Valcourt, Québec - The No. 1917 Murray Racing/Del Amo/Yoshimura/Can-Am
Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side team concluded the 2013 Best In The Desert season
with a third-place podium finish at the double-points Henderson 250 series finale race in
Nevada. The team, which finished on the podium at every round this year, totaled more
overall points than any other team, but (after a throw out) tied for the UTV Pro (1900 P)
class points title. However, due to tiebreaker, the Murrays had to settle for second overall,
despite a very successful season.
"Derek, Jason and the rest of the Murray Racing/Can-Am team put in an outstanding
effort with their Maverick 1000R side-by-side in the BITD, earning an extremely hard-
fought, second-place finish," Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am, said. "I know
they are disappointed to lose the championship on a tiebreaker, but they had a wonderful
season, tallying the most class points, scoring numerous podiums and winning the Vegas
To Reno round. Those are huge accomplishments for any team and should provide
inspiration for next season."
The final round of the Best in the Desert racing series was held in frigid conditions, with
temperatures at the start around 20 degrees F, in Henderson, NV. The course offered a
mix of rock sections, big whoops and some fast, wide-open segments mixed in. The side-
by-side teams were competing the same time as motorcycles and ATVs and would run
roughly 120 plus miles to the finish line.
The Murrays came into the BITD Henderson 250 finale with a seven-point lead in UTV
Pro class (1900 P). The final event was also a double-points race, so a podium finish was
of utmost importance for the Murrays. The Murrays finished the three-lap race in less
than three hours (2:53:02.152), taking third overall. The team's sixth podium finish of
2013, and 25th consecutive BITD finish, earned it 132 points toward the title. However,
the two teams trailing the Murrays earned more points and were able to climb in the
standings.
After a throw out, the Murrays and another squad ended up tying for the UTV Pro class
championship. A tiebreaker rule was used to determine the champion and factored in
the results from round five (the most recent BITD Desert Challenge event). Due to their
third-place finish at round five, the Murrays had to settle for second in the final standings.
"Our Can-Am Maverick was in the hunt every race this year and ran strong," Derek
Murray said. "We are proud to have such a strong season racing against the top factory
teams. And we did so with a first-year model. We are appreciative to be racing the
Maverick, as it's reliable, fast and can handle the toughest conditions. We fought hard for
the win, but came up a tad short. We are motivated to come back and push even harder in
2014!"
Two other Can-Am Maverick 1000R teams competed in the BITD Henderson 250. MB
Motorsports/Can-Am racer Marc Burnett piloted his Monster Maverick side-by-side to
eight overall in the class results in Nevada. Team Desert Toyz/Can-Am also raced in
Nevada and ended up in ninth place. The top 10 finish secured driver Cory Sappington
fourth overall in the 2013 Pro UTV class standings.
