Andre Villas-Boas has quit Shanghai SIPG in a career change that will see him contest the Dakar Rally next year.
The Portuguese coach, whose uncle took part in the event in 1982, will drive a Toyota Hilux in the 15-day rally, which starts in Peru on January 6 and travels through Bolivia before finishing in Argentina on January 20.
The 40-year-old motorsport enthusiast will drive the Hilux pick-up with countryman Ruben Faria as his co-driver, after being talked out of tackling the gruelling race on a motorbike.
"I spoke with my friend Alex Doringer, the manager of the KTM team, who told me that I would still need a full year’s preparation to get there and that it was better to consider doing it with a car," Villas-Boas said.
"So I got in touch with Team Overdrive and here I am!"
Villas-Boas refused to discuss his future as coach of SIPG after seeing his side lose the Chinese FA Cup Final to bitter cross-city rivals Shanghai Shenhua. Having promised the chairman silverware at the beginning of the season, and failing to deliver, it was expected he would not be with the club next season.
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