Desert Toyz Pilot Maverick to Podium at Parker 250

Cory Sappington’s No. 1904 Desert Toyz / Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side earned a third-place podium finish at the opening round of the 2014 Best In The Desert series this past weekend in Arizona.

“Once again, Cory Sappington and his Desert Toyz team did a great job in the desert, capturing a spot on the UTV Pro class podium at a very challenging race,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “We had a total of six teams entered, and although not all of them had the results they desired, we were pleased to put a Can-Am Maverick on the box at the opening round. It’s a long season and we just have to remain patient and look to improve at each round.”

The first round of the 2014 BITD racing series was held in rugged conditions outside of Parker, Ariz. Known as the roughest race of the season, the THR Motorsports Parker 250 challenged drivers to complete two laps and around 170 miles in the Arizona desert, which featured, whoops, desert washes, rock and thick dust. The top three finishing Pro class teams all crossed the finish line in less than four hours.

The Desert Toyz / Can-Am X-team – comprised of Sappington, Tyler Dixon, Justin Felker and William Grant – completed the two-lap race in a time of 3:53:18 to capture third overall. Racing with a stock engine and stock suspension components, Sappington’s team competed in the Can-Am Maverick 1000R they used to finish on the podium at the 2013 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 endurance race.

“[We had] No issues at all…a perfect race,” says Sappington. “This Maverick is the same car that we finished third in the Baja 1000, and all we did was change a belt, oil and filter. It’s amazing how tough this thing is.”

Murray Racing / Del Amo / Yoshimura / Can-Am decided to compete with two different Maverick vehicles at the 2014 BITD opener. Derek Murray and one co-pilot were in the No. 1917 Can-Am Maverick 1000 X rs, while his brother Jason drove the No. 1907 Can-Am Maverick MAX 1000R X rs. Despite climbing from 13th to third place early in the race, Derek Murray ended up 10th overall in the class after overcoming a hard crash and repairs. The DragonFire Racing / Ride Now / Can-Am Maverick team also finished the race, capturing 13th in the UTV Pro ranks.