Need for Speed II

[Daggerfall]

Hi Almosters,

After replacing a tire with a broken valve at the start and giving a hug attack to [mention]JockJKU[/mention] XD, we started the drive in an area with small round dunes with very soft sand and I think everybody realized that the cars are not acting as we think they should be doing.

The softness of the sand and the "confidence" of riding in an area with small dunes make the drivers forget the fundamental rules about keeping the right distance and following the exact track put some members into real trouble you're kidding, right

After the debriefing, we started rolling again and keep throwing technical stuff to the members to give them challenge worked nicely but dropped the pace of the drive a little bit due to too much suffering brigade.baka-wolf.com but that's when we learn new things I guess.

We also did some basic side cresting training and everybody did well. Thankfully we didnt have any major issues except one leaking car which sent out (Thanks to [mention]Agalon[/mention] ) and we finished the drive on time.

It was another nice afternoon in the desert and I hope you guys enjoyed it and learned new things.

Looking forward to seeing you next time

[Isfand]

Great day - great weather - great company and what an amazing drive!!

We started with a debrief from [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] who split the convoy between himself and [mention]Solmaz[/mention]
Members aside we were getting Chief on our side. I have only heard stories about driving with him so how was it going to be like. He decided to sweep but you could hear that roaring V8 everywhere!!

I was in [mention]Solmaz[/mention] ‘s convoy with 9 others. First proper 10+ drive for me and it was a lot of fun. It was also Solmaz’s first time leading 10+ as she told us that she’s led intermediate and 5+. The drive had one stuck in that was quickly recovered and then the drive started picking up the pace. in love

The drive lived up to its name! Need for Speed! We drove on top of crests. Did some straight crests and did some side crests. The area was beautiful and one could see dunes in all direction. There were flat patches that helped gain speed. All members in the convoy did very well!

We were having a lot of fun until the ghost of a bad workshop hit Solmaz’s car. Both the tires were facing different directions. After a couple of members diagnosed the issue, James volunteered to help. It was the tie rod that came off as the workshop had not tightened it enough. The issue was fixed and were on our way to a flat patch near Qudra to inflate.

Thank you to everyone especially [mention]Solmaz[/mention] and all the marshals. Them and their cars taken a lot of beating to help the other new members and their “Need for Speed”

[mquadros]

It was indeed a great drive and learning experience. I was in Daggerfall convoy and had the privilege of being car number 3 which gave me a lot of confidence until I found myself in a dangerous position that required some heavier supporters to move me safely down from that small soft dune. As Daggerfall properly explained there was probably not enough distance and hence lower speed and combined with the soft sand made me do the mistake. We started again on a lighter mode that was slowly accelerated including some small arches and drops and more importantly some crests. To me they looked quite decent and I enjoyed doing them . In a previous drive I learned the right angle and speed to enter them and yesterday I could learn the right speed to remain on top during those 3-5 seconds. Again being number 3 helped as the Marshal saw me and instructed me to go slower while at the top.
All in all it was another good educational and developmental session. I am grateful for Almost 4 x4 and its leaders for creating this environment where you can get better every day.
Mquadros

[Sostick]

Another great drive and great fun! I was in [mention]Solmaz[/mention] convoy and she did an amazing job as usual! We were a small group of 10 cars, fast pacing through the dunes. We had very few second tries and even fewer recovery... until the end! When Marshal [mention]Solmaz[/mention] informed us on the radio that she had to check the tires.... and actually the 2 front tires were facing different directions! I discovered there are lots of knowledgeable experts in the group. Particularly [mention]James[/mention] took the lead and in 20 minutes fixed the issue! We were just at the end of the drive so no major issue!

Once again, driving with Almost4x4 means fun, safety, improvements and now also mechanics learning! Thank you guys for all you do!

See you in the sand!
Francesco aka Sostick

[giorgio]

Need for Speed II

The meeting point was flooded with cars. The drive as always was popular and the marshals were kind enough to approve two convoys vs one according to the original plan.

As was promised we all gathered together to deliver the much needed bear hug to [mention]JockJKU[/mention] thank you [mention]James[/mention] for recording the event and special thanks to [mention]Loca[/mention] for his bravery.

The drivers during briefing were divided to 2 convoys. 1st convoy was led by [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] while the 2nd by [mention]Solmaz[/mention] which I was say she did not have the best day ever since she was encountered with a damaged pin valve from the get-go, with more to follow during her lead.

