Friday 13th - Let There Be Carnage

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alshamsi_m
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Hello Everyone

The chatbox was on fire for the whole week, so some members with experience of the event were trying to explain what is going to happen and some others were just adding spices you're kidding, right

Friday 13th is a special event that happens in a specific day at a specific date so you don't get this event as many as you wish. So you have to check the calendar and wish there are not many of them :yarr:

Unfortunately, I couldn't bring BigRed to the event on time due to mechanical issues So it seems that it was not meant for these members to have BigRed + Middle of August together :gangs: . Nevertheless, the challenge will remain up to the expectations or maybe more :yo_!:

The event went on plan and that was because of the full support of our beloved marshals, Thanks to all of you because we wouldn't succeed without you. I wouldn't give more information to give the chance to our members in the trip report just to mention that we had so many stucks and pop outs including me having 1 stuck + i pop out Psmiley

Looking forward to see you soon

Cheers
Shamsi

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Tomvanhouten
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Hello everyone,

What a lovely chaotic afternoon it was!!

It started with the briefing, where @alshamsi_m informed everyone that if the car in front of you is stuck, overtake and the first intermediate would pull him/her out....that was weird for the convoy as all just nicely waited in-line for the first couple of stucks.
when that was kind of in the system, the radio wasn't silent: I am stuck, me too also stuck, I have a pop-out, I am doing a second try..... true carnage!

When we went for the second area, one car had to leave due to issues. So on we went, with yet another confusing radio message: No intermediates in the convoy, float around! Even more chaos as there were cars everywhere and several people lost the track.
Radio again: Don't follow that car, he has a red sticker! brigade.baka-wolf.com

So much fun and at the end of the drive, seeing all the faces expressing: yeah, I made it. Absolutely priceless.

Thank you all the marshals and supports
See you soon again!

Tom
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Carnage we were promised, carnage we got.

I do not know if its my bad or good luck for my first 10+ drive to be the f13th, it feelt like we were babies where grownups used to take care of us and now its time to grow up. It also felt like its time for revenge, they had enough of us and now they want us to suffer.

Right from the start, very short briefing by @alshamsi_m where we were told to overtake the car infront if they are stuck even if its the second lead and immediately to the deep desert, @alshamsi_m did not ask to count the cars nor asked for a confirmation that everyone is moving, multiple people mentioned there is a huge gap, he careless, i was the 4th car and i could see only 2 cars in my back. We hit the first group of dunes and it was literally hitting, we approach side walls of dunes straight like if we are trying to go through them. For me, first one hour was all good, @alshamsi_m had a Red Bull and that was it.
@alshamsi_m popout incident was another experience, not because of the incident itself but because how myself and @Amer Bin Belal were terrified on what will happen next, i was third car and immediately when i noticed the popout, i unloaded litterly everything in my car, the jack, jack base, water bump, then flashed to mando, @Amer Bin Belal who was alshamsi passenger approached me, eyhab eyhab, shovel shovel shovel, immediately we started the fix, other memebers joined, all terified to a level where they started shoveling under tires which does not have any issue, why, is this what fear cause??

Now its my turn as second lead, oh my god, not now, let him at least forget what happened, honestly i had to deviate a little as i knew if I precisely followed @alshamsi_m track i will for sure get in trouble, few minutes after that we take a short break and i was telling @alshamsi_m that i made it so far not because i am good, its just because i avoided nasty sharp turns and went the easy route, same time in the radio its being announced that 4 cars are stuck, hmmmm, now imagine if I followed the same track?

We continue and i was still the second lead, i lasted more than 10 minutes 💪💪💪🥳🥳🥳 and then out of sudden i lost focus, i think i was extremely consumed (battery empty) and immediately i got stuck, now that was not the problem, i had my rope attached to my car and lined straight waiting for a quick tug, the problem was that more than 15 cars overtook me and then almost 4 rescue team members came nearby and were just looking at me, i was there for at least 5 minutes until @Tomvanhouten came literally flying to rescue me, thanks Tom. Now i am at the end and @alshamsi_m announced that intermediate and advance can float and no need to be in the main convoy, i thought we had enough chaos but now we have more than 5 tracks to choose from, i refueled with coffee, sugar, water and washed my face, challenge continued, now i need to overtake as many cars as possible to go back to the front, first 2 stuck cars, successful overtake, then got lost, few meters ahead and i am back to track, one car stuck and 2 waiting inline, overtook the three, and immediately to a nasty stuck where my 4 wheels are spinning in top of a dune.
At that level, khalas i was extremely exhausted and battery cannot be recharged anymore, i am at the end of the convoy and took the easiest track to the meeting point.

