Can-Am Privateer Victorious at King of the Hammers

Not only a privateer but one of just 25 (out of 122) UTVs to finish the race.

Can‐Am extended its legacy of performance at the 20th anniversary of King of the Hammers. The highlight of the week came in the 2026 Can‐Am UTV Hammers Championship, where Jeff Martin piloted his Can‐Am Maverick X3 to a dramatic overall victory, marking one of the most hard‐fought UTV wins in event history.

Renowned as one of the toughest off-road races in the world, the 2026 Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship course raised the bar once again. The unforgiving rock trails of Johnson Valley took out several front-runners and caused lead-swapping chaos. Through the carnage, Martin preserved his machine and made his move late in the race, climbing to the front and never relinquishing the lead. After ten hours of racing, only 25 of the 122 teams finished the race.

“After pit two, when we headed down Aftershock, we really scaled it back,” said Martin. “We didn’t want to damage the car… And then when Cole Clark got behind us, he was right there, and we decided just to let him go. We started driving smart and driving our race. Then we were out in the desert, and man, we were going as fast as we could, watching temps – just keeping everything at bay. And then, lo and behold, Cole had a problem and pulled over. So it was just home free. But we were pushing it 100 percent the whole way. Special thanks to Chris Blais, he was a huge help.”

Martin’s finishing time of 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 30 seconds placed him among the rare privateers to claim the UTV Hammers Championship, finishing more than seven minutes ahead of second place.

In addition to the overall UTV victory, several other Can-Am racers found success at the 2026 Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship. Can-Am ambassador Hubert Rowland piloted his Maverick R to a Sportsman class win. Meanwhile, Kurt Mackie took top honors in the Pro Stock Turbo class, followed by freestyle moto legend Brian Deegan and co-driver Terry Madden in second place.

With a privateer overall win, multiple class victories, and strong performances across the field, Can‐Am leaves the 2026 King of the Hammers with strong momentum. Looking ahead, the team is all-in on preparation for the iconic Mint 400 on March 7th. Fans can stay up to date with behind‐the‐scenes content and race coverage through Can‐Am Off‐Road social channels.