The terrain from a first sight looked easy for a 10+ drive. Small dunes spread on an open space. So most of the drivers sat back to enjoy the easy drive.

I joint [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] convoy as a sweeper with [mention]kareem.alameldin[/mention] been on the second lead, [mention]Issa[/mention] and [mention]Gabor[/mention] in the middle of the convoy and [mention]JockJKU[/mention] with [mention]Agalon[/mention] floating.

From the start of the drives the members took-off like we were in SZR on a Thursday afternoon hitting to Sharjah. As was expected, in no time the troubles found the convoy and wake up the drivers to their senses.

Not even 2km in the drive, we were encountered with a close call for roll over. As was anticipated the luck of distance resulted on a loss of momentum and with the help of failure from the driver to stick to the exact drafted track, we managed to deliver the perfect storm. So rescue mission under the watchful eye of our Marshal saved the day and of we went for incident No 2. Unfortunately second failure was a copy paste of the 1st one.

At this point all members were called for a briefing. Areas which were addressed by our lead car were:
a) soft sand and the challenges
b) climbing on the soft side of the dune( don't let the size of the dune full you)
c) proper distance and why it is important.
d) stay on the exact track and do not deviate ( one two meters of the track and you can be in serious trouble). Something that later in the drive proved to be a valid comment, since we lost a vehicle that took a nose dive on a ditch damaging it front left bumper and its steering hydraulic pipe line (if I am not mistaken)

At one point during the drive the convoy was called to overcome a relatively challenging accent with a small balcony in the middle while on the top there was a bonus soft sand and a left sharp turn.

That was the point that you take your chair out and the pop-corn and you enjoy the show. To spice things up in the beginning of the accent there was a ditch waiting to punish the drivers and cars which chose to tackle the obstacle with raw power vs technique.

The comment mistake from the majority of the drivers was that they were flooring it (like they will climb Moored dune) and hitting the ditch and wall, heads-on, taking a harsh punishment. The strong hit instinctively was putting the drivers on the defense, forcing him to release the accelerator following by loss of momentum and of course loss of power leading to failure of completing the accent.

Been a sweeper i had the chance to see the majority of the convoy dealing with the challenge as also had the chance to see at the end our Marshall [mention]JockJKU[/mention] following them. Well his approach was totally different.

He approached the climb in a very slow motion and right few meters from the ditch and wall he floored it and with no effort at all he climbed to the top.

As later was explained to some of the drivers when you approach close to the obstacle on a low speed and suddenly, sharply accelerate, the front of the car comes up pushing the weight to the back and voila, you are over the wall and you have the proper momentum to carry on and deliver the accent.

But all the above are part of the lessons learned for all the drivers and with practice dedication and persistence the positive results will come to find us all.

The drive continued match smoother when the convoy took the feedback of the leading driver to maintain proper distance and we all ( with a loss of 1 car only) manage to reach to the inflating point.

It was as always a drive full of lessons to be learned, surprises and good fun.

P.S i will recommend to some drivers to keep changing their position throughout the drives and not hide in the back. Different positions will help you understand the track's condition and will lead in developing new skills.

I would like to thank the organizer and supporting team as well as all the drivers for the beautiful afternoon drive

Until next time be safe and looking forward to see you all soon.

[DustnGlory]

Need for Speed II was a really nice drive where we were introduced to a new technique – side cresting blank .

I was first on the scene along with [mention]osman[/mention]. Pretty soon more Almosters started flocking in. After the usual chats and jokes, we began with attendance and allocating the drivers to one of the 2 convoys. The 1st convoy was led by [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and the second by [mention]Solmaz[/mention] . I was with [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] ’s convoy which had [mention]kareem.alameldin[/mention] as second lead, [mention]Issa[/mention] and [mention]Gabor[/mention] driving within the convoy, [mention]JockJKU[/mention] and [mention]Agalon[/mention] floating and [mention]giorgio[/mention] as the sweep.

We were given an initial briefing as to what the day’s objective was and how to safely complete a side crest. Once the drive started we started having stucks and second tries – primarily because we were not maintaining enough distance. The 2 stucks we had initially could both have been dangerous if it was a bigger dune and the sand not so soft. But this being a practice session, the area and route chosen allowed us to make mistakes, learn from them and safely continue the drive.

