The Dakar Rally gets under way Saturday, Jan. 3, marking the seventh running of the legendary rally raid to be held in Saudi Arabia. The rally will unfold through stages across nature, following a new route from the Red Sea coast across the desert plains of Saudi Arabia will test competitors to the limit, with over 400 vehicles taking part across several categories, and you can follow the action daily on RACER Network and the RACER+ App.
The action starts with Saturday’s Prologue. Despite its name, don’t make the mistake of considering this opening stage a warm-up. The route winds between small hills, following gravel tracks that, while not particularly tricky, demand skilful driving. The likely minimal gaps that will be recorded should not be overlooked in the lead-up to the evening ceremony, where the fastest drivers will choose their starting order for the following day.
The full Dakar Rally schedule on RACER Network is shown below. Each one-hour episode airs nightly from 7:00-8:00pm ET, with live coverage of the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 17 from 1:00-3:00pm ET.
|
Date |
Stage |
Location |
Stage Distance |
Special |
|
Sat, Jan. 3 |
Prologue |
Yanbu |
98km |
23km |
|
Sun, Jan. 4 |
Stage 1 |
Yanbu |
518km |
305km |
|
Mon, Jan. 5 |
Stage 2 |
Yanbu – Al Ula |
504km |
400km |
|
Tue, Jan. 6 |
Stage 3 |
Al Ula |
666km |
422km |
|
Wed, Jan. 7 |
Stage 4 |
Al Ula |
526km |
451km |
|
Thu, Jan. 8 |
Stage 5 |
Hail |
417km |
356km |
|
Fri, Jan. 9 |
Stage 6 |
Hail-Riyadh |
920km |
331km |
|
Sat, Jan. 10 |
Rest day |
Recap of Week 1 |
– |
– |
|
Sun, Jan. 11 |
Stage 7 |
Wadi Ad Dawasir |
876km |
462km |
|
Mon, Jan. 12 |
Stage 8 |
Wadi Ad Dawasir |
717km |
481km |
|
Tue, Jan. 13 |
Stage 9 |
Wadi Ad Dawasir – Bisha |
540km |
418km |
|
Wed, Jan. 14 |
Stage 10 |
Bisha |
417km |
371km |
|
Thu, Jan. 15 |
Stage 11 |
Bisha – Al Henakiyah |
882km |
347km |
|
Fri, Jan. 16 |
Stage 12 |
Al Henakiyah – Yanbu |
718km |
310km |
|
Sat, Jan. 17 |
Stage 13 |
Yanbu |
141km |
105km |
|
Sat, Jan. 17 |
Awards Ceremony |