All Lead Lite

[Petr]

I was only a passenger of [mention]Youssef.Abdelhady[/mention] at this trip, but made some clicks that you may enjoy as much as I enjoyed the ride with Youssef!

[giorgio]

All Lead Lite:

Friday afternoon with a weather that did not know what to bring us rain, wind, heat we all gathered at the Badayer shops.

This was not a regular Friday drive that was a lite version of all lead. This event take usually place just few time throughout the year and it is design to give the opportunity to the drivers to take turns leading the convoy. The track is predetermine with the points already given to the drivers earlier in the week and the concept is that each of us has to drive from point to point ( unknown is the No of points to be driven and the sequence) on the set time frame of 10 min each. The rules of engagement are simple : a) drive safe
b) drive within your level
Failing to drive within your level (means lower or higher) you get a radio warning and if you do not correct and adjust your performance the second lead which it is always a Marshall (in our drive [mention]Booy[/mention] ) will divert the convoy to a different path other than the lead car and the latter will be left alone which will means failing the game.

The briefing from [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] was short and to the point (explaining the rules of the game) the sequence of drivers ( each driver was to drive 10 min as many points as he/she can cover) and radio frequency was given and we all got inline to take off.

I was the first car to lead with [mention]Booy[/mention] as a second lead and [mention]haider alnuaimi[/mention] following.

I do not know to what extent other drivers were nervous but personally i was quite nervous, as the pressure to perform well and within the permitted limits was hovering over my head.

As the lead car you immediately understand the pressure. You need to keep an eye on the navi, make sure that you are driving towards the given point, also pick your own track, watch out for ditches not to damage your car, drive moderate fast and within your level and hopping that the radio silence will be maintained ( i am referring to negative from Marshall comments). So no news on the radio is to be considered as good news.

10 min in life is nothing what can you do in 10min right? well everything in life is measured against something so if you compare 10 min against a week of anticipation for the Friday's drive is a drop of water in the ocean but when you have to lead for 10 min then it feels like a week of driving in the desert. The time suddenly is so long the seconds feels like are taking their sweet time and they are kind of lazy to progress you check the chronometer and you have just driven for 2 min WTF i thought that i would be done by now.

So as I was driving the radio silence was suddenly broken. The initiation of a driver pushing the radio button to announce something it is usually milliseconds but in this case it felt like 10 min. The moment i heard the radio ready to announce something i went dead in my head. And then the announcement was aired. Second try.
Someone was having a second try. Ok this is good news or maybe not did I do something wrong and put them in trouble? no it should be ok having second tries it is normal it should have been ok besides no negative comments were issued by our second lead so it should be fine.

By now for the drivers that have not participated in such a game you should pretty much understand the concept of the game and the pressure that you are experience.

Eventually my 10 min came to an end and the rest of the drivers took their turn leading.

After finishing my lead i had to go to the end of the convoy and follow the rest of the drives. With the pressure now off i was able to relax and pay more attention to how the other drivers were leading.

it was very interesting to see how the flow of the convoy was changing from time to time. To be honest the terrain was as you all know different and each of the drivers had to do the best they could of what was available for them to drive in the 10 min so that was another obstacle for the drivers. How to drive an intermediate level when part of your assigned terrain was not giving you the change to do so.

Over all my opinion is that if not all the drivers then at least the majority of us did a good job. At no point anyone of us received a negative comments or warning during leading ( I got a nice "I saw that [mention]giorgio[/mention] from [mention]JockJKU[/mention] when at one point i decided to fight gravity on my attempt to keep the car within the track. I believe it was during [mention]Nabil[/mention] lead) and although it was not dangerous and pretty calculated move it was still wrong and i knew it, so when i got the radio comment i was not surprised just agreed with the call and remind myself that these guys are everywhere and see everything. And on a second occasion [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] called in that driving is like playing the snake video game if you touch your tail you die. I do not recall how was leading but when i head that i check my navi and all was fine. But few moments later i reached to the point of the crime scene. The lead car, the head of the snake had actually touched its body.


Over all it was a very nice drive full of adrenaline and as expected second tries some self recoveries and stucks as well as some damaged cars which we were able to repair and complete the drive safe.

I would like to thank the organizer and supporting team for the fun afternoon in the desert.

Until next time drive safe and see you on the sand soon.

[presa]

Hi Almosters!

We had a great drive this Friday afternoon in Al Badayer to Al Madam!

The "lite" was just on the name of the drive, since everyone did nice and kept a high level, as expected from an Intermediate and above from Almost4x4!

The difference between the styles from each drive is easily recognizable and I had tons of fun following the track, while [mention]JockJKU[/mention] and [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] were floating around!

