Can-Am Shows Up to Dakar 2026 Like It Brought Homework the Rest of the Class Didn’t Study For

Posted by Drew Cummings on Dec 3rd 2025

There’s preparing for Dakar… and then there’s whatever Can-Am is doing for 2026, which feels less like a race program and more like the brand is gearing up to conquer the desert, the competition, and possibly the next three dimensions of space-time. While every team claims they’re “ready,” Can-Am rolled in looking like the overachiever who color-codes their flashcards and finishes the group project before anyone else remembers it exists.

Let’s break down how Can-Am has turned Dakar 2026 into the off-road equivalent of an awkward schoolyard showdown where one kid brings a battle tank to a snowball fight.

The Machine: Maverick R, aka “The Desert Doesn’t Get a Vote”

Maverick R built by South Racing

You’d think the Maverick R would be satisfied after dominating its debut — ten stage wins out of twelve? That’s enough for most vehicles to kick back and enjoy retirement.
Not this one.

For 2026, Can-Am decided to tinker with it like a dad who “just needs to tighten one more bolt,” except the bolts led to:

A re-mapped Rotax turbo engine
A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that shifts faster than your ex changed moods
Tall-knuckle suspension that laughs in the face of broken terrain
Cooling upgrades specifically designed for temperatures commonly described as “Hell, but dryer”
A full South Racing endurance package, because Dakar has no chill

Jean-François Leclerc summed it up:
“Dakar is a test of preparation as much as performance.”
Translation: We didn’t come to make friends.

The Drivers: Five Humans Who Apparently Don’t Fear Heat, Pain, or Sand in Their Teeth

Can-Am Factory Driver lineup

Can-Am didn’t just build a mean machine — they recruited pilots who look perfectly comfortable living on the edge.

Here’s the lineup, or as I call them: five different ways to terrify the competition.

Francisco “Chaleco” López & Álvaro León

Three-time Dakar champion. Five stage wins last year. The man treats Dakar like his home office.

Kyle Chaney & Jacob Argubright

Chaney won King of the Hammers in the 4400 class, which should tell you everything you need to know about his tolerance for danger. Now he’s a Dakar rookie. Buckle up.

Hunter Miller & Jeremy Gray

Quiet, calculated, and annoyingly good at finishing races intact. A top-ten finisher on his debut run? Rude.

João Monteiro & Morais Nuno

Last year’s Rookie of the Year and Europe Baja SSC champion. This is the kid in class who raises his hand before the question is finished.

Each driver brings a different weapon to the table, but all point toward one goal: SSV domination.

The Race: Fourteen Stages of “Why Did I Sign Up for This?”

Five factory drivers with championship credentials

Starting January 3, 2026, Yanbu becomes the place where dreams go to sweat. The Dakar route is a cartoonishly cruel blend of:

Dunes the size of apartment complexes
Rock gardens that have ended more dreams than bad Tinder dates
Navigation zones that make Google Maps cry
The infamous Ha’il marathon stage, where drivers get zero outside help
The Empty Quarter, where heat melts everything except determination

If a machine or driver has a weakness, Dakar will happily expose it.

Backers for 2026: Big Names, Bigger Expectations

Two new partners join the madness:

Progressive Insurance®
TSY America Inc.

When companies like that sign on, you know the program isn’t a hobby — it’s a mission.

What This All Means (Besides Can-Am Flexing Like a Bodybuilder at a Tank Top Sale)

Polaris is stepping up its international rally presence. Yamaha and others aren’t sleeping either. But Can-Am’s 2026 approach? It’s on another level.

This isn’t “entering a race.”
This is “deploying a full desert assault.”

Can-Am is designing, tuning, funding, testing, and staffing like a brand determined to own the SSV class for the foreseeable future. The Maverick R’s upgrades aren’t for show; they’re the culmination of data, punishment, and borderline obsessive refinement.

And honestly? That’s what Dakar demands.

Where to Watch the Story Unfold

Follow the chaos, victories, heartbreaks, mid-dune repairs, and glory through:

@canamoffroad
@canamfactoryteam

We’ll be covering every major twist, every standout stage, and every Maverick R moment right here at Side By Side Sports.

Grab your popcorn (and possibly a stress ball). Dakar 2026 is going to be wild.