Catalan chef Nandu Jubany to compete in 2025 Dakar Rally

Nandu Jubany, a Catalan chef and owner of 10 restaurants, will participate in the Dakar Rally in January in Saudi Arabia. 

The chef previously participated in a Dakar race in 2018 in South America, riding a motorbike.  

This time, his team will compete in the 5,100-kilometer race by car.  

Jubany says he "trained a lot these past few months, both physically and in terms of mileage."  

He participated this year in the Morocco and Tàrrega rallies, and was pleased by his results. 

The Dakar Rally lasts two weeks and is famous for its difficult conditions. Nandu Jubany says the first objective is to finish but with his copilot Marc Solà, they hope to be ranked among the "20 or 25 best." 

For the race, they plan to be "cautious" in the first "complicated" week with a 48-hour marathon. 

The chef is also prepared for rest day, saying he will bring all the ingredients to cook a paella for almost 100 people in the camp. 

"We are bringing the rice, all the condiments, stoves, butane... it will be a nice way to celebrate the fact that we are in the Dakar, " Jubany said.  

The Dakar Rally starts January 3 in Bisha, Saudi Arabia.