A SALUTE TO UNSUNG HEROES: HOSPITALITY AT THE RACES

I was soon warmed up by both the food and the company. Catering great meals on the road is difficult enough but hospitality is more than just eating. It is "home away from home." Not only do hospitality tents provide food, but often band-aids, some conversation and a shoulder to lean on in times of stress.

What is important to remember at these major endurance races is that the entire entourage usually stays at the track about a week. The hospitality crew arrives a day or two early to make sure all the supplies that are needed to wine and dine crew, drivers, owners and honored guests are there. Most chefs have developed relationships with local grocers so shop on location. There will be at least three meals a day and numerous snacks for a week. At a 24 hour race like at Le Mans or Daytona, crews expect to get something hot every two hours. That means the chefs and their helpers will have to cook a hot meal and serve it both in the hospitality tent and in the pit area because often crewmembers cannot leave to get refreshment. The drivers can usually come back to their trailers and catch a little nap, many eat pasta for the carbohydrate rush prior to getting into the race cars.

These drivers are athletes who train vigorously by lifting weights, swimming, running and other forms of aerobic exercise. In order to be able to give their best, the drivers must have a good, sound nutritional in-put. Driving a car around a track at top speed requires constant concentration. Drivers have to have strength and endurance. The service done by the hospitality crews cannot be exaggerated. They are the foundation upon which the rest of the team rests.

Watch for the next few articles about some of the hospitality greats I have met at the races.

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