Watch the 2026 Dakar Rally on RACER Network

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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