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Race-Driven introduces Can-Am

By R. R. Branstrom 6 min read

Editor's note: The Daily Press has brought readers business profile articles every Monday for over three years. This week's article shares an update about on a company profiled previously as well as a summary of its history.

ESCANABA -- Race-Driven Powersports, which has occupied a large storefront on Escanaba's Ludington Street for seven years, has just begun selling a new brand. Over the next few months, they'll be working on redesigning the showroom to feature Can-Am ATVs and UTVs, of which Race-Driven is now a dealer.

When owner Brian Heiting founded his business in Wisconsin in 2007, it was a parts manufacturer with items sold online. In 2009, the family relocated to the Upper Peninsula and opened a storefront on Delta Avenue in Gladstone.

After moving the business to Stephenson Avenue in Escanaba in 2011, Race-Driven expanded its retail offerings. In addition to a growing parts selection, the store offered gear like motorcycle/ATV helmets and apparel for off-roading.

Race-Driven became a vehicle dealer in 2019 and bought property at 1419 Ludington St., where the business remains today. They have been a noted Polaris dealer since, specializing in UTVs and ATVs. A couple other brands have come and gone.

Heiting said that he was interested in selling Can-Am at Race-Driven seven years ago, but the manufacturer wasn’t looking to bring a dealer into the area at the time. Earlier this year, however, conversations between the two parties went differently.

It was in February of 2026 that Heiting said he began working with Can-Am to bring their machines to the Escanaba establishment. It’s been a slow process, in part because Can-Am has been setting up a lot of new dealers across the U.S. right now, Heiting said.

“It’s an exciting thing,” he said of the launch in Escanaba. “Polaris and Can-Am are the two number one brands in the in the off-road industry.”

Though both Polaris and Can-Am produce a variety of vehicles — Polaris is a popular snowmobile brand, for example, while Can-Am is a major supplier of three-wheeled motorcycles — the scope that Race-Driven focuses on is four-wheeled off-road machines.

ATVs (also called quads or four-wheelers) have been long-chosen for recreational two-tracking as well as serving utilitarian purposes in rural areas. A market that has exploded more recently for similar purposes is that of the side-by-side.

Featuring the knobby tires and suspension designed to handle dirt and rock, side-by-sides differ from four-wheelers in that they are made with two seats next to each other instead of one in the middle. The operator sits on the left, as in the driver’s seat of a car, while the operator of a four-wheeler is faced with handlebars in the center, similar to a motorcycle.

Sales of side-by-sides exploded. A few years ago, sport models like the Polaris RZR — which has a relatively open top, with bars like a dune buggy — were all the rage.

Demand has changed, with more consumers now looking for models with enclosed cabs, Heiting reported.

“The market’s evolved. It’s done a full 180, basically, since we started,” he said. “When we started, we were selling a lot of RZRs; we were doing a lot of builds where we put doors and you know heat and all this stuff in machines. Now everybody’s just transitioned into this… It’s funny. Even Yamaha’s gotten out of sport machines.”

One example of a model with the fixings that have become in demand is the 2026 Defender HD-11 from Can-Am, of which Race-Driven recently acquired three. This side-by-side has a 4,500-pound winch, a cargo box, knobby tires for off-road handling, 70 foot pounds of torque — and an interior that looks way more like a new pickup truck than a go-kart.

“A premium, reimagined interior delivers comfort and control. With quieter operation, improved suspension, enhanced infotainment, and better ergonomics -- this is peak utility,” Can-Am says of the HD-11.

Heiting has a few theories on why the cozy cabs have been sought out by area customers. Out west, he said, sport models remain popular, but in the U.P. — with colder and less predictable weather — having heat extends the riding season. Additionally, these type of side-by-sides are quieter, which allows for conversation inside a cab. Plus, some folks who have been riding and getting dirty for years appreciate not having to get as filthy as in an exposed unit.

Race-Driven Powersports has ordered about 14 Can-Ams but is also looking forward to attending an event in August that will announce the 2027 lineup, after which the Escanaba dealer will select new models to bring in. Hosted in Orlando, Florida on Aug. 17, Club BRP is the event at which Bombadier Recreational Products — which owns Can-Am, Sea-Doo and other brands — announces the next season of models to dealers.

Heiting said that Can-Am is going to work on a design for the eastern wing of Race-Driven; he sent them the showroom measurements, and they’ll work on a layout that will showcase the newly-offered brand.

“I think it’s a good addition to Escanaba,” Heiting said. “There’s a fair amount of customers here in Delta County that own Can-Ams, and obviously, always had to drive out of the area just for service and parts.”

In addition to selling machines themselves, Race-Driven Powersports also has active parts and service departments.

While many businesses on Ludington have seen below-ideal traffic this season due to the street being torn up, Race-Driven has had a record year. In March, April and May, the business exceeded its sales goals, Heiting reported.

“We’ve got some real loyal customers (who have) been with us since day one,” he said. “We try to be as customer service friendly as we can be … It’s been good. We just keep trucking along and trying to do the best we can. Got a good crew working here.”

Heiting said that Race-Driven stocks “anywhere from 45 to 65 Polarises at a time” and that people can expect Can-Am stock to reach similar numbers. In the coming months, customers will see the development as the showroom evolves to accommodate the transition as Race-Driven becomes a dealer for both.

Race-Driven Powersports, found at 1419 Ludington St. in Escanaba, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 906-420-8009, and the website is racedrivenpowersports.com.

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