After the second stuck we had a short briefing where everyone was asked again to maintain good distance. [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] also emphasized the importance of sticking to the original track and what to expect when we drive up for the crest on the soft sand. After this the drive started going more smoothly. We were able to pick up the pace and had less stops. This went on until one of the drivers hit a ditch just before a climb. We stopped and initial assessment showed that the bumper had taken a hit. That was straightened out and we continued. Only after some time did we realize that the car had bust a hose when it took the hit. While [mention]Agalon[/mention] escorted the car to the road after initial first aid, we continued the drive.

After this point, it seemed like the drive had picked up pace and was faster. Luckily we didn’t have many stops and with everyone keeping their distance we enjoyed the remainder of the drive till the finishing point.

This drive had 2 really good climbs. The first had a ditch right before the climb and once we reached the balcony we had to take a sharp left and climb on really soft and chewed up tracks to get on top. The second one was also a good climb where the track corrects slightly to the left during the climb before we can reach the top which was flat. Both looked challenging initially but once I started the climb it felt much better – although I had to have a second try on the first one wink . We also had a few decent drops followed immediately by steep climbs – ones where you have to floor it. I had lost the trucks number plate on one of these in a previous drive. But that seems like a long time back and I was able to go through them with ease this time round. Looks like I’m a learning a few things Psmiley

Thank you Organizer, Marshals, Advance, Intermediate and all fellow Almosters for a wonderful afternoon drive. See you in the sand real soon...

[Loca]

Dear Almosters,

after 3 weeks break my "need" for Desert had reached to the top. First challenge was to find a spot when enrollment to the "Need for Speed II" drive was opened. Few seconds and OSMILEY .. sheesh, the first 10 seats where gone. The two seats released by our generous Crew members also went away in an instant and after few seconds of "what should I do now" and cold sweat melt I enrolled to the waiting list (aka maybe) and I started the fingers crossing mantra you're kidding, right

Our Marshals are amazing, all of them deserve big hug, not just [mention]JockJKU[/mention] . They made the magic again: they opened 2nd convoy and accepted all the praying maybes thumbsup

The drive was led by [mention]Solmaz[/mention] and [mention]Yoghybear[/mention] was at the back, sweeping and letting us feel the power of his breath. The area was not easy with short dunes close to each others. [mention]Solmaz[/mention] did an amazing lead as she managed to keep the speed of the convoy quite fast, which is not easy at all when dunes are small and near. Many side cresting, turning on the side of the dunes. Solmaz line was always smooth, quick and resolute. What a drive !! ORLY

My learning in this drive:

- Rome wasn't built in a day ... same is with skills, when the speed raises you have less (or no) time to think and your driving actions must come natural from the experience or you'll be in serious troubles and exposed to danger

- The 10 drives threshold has a meaning. All the drivers did well, no major stucks, no major recoveries. We moved fast and effective. The more you grow your experience, the more you drive quick and with highest safety

- Follow the tracks designed by the Marshal. I attempted a different line during a side cresting and wtfsmilie my car explained it was not a great idea and did dangerously slide on a side. Pedal down to the metal and recovered the straight line but melt ... free rodeo show offered to my Friend [mention]AMounir[/mention] who was next car in the convoy grin

- There are heroes among us who take the lead when time calls and show their talent on making difficult things come easy ... like [mention]James[/mention] who came from the bunch with his Gentleman smile and said "may I try please?" grin , took a wrench and fixed Solmaz's car with the confidence of someone who is sipping tea at 5pm. Thank you mate, all my respect pacman

That's all for now

Looking forward to seeing you soon in the sand

[Kris_K]

Hey all,

What a day it was. A day I will remember.
...but let’s start from the beginning.

The group was split in two convoys, one lead by [mention]Solmaz[/mention] and another by [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] , I was in the 2nd one somewhere in the middle of the group, behind [mention]Rooies[/mention] .

The drive started pleasantly, the pace was not too fast and I did not find it too difficult. There was a few 2nd tries on the go. It was all relaxing, perhaps too relaxing, until s… happened.

We were all driving like a train of wagons connected with long Viking ropes, jumping forwards and stopping, jumping and stopping, jumping and stopping…. We were all too close to each other. Because of that we did not have enough momentum to tackle the very soft on that day sand. Since I was too close to the car in front of me and had to stop and go, I did not gain enough momentum to climb, an otherwise very small and innocent dune not bigger than 3-4 meters. I did not even try to fight the gravity, the whole climb lasted 2 seconds, the sand was very soft and I did not even had a chance to give up and drive down anticlockwise. In one moment I was stuck in a nasty position with my front right wheel in the air and yes, as [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] told us during one of the training sessions, I did hear the suspension making the worrying noise.
The rescue team did act quickly. The front right corner of my car was anchored to a vehicle parked on the other side of the dune crest. Whilst 4 dead-weight colleagues standing on my door step balanced the right side of the vehicle, I reversed on 4L+diff lock with my steering wheel full left.

