#DerekMurray

Photo by Ernesto Araiza // UTVUnderground.com

In what can only be described as a huge win for BRP, Can-Am Maverick racer Mark Burnett took the checkers at the San Felipe 250, the SCORE International opener in Mexico. Burnett was followed by Can-Am / ITP / Murray Racing in second place.

“We were thrilled with Marc Burnett’s significant victory at the San Felipe 250, and to have the Murray Racing team join him on the podium,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “These guys have been working extremely hard, dedicating themselves to winning, and this historic 1-2 effort, which included the first-ever win in Baja for a Can-Am side-by-side, proves that both our teams and the Maverick 1000R platform are hard to beat.”

The Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs continues to find success in its first racing, earning two more podiums in recent weeks. James Hill finished second in the SxS Pro Production class at round three of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Arizona, while bothers Derek and Jason Murray also earned a podium finish with their Maverick 1000R X rs, racing to a third-place finish in the Best In The Desert (BITD) Mint 400 outside of Las Vegas.

Not to be outdone, BCS Performance / Can-Am pro Josh Creamer let everybody Can-Am DS 450 ATVs are still a force to be reckoned with, finishing second in the Pro class at the 2013 Mtn. Dew AMA ATV Motocross Nationals opening round in Georgia.

“I was thrilled that Can-Am racers earned hard-fought podium finishes in three different series, and in very difficult conditions,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “James Hill overcame a challenging WORCS course to earn his second podium behind the wheel of the Maverick. The Murray Motorsports team had a spectacular podium finish at the Mint 400 and narrowly missing second-place by only two seconds. Josh Creamer — despite a first-turn crash in the first moto and very wet, muddy conditions — won a Pro class moto and notched an impressive second-place finish overall at round one of the AMA ATV MX series.”

Can-Am off-road racing teams posted class victories in two different desert racing events. Derek Murray piloted the Murray Motorsports’ Can-Am Commander 1000 to victory at the Henderson 250 in the Best in the Desert series in Nevada. The four-man team of Carl Vella, Mike Penland, Rick Matteson and Ryan Robey teamed to ride a Can-Am Outlander 800R ATV to a class win at the 44th Annual 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 desert race in Ensenada, Mexico.

At the BITD event in Henderson, Nev., Derek Murray drove and Bill Kugel co-piloted the Can-Am due to Jason Murray, the driver of record, being ill. Even without his brother by his side, Derek Murray was determined to win. The Commander 1000, prepped by Desert Toyz, started in seventh place, but slowly worked its way to the front of the side-by-side vehicle pack. Three miles into the third lap, the team took over the lead and drove a clean, fast race from there to the finish line to record its first overall win of 2011. The Murray Commander team ended the BITD season ranked third in the final Pro UTV class standings.

“We are extremely happy to have won the Henderson 250 as it is the final race of the season and determines the outcome for the season due to it being a double points race,” says Derek Murray. “We knew all season the Commander had what it takes to be a top competitor in the most competitive desert racing series in the USA. We’re excited that what we knew finally came to fruition in Henderson. It shows that the Commander is a great, reliable and fast machine that’s able to be modified to any rider’s needs.”