Prologue	28	Tobías Carrizo	6:22.5
Stage 1	38	Lucas Dominguez	5:19:50
Stage 2	30	Antanas Kanopkinas	2:16:48
Stage 3	29	Antanas Kanopkinas	5:48:21
Stage 4	31	Antanas Kanopkinas	4:58:43
Stage 5	27	Antanas Kanopkinas	3:34:36

Featured image credit: Helena Clancy / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO