Former FC Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Zenit St. Petersburg football manager André Villas-Boas has announced he will be taking on the 2018 Dakar Rally in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.
The 40-year-old has teamed up with fellow countryman and former KTM rider, Ruben Faria alongside five-time Dakar winner Cyril Despres; Faria will act as co-driver for the endurance epic which starts on 5 January in Lima, leading competitors on to Córdoba for the finish on 20 January.
Villas-Boas has previous experience in the off-roading having competed in a Portuguese off-road series on a motorcycle, his Uncle, Pedro Villas-Boas, tackled the Dakar Rally in 1982.
Football commitments took over for the Portuguese and while he was looking to compete the rally on two-wheels, he was advised by Alex Doringer, a friend and manager of the KTM factory team, to take part in a car for his first Dakar.
“He told me I needed a year of preparation and advised me to ride in the car, so I got in touch with the Overdrive Team and here I am,” said Villas-Boas.
Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin added, “We are delighted to welcome André Villas-Boas and Ruben to the team for the Dakar. He is well known the world over in football circles and I am sure he is looking forward to the challenge of tackling his first Dakar.”
