Can-Am Maverick X3 team wins Dakar Rally
Team South Racing Can-Am drivers Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin won the 2018 Dakar Rally in South America in the side-by-side category with the Can-Am Maverick X3 vehicle in its inaugural entry.
“To have the Can-Am Maverick X3 win the side-by-side class in its first ever attempt in Dakar, the world’s most difficult race, is outstanding,” said Olivier Camus, director of Global Product Strategy – Can-Am. “With the victory, Scott Abraham and his entire crew at South Racing / Can-Am, and Reinaldo Varela outperformed our expectations. Their expertise and dedication proved invaluable in developing a package that could help the Maverick X3 outlast the competition, as well as the most challenging terrain and conditions imaginable. This success also demonstrates that the Maverick X3 is the most capable and reliable platform for conquering brutal terrain.”
The Varela-Gugelmin crew, which earned second in the 14th and final stage, won a total of five stages on its way to completing the Dakar Rally with a time of 72:44.06, which was around 57 minutes ahead of its closest competitor. Another South Racing Can-Am crew, composed of Argentines Leonel Larrauri and Fernando Imperatrice, won the final stage and finished the race in sixth place.