Lesson learned: keep your distance and tackle obstacles with a sufficient momentum. Do not underestimate the terrain. S… can happen on the easiest dune.

After my stuck another colleague had a very similar stuck in a nasty position just a minute later. After a briefing by [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and [mention]JockJKU[/mention] we moved.
On the way there was an interesting high climb with a balcony in the middle and double change of climb direction. This climb showed us advantage of cars with bigger approach angle like FJ and Jeep over cars like Patrols with longer noses penetrating the slope walls before the wheels start the climb.

We kept driving. Just before another steep climb, on a flat area driving towards blinding sunset, I did not see a small but nasty ditch, which was virtually two widths of the tire to the left of the track. My left wheel was trapped in the depression and I hit the side of the ditch with my left corner of the vehicle. At the first glance, only the bumper was slightly bent and I lost the wheel alignment. After straightening the bumper and a quick inspection, we moved.

Lesson learned: stay on the exact track.

Was it also perhaps a accumulation of bad luck. Sun in my eyes. A ditch very close to the track. I try to excuse myself thinking that it is IMPOSSIBLE to stay exactly on the same track with a tolerance of 50cm, but this time the 50cm was too much and s… happened. It happened to me.
Agalon identified the ditch and he parked his vehicle next to the ditch to warn the incoming ones about the danger just a second before I hit the spot.

During the next break I looked at the vehicle in more detail and realized, that the transmission oil pipe is cut and loosing oil. We tried to stop the leak (thanks [mention]Agalon[/mention] and [mention]Issa[/mention] ) without much success. The oil pressure was too high. We tried to check the level of the transmission oil. We were trying to locate the oil dip stick and reading the car’s manual. [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and [mention]osman[/mention] , nothing wrong with us, we could not find the diagrams in the book, because they were not there. Eventually I found a note in the manual, that ‘’to check the oil level, contact your Nissan service’’.

Since I kept losing the transmission oil, the drive has finished for me for the day and with the guidance of [mention]Agalon[/mention], I reached the gravel road. From there I headed alone towards tarmac and civilization. I have lost quite a lot of oil and decided not to push the luck further and not to drive to the garage on my wheels. I called a recovery truck and dropped the vehicle at a mechanic.

Now listen to what is the condition of my car, after the encounter with the ‘’innocent ditch’’:
• Bent steering link => replacement
• Cut oil pipe => replacement. It was the bent steering link that damaged the pipe.
• Bent and leaking diff housing => replacement
• Deformed bumper skin => repair
• Destroyed bumper support => replacement
• Deformed skid plate and plate’s support structure => repair

Who said off-roading is a cheap hobby?

I have driven before with Almost 4x4 some more challenging drives, giving me sweat on my neck, crazy heart rate and adrenaline pumping. This drive was not like that.
S... does not happen during these drives. It happens when you expect it least.

This day I almost rolled over on a pixy little dune and a few minutes later I crashed my car in a ditch size of a large fridge.

I heard that off roaders have these days. This day was mine.
You never know, when it comes, but it may come and slap you in your face and make you rethink a few things.

I wish you all, you never have this kind of DAY.

see you in the sand

[Chris Rothmann]

I was in DF’s convoy and enjoyed the momentum of the drive. I had a 2nd try or 2, on 2 of the climbs, which I believe was caused by a some momentum issues and angle of my approach close to the top, but again, it’s always good learn a few new tricks during these ........

Thanks again to [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] and [mention]JockJKU[/mention] for a great drive and hope there will be another one soon.

Cheers,

Chris

[JockJKU]

Morning all!

I was in Daggerfalls convoy for this drive through an area that we have driven a couple of times recently, so I was hoping to see improvement.

It did not take long to hit trouble, although the track was straightforward for the level of experience in the convoy. Some very basic rules were forgotten and the convoy was making the drive very hard work for itself!

Daggerfall called for a re-brief and after the convoy flowed a bit better but still had issues with maintaining adequate distance when transitioning from fast to slow terrain.

I love driving in the late afternoons and we had some great views as the sun was setting ahead of us on the way to the end point, the desert truly is amazing and looks different every day!

Thanks for the drive and to the support!

Till next time,

Jock