The Marshals gave me the opportunity to lead for a few minutes, thank you for that!!! thumbsup

On my first climbing & crest, I landed on a ditch - on the top of a dune - and had to change my tire, since it cut on the side landing. Our 2nd lead, [mention]Booy[/mention] got my radio call and side-crested 5m before I did, so no harm for the convoy. If I had drive 3 meters more or 3 meters before, I would pass the ditch, without anty harm, but sometimes when leading you get this surprises.
As mentioned by [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] with almost4x4 team effort, my tire was changed quite fast, and we were moving again in a few minutes.

Using two different tires on the back of my car I get what was expected when you compromisse... the worst of both worlds grin grin grin grin
I havent the grip on front climbing with the KO2 neither the floating effect from the softer tire... so I decided to do what [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] and [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] did on my catch me if you can drive (a few years back)... SLIDE.... so we climbed and slide a few high dunes, did snake style, used some plato to get more speed and keep climbing.... I had a lot of fun and my 10 minutes passed flying (maybe was a bit more than 10 min ORLY )

We finished in Al Madam with 58km, on my counting, 3,5h driving 80-90% of it and a big smile from driving with this great group!

I went home and some members, after doing CM in the morning and intermediate lead on afternoon still got on the road to Liwa!! That is sand commitment :) thumbsup

[Booy]

Hello everyone,

@alshamsi_m slipped in a nice surprise for our intermediate drivers by organizing this "All Lead Lite" trip.

I had fun as second lead observing the convoy leaders' performance. I often changed the tracks, if only by one or two meters, just to make it a little smoother for the convoy driving behind the leaders who believed in "drive it like you stole it".

Leading a drive under controlled supervision is a great great way to learn more about your own capabilities, your own strengths and weaknesses, and off course to gain confidence. Generally everyone did a good job, and I believe everyone learnt something about themselves and their capabilities from their 10 minutes in the front of the convoy.

It was really nice to see how everyone has grown and improved their skills since their club member days. As I followed everyone in second lead, I had flash backs of your newbie days, your club member drives and was chuffed to see how you improved your skills over time.

Well done everyone, and see you soon in the sand.

Regards,

Booy

[alshamsi_m]

Hi everyone

It is a nice feeling to watch the intermediates leading you as a marshal " I am not a marshal " ... one day they are shaking while following and today they are infront !!!

Although Al Badayer had tracks and someone followed them but I don't care ... my aim is that you break the ice and continue building self confidence, there will be more to come this is just the beginning.

Everyone did very well and looking forward to drive more with you guys

See you in the sand

Cheers

[Youssef.Abdelhady]

Hello Almosters,
It’s really hard to decide which Intermediate drive is my favorite, but All Lead is definitely up there. This is my second chance to join and I was just as excited as the first time. redbullsmiley

I reached the meeting point an hour early after leaving straight from the morning’s club member drive. Since I had some time to kill, I decided to deflate and play in the sand. I had been away on vacation for a couple of weeks, so I felt a little warmup was required before the drive.

After around 30 minutes of playing, I hit a ditch at the end of a sidecrest. Checked for damage and saw just the bumper a little bent, so continued to play for a little longer. innocent

Then we all met and [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] briefed us about the rules of the drive. Since I had done it before, I was the last to lead to ensure others would have gotten a chance.

Off we went, and [mention]Petr[/mention] joined as my passenger to take some pics. playingsmiley It was interesting to see all the different tracks based on the lead, their car, and the area. We experienced a variety of what Badayer has to offer.

We stopped for a break at super bowl, and watched as cars and buggys played on the dune. One exceptionally strong buggy was able to climb up and down on two wheels. OSMILEY

Finally it was my turn, at that time we had already reached the final point so I was told I could play in any direction. The experience was amazing and 10 minutes felt way too short. in love Compared to the previous All Lead in my opinion it was less stressful since the area is familiar and I have gained more experience since then.

When my time was almost up, I hit a ditch again in the same section of the car. This time it was a much stronger impact because I did not see the ditch at all and made no attempt to brake. ouch...it hurts

After inspection we noticed the spindle was bent, so times up for me and need to take it easy till we reach the tarmac. Thankfully I was able to take it to the garage with no issues.

Now the car is undergoing a few repairs but inshallah I’ll see you all in Danger Zone. ORLY


Thank you to our Marshals for your guidance and support, I could not have imagined one day I’d drive comfortably without having to see another car infront of me. cool

There is danger lurking behind every crest, so I really appreciate the risks you take for the safety of the convoy.


See you all soon. pacman

[Johanna]

Hello all,

this drive was definitely a surprise and I remember I received an angry look from my boss, because I was busy keeping an eye on the trip system instead of focusing on my meeting. Psmiley

Side note here: Crew members were asked to register on time as well, otherwise convoys might be too full. So please don´t ask us to remove our names to make space, we all benefit from smaller convoys.

[mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] sent us the coordinates the day before and for the first time I created a route out of the points on my Garmin. I wasn´t sure how exactly this will work, if the Garmin will send me from one point to another or directly to the last point and if it will send me back if I not match a point exactly.
Turned out it worked exactly as I was hoping. But step by step....