We reached there, everyone is extremely exhausted, we tried to pull ourself together, for more than 15 minutes cars were still arriving, oh so i was not at the end, one hour later we realized that few people are missing, yes more than 5 cars reached more than one hour later, few minutes after they reached and we have to leave😳😳😳😳
20 plus stucks and 2 pop-outs, and believe me, whoever did not get stuck for sure did not follow the track, that was the only way to avoid getting stuck or avoiding a popout.

Last but not least, marshals, support and rescue team, your efforts are highly appreciated, it was extremely exhausting just to drive and follow the track, there was no continuous 30 seconds of a gap where we had silence in the radio, for the whole 3 hours you were assisting someone in 50 degrees under the sun, thank you very much.
@alshamsi_m, i do not think words can explain what happened yesterday, it was a tremendous experience and we learned a lot, add to all the challenges we faced, being able to safely send everyone home without any major incident is something we know is not an easy thing at all, your efforts are highly appreciated.

What a day and what a drive, I think this is my longest report so far and i am seriously hesitant to delete any recorded clip, enjoy the short video and whoever is having a boring day, enjoy watching the whole recording.
Short clip

Whole recording
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brett
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Dear Survivors & those who didn’t join !
What a drive !!
Carnage was promised and the drive certainly lived up to the hype

First of all thanks to @alshamsi_m for arranging and setting up the challenge – I think we were saved a little by the fact that Big Red was not available. Thanks also to the marshals and support team without whom the drive would not have been possible. The list was a who’s who of outstanding drivers. Their skill and advice during such a technically challenging drive was priceless to us Newbies @Barish @Daggerfall @Rashidjass @presa @rapailo @Scorpio @abu hatab @Jasper @mpodroid @optimus @Petr @Rathica @Rooies @Sorin and @Tomvanhouten .

The Newbies (victims) @Asadwrangler @dorudoru @Ehab @ImranFJ @jeepers76 @Laarni @Nabeel @nidal78 @NahorJP @piotr @RyanRichard @Shawqi @Zain

It started at a quick pace across the flat access track with the Newbies following @alshamsi, I made the choice to stay at the back of the newbie pack but already a be gap developed from the front cars to the back. We regrouped and then it was all on as we head straight into the eggs in basket area it was a roller coaster and the stucks and 2nd tries were being called constantly over the radio. We had been told if the driver in front is stuck drive around him and support crew would assist. This was completely different from the normal convoy instruction to stop and stay in your position in the convoy. So in the beginning we (the Newbies) struggled with that instruction. Then the chaos started there were crested cars 2nd tries in every direction add to that the marshals and support crews swarming around. It was mayhem and confusing trying to find the right track, trying to figure out who you were currently following. Who to pass etc.. at one point early on there were I think 4 cars crested on the same dune maybe 10m beside each car.

I manage to have a few 2nd tries, at least 2 self recoveries and pulled off on 2 dunes ! I also somehow ended up following @Barish – confused that he was leading me back to the convoy as I had lost the track. Radio message “why are you following me?” Opps !

At one point while stopped @presa came over to my window and asked me to sit forward so he could check my back ? He then told me he was checking to see if I had wings - seems I had been flying over crests on more than one occasion again Opps ! redbullsmiley The newly established Wasp VII Airlines did not have any take off or landing rights for that area. Fortunately no damage done to Wasp VII

What a day. It ended at a very picturesque spot staring off into the dunes as the sunset. Enjoying the chitchat coffee the return of the karak and the hundreds of stories from everyone who took part. Everyone was exhausted mentally and physically. But everyone was smiling ! cool

My take always
- Still so much to learn
- Keep your focus
- With your windows up you don’t get as much desert inside your car while being recovered !
- There is no place for ego in this sport, everyone gets stuck and needs the help of those with more experience.

Did I enjoy the drive ? - YES
Would I sign up to do it again ? - YES definitely
Until the next Adventure

Brett
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Rathica
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Friday 13th lived up to its reputation. Yes it was carnage😀😀😀

The Newbies were eager but also quaking in their boots 😂 And rightly so because the area was very technical with tight spots.

It was so hot and I know no one was looking forward to digging and thank God very little digging was needed; however there was a lllloooottttt of pulling😂

@alshamsi_m set the convoy order and drive strategy: Lead, Second Lead, Newbies, and Intermediates in the convoy with Advanced and Marshalls floating. The plan was should a Newbie get stuck, the Newbies overtake and continue the drive while the first Intermediate in line does the rescue and leads the rescued back to the convoy where they rejoin at the back of the Newbies and on it goes. If there was a popout, 2 Inters fix the pop out.

