Can-Am Announces 2026 Dakar Rally Driver Lineup

The 2026 Dakar Rally is a month away now. Can-Am is ready!

Can-Am is rolling into the 2026 Dakar Rally with a heavyweight roster, a deep bank of championship experience, and the latest evolution of its Maverick R platform. The brand has built a reputation on dominating the harshest terrain on the planet, and this year’s push into Saudi Arabia shows that commitment hasn’t cooled one bit.

BRP Race Manager Jean-François Leclerc told us that Dakar isn’t just another start line for the company—it’s an engineering battleground. With a further-refined Maverick R and a team stacked with proven winners and rising talent, Can-Am believes it has the tools to run up front for two solid weeks.

THE TEAM

For 2026, the Can-Am Factory Driver lineup reads like a global who’s who of off-road competition:

Francisco “Chaleco” López (Chile) with Alvaro Leon
The three-time Dakar champion is fresh off five stage wins and a runner-up overall finish. He’s laser-focused on turning that into another title in 2026.

Kyle Chaney (USA) with Jacob Argubright
Chaney captured the King of the Hammers 4400 title and now steps into his first Dakar outing, ready to tackle the steep learning curve that comes with rally racing.

Hunter Miller (USA) with Jeremy Gray
Miller put in a strong top-ten finish in his rookie Dakar attempt and heads back to Saudi Arabia with valuable experience.

Jeremías González Ferioli (Argentina) with Gonzalo Rinaldi
A consistent front-runner with multiple stage wins, Ferioli is aiming squarely at the overall for 2026.

João Monteiro (Portugal) with Morais Nuno
Fresh off earning Rookie of the Year honors at Dakar 2025 and a Europe Baja SSC championship, Monteiro brings momentum and the skillset to fight for a podium.

Every driver will campaign a Maverick R built by South Racing—the same platform that has racked up wins across global desert and rally events since its 2024 debut.

THE MAVERICK R RETURNS WITH REAL-WORLD UPGRADES

The Maverick R stormed onto the Dakar scene by winning 10 out of 12 stages in its debut year, then made history as the first UTV to win the 4400 Unlimited class at King of the Hammers. For 2026, the machine returns with refined endurance tuning, updated suspension calibration, and cooling improvements designed with Saudi Arabia’s punishing desert stages in mind.

Can-Am’s stance is clear: racing teaches them things no proving ground ever can, and those lessons trickle straight into the vehicles ridden by everyday enthusiasts.

THE RALLY AHEAD

The 2026 Dakar Rally launches from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia on January 3, kicking off 14 stages of brutal terrain. Can-Am will be posting updates across its social channels (@canamoffroad and @canamfactoryteam), including behind-the-scenes content and a closer look at this year’s team through the All In On Dakar video: