Santiago, Chile - BRP's Can-Am ATVs swept the 4x4
podium Jan. 25 at the 2013
Dakar rally, the annual off-road endurance race that covers 8,500 kilometers (5,282 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 4x4 podium during the awards ceremony in front of the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile.
Team rider Sebastián Palma won the title of the 4x4 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
stages due to torrential rains.
"It is
great pride, as a Chilean, to arrive in Santiago
celebrating our performance in the Dakar," Palma said. "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 13 vehicles: nine Can-Am Renegade
800 X xc
quads and four Can-Am Commander 1000 side-by-side vehicles. The so-called
"yellow-blooded"
racers, a nickname honoring BRP's legendary color, 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 to 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. This extraordinary
achievement was a nod to BRP's dedication to innovation, performance and handling.
Of special
note is Colombian competitor Martha Mariño, who was the first woman to ever
race in the UTV segment of the Dakar.
She and partner Carlos Bustamante, also Colombian, placed sixth in the UTV
category.
