BRP Riders Sweep 4×4 ATV Podium at Dakar 2013

It was nothing but yellow atop the 4×4 ATV podium at Dakar 2013 as BRP’s Can-Am ATV racers swept the class in the annual off-road endurance race covering 8,500 kilometers (5,281 miles) in South America.

Poised with their Can-Am Renegade X Xc vehicles, the triumphant Latin American pilots became figures of national pride as they shared the first, second and third places on the 4×4 podium during the awards ceremony in front of the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile. Team rider Sebastián Palma won the title of the 4×4 class, placing fifth in the overall quad category. Palma took the race by storm, securing first place in the race’s seventh stage, known as one of the most challenging due to torrential rains.

“It is great pride, as a Chilean, to arrive in Santiago celebrating our performance in the Dakar,” says Palma. “Even more so after winning the title in my class and having won a stage among all the quads.”

In total, BRP-sponsored pilots participated aboard thirteen vehicles: nine Can-Am Renegade 800 Xxc quads and four Can-Am Commander 1000 side-by-side vehicles. The so-called “yellow-blooded” racers, a nickname honouring BRP’s legendary colour, came from all over South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) to take on one of the most challenging races known to mankind, and make history in the process.

The UTV category proved to be among the most challenging categories. BRP’s Can-Am side- by-side fleet was the only one to boast one hundred percent completion of the DAKAR.

Of special note is Colombian competitor Martha Mariño, who was the first woman to ever race in the UTV segment for the DAKAR. She and partner Carlos Bustamante, also Colombian, placed sixth in the UTV category.