I wish I could say that my Can-Am Maverick X3 was a forever vehicle. I’ve spent years building it up to be perfect for what I love to do. It’ll go fast, take names, and get me and my family deep into the backcountry for whatever we want to do, whether that’s hunting, fishing, camping, snowboarding, or sledding. It’s a Swiss Army Knife, which is exactly what I had planned to do with it.
But my kids, well, they’re getting bigger. They seem to grow a couple inches each month, and my Maverick’s jump seat is seemingly getting smaller and smaller. To the point where over the summer, I was considering whether or not the jump seat was even good enough to hold my youngest anymore. Luckily, we’re still good. Yet, the time is coming when they won’t be able to get in any longer.
Now, I could swap out the jump seat and both rear sport seats for a bench. That aftermarket accessory is available and not too expensive. But our dog likes to come on our adventures, too, and a sixth large mammal ain’t gonna work even with a full backseat in the Maverick. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by the new Can-Am Defender HD11 when I tested it earlier this year, as it had more than enough space, prowess, and almost enough power to satiate my needs. If I’m gonna trade the Maverick in, it’d likely be for the Defender, as I thought I knew what it could do.
I was wrong, as Can-Am’s inaugural Derby proved. I should’ve thrashed it harder.
The Can-Am Derby, the first one ever, is “A high-octane showdown where pro racers and tough riders go head-to-head on a course designed by the legend Hubert Rowland,” states the brand, adding, “The farm transforms into a one-of-a-kind battleground, where pro racers and country competitors take on real farm challenges built for skill, grit, and adrenaline. Designed to showcase the all-new Can-Am Defender HD11, the course features hay bale chicanes, rock climbs, and bottomless bogs testing speed, control, and sheer will.”
The pro racers vs. tough riders, however, is an understatement of the latter, as those competing are those who utilize the Defender HD11s on a daily basis, i.e., farm workers, ranchers, and guides. While racers are good, time behind the wheel matters in competitions like these. And the course and obstacles, again, were designed by Rowland, who is Travis Pastrana’s lead architect of chaos. So the action is gonna be something worthy of Nitro Circus.
Competing in the race are Philadelphia Phillies’ player Bryce Harper, off-road racer Dustin Jones, a 6th-generation Texas rancher by the name of Tucker Brown, the off-road YouTuber David “Ostacruiser”, pro skateboarder and rally driver Leticia Bufoni, rancher Cody Archie, farmer Salvador Palazuelos, French farmers Bastien Couture Stervio and Étienne Fourmont, off-roader Kyle Cullen, and drag racer Dave Comstock.
But enough yapping. Click the video above, watch the madness, and then consider how your life choices were clearly the wrong ones as we’re all sitting behind desks and not doing that. Also, I’m gonna start pricing out Defender HD11s and wondering if my bigger wheels and tires will fit on the more utilitarian rig…
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