It was stop and go at first, until we all got a feel of the terrain and the strategy. Communication was difficult at first due to the stucks and second tries - communicating the stuck and who was responding to help took over the radio space at the beginning too but it was all part of the learning.

In Area 2, there was a change in strategy, where Intermediates were allowed to float and make their own tracks. That was fun because the Newbies were following the Leads track, Advanced and Marshalls were floating and so were we. It was like driving in EIB again - really cool🚙

I got to do a few rescues - thankfully they were pulls and not digs😂 I had my own little stuck while floating - did a self recovery 🙏🏼

It was a great evening in the sun. Newbies finished the drive on a high; Inters finished the drive....on a high😂 All drivers finished the drive safely even if all cars weren't completely incident free. We all relaxed on the sand, drinking Karak and coffee, eating snacks and conversing about the days escapades, all happy to have made it through Friday 13th...Let there be carnage 😂😂😂

Thank you to the Almoster Marshalls who kept everyone safe❤️

See you all in the sand🚙
Dauntless 👑 🚙
Join me drawing in the sand
👑Dauntless 🚙💨
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mpodroid
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Friday 13th is always a great event in the life of the club.

Convoy rules were great and smart and let us keep a good flow, despite the challenges:
  • @alshamsi_m leading the convoy
  • 16 newbies with a green target on the back
  • 17 marshals and rescuers at the back of the convoy with a red target
  • When a newbie gets stuck or has a pop-out, the others overtake and the first rescuer stop to provide support
I was at the back of the convoy and had the chance to rescue a couple of customers.

I really enjoyed the drive and realised how much my skills improved : first time in Friday 13th I got stuck 3 times, second time (just after my upgrade to intermediate) I had a pop-out. This time I survived!

Thanks to the large groups of marshals, advanced and intermediate that made possible this event.
And thanks to the newbies who accepted the challenge and had fun together.

If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost.
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nidal78
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Friday the 13th what a day 🤪
Since I read the post on the app about this drive and the chat box conversation between al members and reading the previous reports about it this made me think twice before I add my name to the victims list but finally I decided to challenge my self and inter the danger zone ☠️and believe it or not I was thinking about the drive everyday and how I will manage to survive on that day especially that I am driving the biggest,the heaviest and longest car in the convoy this is added an extra challenge on my shoulders, so to be ready for that day I did some upgrades to the Red Monster, new shocks and tiers and they really helped me on that day

Friday the 13th the carnage day 😈

After the briefing by our beloved leader @alshamsi_m in the meeting point we moved quickly to EIB entrance all lined up like an army preparing to inter the war
Let’s go let’s go Abu Salim announce on the radio and the carnage began 😈
The first victim I saw was@rapailo he stuck exactly at the EIB challenge entrance (oops that’s not a good sign 😬) after that I started to hear on the radio I am stuck I am doing 2nd try I need help it was exactly a war zone and chaos you can see almost on every dune an action seen someone stuck on the crest someone doing a 2nd try the marshals giving their instructions the intermediate and advance pulling and fixing pop outs and Abu Salim don’t care about the victims and keep going 👽
For me at the beginning after crossing maybe 4 or 5 dunes i have been caught by one sharp crest because I was little bit soft with the car, @Agalon immediately showed up and give me a gentle pull and that was my only stuck for the day 💪🏻✌🏻( thank you Agalon 👍)
The carnage continued the number of the victims increasing by the time, the level of the challenge increasing as well the cars were really close to each other and I was struggling to control my big red Yukon in the small and sharp dunes which is leading me to do 3 or 4 times 2nd try
There is one seen I will never forgot when we approached a medium dune, the first car try to cross it and stuck, the 2nd car try to overtake it and it stuck too, then the 3rd and the 4th all stuck on the same way like birds on a branch 😁I and the rest of the drivers behind me were lucky because @Barish told us to take the alternative route to give a space to the rescue team 😅
At the end of the drive we sit on a beautiful dune chitchatting with a big smile on faces drinking coffee,Karak tea and some sweet
For me I really enjoyed every single moment of this drive it was really a good experience and I am happy that I could manage driving in such a difficult technical area like this ✌🏻
Big big big thank to Abu Salim for organizing this remarkable drive, all marshals for their instructions and keep everyone safe and to advance & intermediate who did an amazing work helping the victims to survive, you all heroes guys 💪🏻
And to all my fellow newbies you really did a great job, I am sure that everyone is happy and proud of what he did, hope to see you soon, stay safe
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presa
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Hi Almosters, we had a nice drive with this Fri 13th!

