The Toyota Gazoo Racing team takes a real street restaurant to each WRC event. At the Vodafone Rally of Portugal, the World Champions have three chefs – two Finnish and one Japanese – who prepare 1,500 meals for 100 people of 16 different nationalities!
Toyota's hopes of victory at the Vodafone Rally of Portugal depend on the talents of Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. But the well-being and nutrition of the reigning World Champion team depends on Mikko Ojantausta, Tommi Lindholm and Takayuki Izumi.
These are the people responsible for the mobile kitchen – literally, the trailer of a truck! – that Toyota Gazoo Racing takes to the 10 European WRC events (the team's kitchen in the events outside Europe is, allegedly, more 'modest').
When we spoke to the three Toyota chefs, the mobile kitchen was full of products recently bought in Portuguese markets, including celery, potatoes, broccoli, fruit and different types of protein (chicken, red meat, fish).
The means are impressive, but justified by the enormity of the task facing the Finnish-Japanese union. Staff catering serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday. In Portugal, the 100 people are joined by a group of 50 Toyota guests from Sardinia (Italy), who will have their meals at the team's space on Friday and Saturday.
“In Portugal, we should serve more than 1,500 meals”, calculates Mikko Ojantausta who, like his two colleagues, lives close to the team's base, in Finland. “Usually, we cook about 20kg of protein, between meat and fish each lunch and dinner, plus vegetables, rice, pasta, desserts, etc. We always try to use local products. In Portugal, for example, we really like vegetables and fruit, they have a very pure flavour. In Finland they don't taste like this!” (laughs).
And do the team’s driving stars make special requests of Michelin star hopefuls? “The drivers usually eat from the normal buffet, but they like to have light meals. Most like fish and vegetables, occasionally they even have vegetarian meals. And they try to eat slow-absorbing carbohydrates,” says chef Ojantausta.
With three European drivers and one Japanese, is Takamoto Katsuta asking for something specific to 'kill' homesickness?
“Sometimes, when the rally is over, the wife of 'Taka' calls my wife and tells her what I should prepare”, laughs Takayuki Izumi, who originally started working for the team in the second year of training assembled by Tommi Mäkinen. “Taka likes a kind of Japanese curry, which is milder than usual in Europe. But our pilots are easy to please,” reveals the Japanese, who praises the quality of the Portuguese fish.
And as Elfyn Evans won the Vodafone Rally of Portugal last year, the goal is to water down next Sunday's lunch with… champagne!