In need of an early-2025 racing fix?

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

Nightly coverage of the 47^th annual 2025 Dakar Rally – the world’s most challenging off-road endurance race – will begin today (Friday, Jan. 3), at 8 p.m. (EST) on Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms. Coverage of the 12-stage marathon through the Saudi Arabian desert will continue through Friday, Jan. 17.

NBC Sports will produce a one-hour show each day of the event for the NBC Sports Channel on Peacock, with each installment airing at 8 p.m. (EST) and then available on-demand on Peacock after it streams. The one-hour program will be complemented with a dedicated Dakar Rally page on Peacock, featuring full-event replays. Highlights from all classes as well as racer interviews will be available on Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms throughout the event.

Cable viewers also should check the MAVTV schedule for coverage, beginning today with a one-hour Dakar Preview Show scheduled at various times before tonight’s opening Prologue telecast.

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

More than 700 competitors representing 70 nationalities competing in five categories of vehicles will race across 3,000-plus miles of varying terrain – including desert, canyons, dunes and mountains – throughout Saudi Arabia. Over 400 vehicles will attempt the arduous journey, among them motorbikes, cars, trucks, quads and more.

This will mark the sixth time Saudi Arabia has hosted the race. The inaugural competition in 1979 began in Paris and finished in Dakar, Senegal.

An elite group of U.S. racers is set to compete, headlined by two-time defending Dakar Rally Bike champion Ricky Brabec. Seth Quintero, who holds the record for highest number of stage wins in a single Dakar (12 in 2022), will be competing in the premier Car class. Additionally, Sara Price will attempt to build upon her 2024 rookie year fourth-place finish in the SSV class.

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

Other notable riders include defending Cars champion Carlos Sainz, who will be chasing his fifth overall Dakar Rally title. Also entered are five-time Cars champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and nine-time World Rally Championship Sebastien Loeb. Mitch Guthrie Jr., following a runner-up performance in the Challenger class in 2024, will make his debut in the Elite Car race. Additionally, Cristina Gutierrez – Dakar’s second-ever female winner and reigning Challenger champ –  has returned to the Elite Car race.

In additional motorsports news, NBC and Peacock will present an IMSA Preview Show Saturday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m. (EST). The one-hour program will preview the notable drivers, manufacturers and storylines set to headline the 2025 WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season, which begins with the famed Rolex 24 at Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on NBC and Peacock. More details about NBC Sports’ 2025 IMSA schedule will be announced at a later date.

NBC SPORTS’ 2025 DAKAR RALLY SCHEDULE ON PEACOCK

All coverage streams on Peacock from 8-9 p.m. (EST)

Friday, Jan. 3 _ Prologue, Bisha

Saturday, Jan. 4 _ Stage 1, Bisha

Sunday, Jan. 5 _ Stage 2 (Part 1), Bisha

Monday, Jan. 6 _ Stage 2 (Part 2), Bisha

Tuesday, Jan. 7 _ Stage 3, Bisha to Al Henakiyah

Wednesday, Jan. 8 _ Stage 4, Al Henakiyah to Alula

Thursday, Jan. 9 _ Stage 5, Alula to Hail

Friday, Jan. 10 _ Stage 6, Hail to Al Duwadimi

Sunday, Jan. 12 _ Stage 7, Al Duwadimi

Monday, Jan. 13 _ Stage 8, Al Duwadimi to Riyadh

Tuesday, Jan. 14 _ Stage 9, Riyadh to Haradh

Wednesday, Jan. 15 _ Stage 10, Haradh to Shubaytah

Thursday, Jan. 16 _ Stage 11, Shubaytah

Friday, Jan 17 _ Stage 12, Shubaytah