VILLAS-BOAS 46TH after first stage of dakar rally

Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas got his first taste of the Dakar Rally as he finished 46th in Saturday's opening stage. Self-proclaimed petrol head Villas-Boas, whose uncle competed in the race between 1982 and 1984, is participating in his first rally and finished an opening day 11 minutes behind Qatar's two-time winner Nasser al-Attiyah. Al-Attiyah, driving a Toyota Hilux, ended the day with a 25-second lead over Dutch team-mate Bernhard ten Brinke after the 35km special stage through the sand dunes around Pisco, down the coast from Lima. 'Motor racing is in my blood and has been my passion since I was a little boy,' Villas-Boas explained ahead of the event on Thursday, having also admitted he rented an altitude training tent 13,000 feet above sea level to aid his preparations for the race. The endurance event, originally staged between Paris and Senegalese city Dakar until 2008 before being relocated due to security concerns, is famed for its treacherous terrains and dangerous courses having claimed the lives of 70 racers since its inception in 1978. –Agencies