More than 450 teams of competitors will compete in the world's most challenging off-road endurance race starting today, when NBCSN begins its coverage of the 2014 Dakar Rally at 5 p.m. ET.
This year's race is 35th installment of the Dakar Rally, and will span more than 16,000 miles and three South American countries. The event will make its way through Argentina and Bolivia before concluding on Saturday, Jan. 18 in Valparaiso, Chile. This is sixth running of the race in South America, and the first time that the event is racing in Bolivia. NBCSN will present coverage of all 13 stages of the race beginning today at 5 p.m. ET, with NBC Sports Group F1 essayist Sam Posey leading Day 1 coverage. NBC Sports Group's lead F1 play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey will provide commentary from Day 2 throughout the remainder of the 2014 Dakar Rally. Diffey on the Dakar Rally: "Many racing events claim to be the ultimate test of man and machine, but they simply do not compare to the Dakar Rally. Make no mistake - racing for 24 continuous hours is tough, but competing for two weeks is an all-together different deal. The grueling and at times life-threatening nature of this event is awe-inspiring. The spectacular scenery sometimes softens the immense bravery and sheer gritty determination of the competitors. Dakar is an event like no other."Videos