STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 30, 2020 – Coverage of the 2021 Dakar Rally — the world’s most challenging off-road endurance race — begins this Sunday, January 3, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, the start of nightly coverage of the 12-stage race in Saudi Arabia.
More than 550 competitors will race across nearly 5,000 miles of varying terrain, including desert, canyons, dunes and mountains, throughout Saudi Arabia. This will mark the second consecutive time that the country has hosted the race. Dakar Classic, a class featuring historic Dakar vehicles, will make its first-ever appearance in this year’s edition of the Dakar.
NASCAR on NBC analyst and reporter Parker Kligerman will provide commentary on NBCSN’s nightly Dakar Rally coverage.
The 2021 field is headlined by American Ricky Brabec, who became the first American winner of the Dakar Rally Bike class in last year’s race. Other top U.S. competitors in the Bike class are Andrew Short, who has back-to-back top-ten finishes, and Skyler Howes, who finished 9th in 2020.
Following is NBCSN’s complete same-day coverage of the 2021 Dakar Rally:
| Date | Coverage | Time (ET) |
| Sun., January 3 | Stage 1 – Jeddah to Bisha | 7:30 p.m. |
| Mon., January 4 | Stage 2 – Bisha to Wadi Al Dawasir | 6:30 p.m. |
| Tues., January 5 | Stage 3 – Wadi Al Dawasir Loop Stage | 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed., January 6 | Stage 4 – Wadi Al Dawasir to Riyadh | 6:30 p.m. |
| Thurs., January 7 | Stage 5 – Riyadh to Buraydah | 6:30 p.m. |
| Fri., January 8 | Stage 6 – Buraydah to Ha’il | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat., January 9 | Rest Day | 11 p.m. |
| Sun., January 10 | Stage 7 – Ha’il to Sakaka | 6:30 p.m. |
| Mon., January 11 | Stage 8 – Sakaka to Neom | 6:30 p.m. |
| Tues., January 12 | Stage 9 – Neom Loop Stage | 6:30 p.m. |
| Wed., January 13 | Stage 10 – Neom to Al- ‘Ula | 2:30 a.m. |
| Thurs., January 14 | Stage 11 – Al- ‘Ula to Yanbu | 9:30 p.m. |
| Fri., January 15 | Stage 12 – Yanbu to Jeddah | 6 p.m. |
The Dakar Rally begins NBC Sports’ “Home of Motorsports” programming throughout 2021, spanning NASCAR, INDYCAR, IMSA, Mecum Auctions, Monster Energy Supercross, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, MotoGP, Monster Jam, American Flat Track, and more.
