Nandu Jubany eats Dakar: “Is he really not a driver?”

“Are you really a cook and not a pilot?”. This is what many at the Dakar 2025 bivouac wonder about when they see the results it has achieved. Nandu Jubany in his debut in the world’s toughest car racehim second Dakar after doing it on a motorcycle in 2018. Nandu was smiling with his co-pilot Marc Solà and, despite the physical and psychological demands of a Dakar that started very hard and where many of the favorites had problems, the The Michelin star chef shines like a Dakarian star.

Too much The Catalan finished stage 4 43 and a half minutes behind the stage 4 winner in the carsthe difficult first part of the marathon phase, with an excellent third place in its two-wheel drive classwhat Laia Sanz (4×2) wants to win before she leaves, a category in which he is no less than third in his general classification, just 48 minutes behind the leader. Unthinkable for a beginner. But it’s true.

And it might be better if every day the favorite cars that fail are not repositioned in front of him in the starting order, something that makes him lose time in the dust of other cars, as Nandu himself laments in this newspaper. “They are repositioning the World Cup and priority cars. It doesn’t matter if I have a better position than them, they start in front the next day. My position is delayed and we start half a minute behind. Anyhow , you’re behind another car, in the dust, and you can’t see anything. And if you slow down to get away from him, another driver will pass you and you’ll be back in the dust.”he explained to this newspaper. This increases the merit of his work.

“He knows how to make croquettes, but he quickly learned to drive”

“He’s the flying cook, that’s what he’s called. He learned quickly. He handled it well, like he was cooking. He does the croquettes very well, but he also learned to drive very quickly.”ensures Marc Solàhis co-pilot and particular ‘guardian angel’, important because of his experience to give him advice on the sand dunes and stop him if Nandu’s speed increases too much.

Everyone’s caravan: “always people at dinner”

Example of its excellent performance This is what happened in stage 2, the grueling 48-hour time trial. After two days without help, he returned the car to his team, Team MD Rallye Sport, with the mechanics in perfect condition. “Zero damage, zero!”exclaimed his navigator, in front of a smiling Nandu (53 years old) in the caravan they were both camping with, under the watchful eye of Mundo Deportivo, guest of the night in the closest thing to a restaurant on wheels in the middle of the bivouac. And those who know him, when they can, They did not hesitate to knock on the door of their caravan to see if Nandu had done any of his wonders in the kitchen.

“Everyone comes here. Sometimes we don’t even fit. Almost every day Quim Terricabras, Ford’s doctor, Nani Roma, two or three physios, as well as Jordi Viladoms, Edgar Canet and every day there are two to five visitors.so we don’t have to go to the bivouac dining room, because there is limited seating and you have to get up, while here we can stay and talk”said Nandu, who preferred to cook despite the fatigue of the stages and stayed away from bivouac food: “My nose is quite fair and beautiful”. He had no other choice I spent 48 hours, during which I was forced to sleep in a tent in the middle of the route and on military rations.. He managed not to eat the jar of meatballs served to him by the organization. “I took my “Quin Cacau” hazelnut and cocoa cream, and tomato bread”he admitted.

He also took refuge in the camp with his great friend Xavi Padrósin charge of buying food throughout the country, transporting the caravan and helping in every possible way so that when the pilot and co-pilot arrived at the bivouac they could shower before eating. In that humble abode there was Olost cheese and a manchego for breakfasttime of day when Nandu usually makes omelette. There is no shortage of chocolate in your fridge: “I take about half a tablet every day”. And after each stage, comes the fun.

“We have cockles, mussels, potatoes, Espinaler sauce to be made into vermouth when we arrive, as God intended. I’m here on vacation, I’m going to enjoy it a lot, although there are many moments in the stages when you don’t enjoy it, so, when you can, you should enjoy it“, he explained to this newspaper in front of a kitchen where dishes such as noodle casserole, vegetable rice and chicken have been seen and where he will make paella on his day off.

Nandu’s double face

With his co-pilot, Marc Solàhe was surprised at the person Nandu turned out to be behind the wheel. “He’s a nerve here, a restless ass, and inside the car, people who know him will have a hard time believing it, because it’s an earthquake that from the moment he gets up and goes to sleep, reaches 2,000 per hour, but in inside the car “Very calm.”Marc assured before a Rhea who wants to explain: “My focus is only on driving. I mean, when I drive, I drive.”

“I have a facility: when I do something, I do it. When I go to Formentera, I pay attention to the restaurants in Formentera and I don’t remember the ones in Andorra or Vic and I do everything I need to do. thereand when I’m in Can Juvany, I’m only in Can Juvany. I’ve learned this because otherwise I’d go crazy and I wouldn’t be able to rest.”he assured this newspaper.

Solà also highlights the speed with which he learned to surf the sand dunes in Morocco, a skill he excelled at in this Dakar in sections of very soft sand where some favorite (professional) pilots have been stranded.

It’s like a job

Jubany I don’t want to go to Dakar in any way. He took it like a job. He spoke with Gerrd Farrés to find the best possible co-driver, and that was Marc Solà. And he went Pep Vila and Nani Roma for team and car advice and opted for the MD Rallye Sport package and a reliable two-wheel drive Optimus.

“We found out that we could buy the car or lease it, but then it was a very old car. I bought it because we had to go for a new onebecause of all the hard work you have to do to get here, how much it costs financially, and then, on the second day your car breaks down… We bought it in case we were going to do two or three dakars. God willing”he revealed. It has come to stay.

He arrived late in Dakar for the preparation of 2,500 menus

When it comes to the extra effort and sacrifices he has to make, the best example is “the Dakar before the Dakar” What he has to do, he doesn’t just talk about how hard he is physically to be ready, but also the gym and the bike. Above all, it refers to how difficult it is to combine this career with his enormous amount of work.

Before going to Dakar, which started on January 3, he worked non-stop for 3 days and arrived later than the other drivers. Some drivers came on the 29th to test drive their cars. Nandu did this on day 1, albeit later than press: “I got there earlier than everyone else, first thing in the morning because I had to make 2,500 takeaway menus by the end of the year. Customers come first and people come first. Many families trust us for that day. and though I had this hobby, I could not leave it then, by any means, and I spent the last three days working many hours. This is my hobby, But first things first.”he assured.