Andre Villas-Boas will race in the Dakar Rally in January, with his future as manager of Shanghai SIPG still uncertain.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss just completed a frustrating season with the big-spending Chinese club, finishing second in the Super League and losing the cup final to Shanghai Shenhua last weekend.
After Sunday's defeat, he refused to confirm whether he would return for a second season in charge, saying: "SIPG knows my decision, so will you. But this is not the best time to talk about it."
Though the club have yet to make an announcement, reports in China speculated that Villas-Boas would part ways with the club after failing to win a trophy, and The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that he would not return.
The Chinese Super League does not resume until March, and the Portuguese coach now has plans for the offseason at least, as the Dakar Rally confirmed he would drive in the endurance race, which often attracts a large number of amateurs.
The 40-year-old will drive a Toyota Hilux along with former motorcycle racer Ruben Faria in the event set to take place from Jan. 6-20 across Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Villas-Boas told the race's website that he first considered entering the motorcycle category.
"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 [on a bike] and that it was better to consider doing it with a car," Villas-Boas said.
"So I got in touch with Team Overdrive [Toyota] and here I am!"