It was my first All Lead drive and of course I was nervous. At least the drive took place in Al Badayer a familiar area which I really like to drive although its often crowded.

[mention]giorgio[/mention] was the first car to start, followed by [mention]Booy[/mention] and the rest of the convoy. The rules for the All Lead drives are as follows:

- Everyone is leading the convoy for 10 minutes
- You have to drive towards your given points or follow the given route
- Leading car has to drive intermediate level
- If the level is too low or to high, you will receive a warning from the Marshal driving behind you
- If you don´t adjust your driving, second lead will change the track and leave you alone
- When you are done you go to the back of the convoy

@Giorgio started fast, side crests, climbs, bowls... I had my problems to keep up and soon we had a longer stop as some of us needed second tries.
I had the impression I have a power problem in the patrol and it was slightly heating up as well. Airfilter was clean, so no obvious problem with the car. The heating I kept under control with switching off and on the AC if necessary, and after reducing the PSI from 10 to 8, the cars performance was much better and keeping up was no problem.
I guess after @Giorgios lead the expectations were high and I felt some pressure, but I tried to relax and to enjoy it.

And that was exactly what I did it was my turn. It was a strange feeling in the beginning, not seeing a car in front of you. But honestly, it was a great . in love

My first part was small dunes, so I tried to keep the intermediate level and did as much side crests and fast safari moves as possible, always checking the GPS if I am going the right direction. As my radio kept quiet and I could see the convoy still behind me, I took it as a good sign and gained confidence to continue with my driving style.
I reached the higher dunes and needed some moments for orientation and judging, but I found a nice bowl - side crest combination, it was a great feeling to drive it as first car....

Soon my time was over, and really, it was great, I never thought I could enjoy it like this.
I had to think about my start with the club 1.5 ago with my Pajero... And must confess I felt a bit proud that I have made it that far and can play now with the big boys.

Thanks to the Almost family for this fantastic journey in love

We stopped at super bowl, having a break and watching some Buggys playing around, I was keen to drive the wall, but the tracks are so chewed up, it didn´t looked like fun, so I was watching the others playing around.

We continued the drive and I was impressed by the level everyone drove, I had great fun!
@Presa was the last leading car and took us back to the street, but not without throwing us into some last challenges in the big dunes. I heard @kareem once on the radio saying "I love you Presa" grin

Thank you everyone, looking forward to see you all in the sand have a nice day

[nabil_k]

Hello Everyone,

I was lucky to grip seat for this drive All lead lite, as i miss the last one which is full fat of high dunes held in Sweihan. well i did before leading for friends when i was newbie and when i see drop down i park and come down of the car and see how its look deep or small and then drive again cool . now in this drive its totally different story as the club want to see what they invest on us for 2 years ( more or less) with many training drives mostly we cover all UAE desert, they want to see how we drive as intermediate drive same of our level with fully side crest as possible over the dunes. to be in the convoy you just follow the track but when you lead you have to search best track for your convoy, i was really worried until it comes to my turn to lead , then i cut out all the worries and drive until i got call on radio from [mention]Booy[/mention] to slow down there is second try in the back ninja. i did my drive to super bowl as last point .
thanks [mention]alshamsi_m[/mention] for this created trip which comes suddenly we really appreciate that. and thanks to [mention]Booy[/mention] to be second lead and supporting for us , i still remember your advice in my second drive when i was newbie to use first and second gear only and i reply to you that " i have more power on D ORLY " then you laugh, that time you was intermediate support team have a nice day . thanks for [mention]JockJKU[/mention] for your support and keeping your eyes for all convoy .
see you safe and well .

[rapailo]

I am quite sure that this is a latest trip report written ever on this site X3 but as we say better ever than never. Unfortunately other duties are not allowing me to write those on time.

So this was my first all lead drive and honestly I was not feeling very comfortable with the idea but what to do. I thought I will do my best and that is it.

Once we reached the point I saw only well known faces. From marshals to the drivers that joined the club more or less same time as I did.

In any case we finished preparation in few moments and we were good to go. [mention]giorgio[/mention] was first to lead and I found his leading most difficult as he was having this jeep way of doing it. I straggled in two places. One of them was this small deep horrible bowl in which I got stuck both tries brains...! . I actually hit the dune with my nose twice and lost all power in the middle of the bowl and had to slide down. This got my follower stuck also. At the end [mention]JockJKU[/mention] came and got us on alternative route.

All went good and finally it was my turn to lead. I got some quite big dunes to lead on and I started. It was not bad but the adrenaline level was quite high blah . In one moment [mention]Booy[/mention] told me to not run strait to the point but make us play on this high dunes. I thought to my self ok this is mine 10 minutes and I will make it happen. At the end those 10 minutes last forever. I was under impression I was leading for good 30 minutes. It was fun cool .

At the end it was all perfect and we reached the road. I believe it was The most amazing drive I had until now with almost 4X4. I believe adrenaline in desert never stops.

See you soon again.