Starting with counting:
Stuck: 1 - with self recover, at the first dune thumbsup thumbsup thumbsup
2nd tries: 4-5, stop counting...
I counted myself over 20, around 30 stucks, from others, but seems people are counting 2 or 3 stucks as 1 grin grin grin grin

The drive had less than 7km, excluding entrance, moving from Zone 1 to Zone 2 and exit, but I was floating, so might be a little shorter than leading car. I would say that we were moving less than 20% of the time. Most of it was the leading car waiting for the convoy to reunite so he could move again.

The front of newbie convoy got it first stuck before the back part of the newbie convoy enter the Zone 1...

I got stuck at the first Dune... nothing that a some 4L and diff-lock couldnt help to self recover, but was a good reminder of where we were driving!

The newbies were not following the instruction of overtaking... and when they do it, some were getting stuck at the same point as the car in front of him LOL

Intermediates were shy of recovering the newbies, so I saw Marshals doing recover several times! We were there for taking pictures guys grin grin grin grin

At certain point I saw some newbies jumping, but be careful not to damage your car on the landing!

At the end there were many happy faces, a few cars that have to leave before, due to mechanical problems, and traditional Karak and Coffee imported from Al Hamriya!

Looking forward to see you all on next drives!
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jeepers76
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Dear Almosters

I shall keep it short, this time as other participants have really expressed the happenings of the day in detail. It was real carnage and chaos from the start; lots of pop outs, and recoveries. As I said in my chat “it seemed that foxes have been let loose, in a chicken coop”. Hats off to Intermediates for keeping the show running.

Objective was clear, to ensure that all the learning done to date, should be put to test. For me it was an examination of what we have learnt so far and put our skills to test. Keeping in view, an exceptionally hot day (47 degrees Celsius), choice of area and objectives; I think everybody performed well and to best of their abilities.

At the end, we all sat for a usual chit chat at the meet & greet point, for some nice goodies and Karak/ Coffee by the founder (@alshamsi_m).

Thanks to all the Marshals:
@Barish, @Daggerfall, @Rashidjass, @presa

18 Gun Salute to Support and Crew:
@rapailo, @Scorpio, @abu hatab, @Jasper, @mpodroid, @optimus, @Petr, @Rathica, @Rooies, @Sorin, @Tomvanhouten, @brett

And participants
@Asadwrangler, @dorudoru, @Ehab, @ImranFJ, @jeepers76, @Laarni, @Nabeel, @nidal78, @NahorJP, @piotr, @RyanRichard, @Shawqi, @Zain

Signing off with hopes of equally challenging and chaotic drives in future.
Umer Jameel Shah
Oldbie with a FJ
@jeepers76
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dorudoru
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Hello Everyone,

A special day requires a special report. Everyone above have already explained the event, so I am not going to get deep on the convoy order, victims, survivors etc. but will try to explain my experience.

I am generally nervous and overexcited about these kinds of big/rare events of Almost 4x4. Before EIB I was reading all the posts in the forum, talking to the intermediate and advanced members to get some more information. Doing proper research. However, this time something was different. I felt much calmer, even if I had only one drive in the past month.

Thanks to beloved @Rashidjass redbullsmiley , @alshamsi_m gifted me the second lead of this fantastic event. @alshamsi_m explained the rules with the following sentences, “dorudoru is the second lead, whenever he is stuck which he will, the cars behind him will overtake. The first intermediate will do the rescue and connect the stuck car to the convoy. If it is a pop out, two intermediates will be helping”. These sentences helped me to get my shit together and get ready for the upcoming buses we are going to be thrown under. blank

Just before entering the area, my heart started to beat faster than normal. I was able to feel the adrenaline traveling through my veins and off we go. @alshamsi_m literally dived through the EIB area in a speed that I can’t even imagine it is possible to drive in this area. The only purpose of me was not to lose Mando on the way, while trying to be safe. At one point, I lost sight of him on a sharp dune and got a good hit from a ditch at the bottom since I couldn’t see what has happened to the leading car. I couldn’t pay attention to the radio but I was sure many things were going on behind, but objective was clear, don’t let him cut the ties. I tried to keep up as much as I can without worrying to break the car. :yarr:

After our first stop where the leading car was waiting the convoy. I conveyed my respect to the founder and let him know I enjoy the drive to the upmost level and I’ve already booked a session with @Rashidjass in the garage after this craziness, well I was thinking there will be an inflation on demand after this F13th horror.

While we were back on the track, one car reported the overheated engine and had to leave the event. I can’t even remember how long I drove as a second lead, where @ashamsi_m had a pop out, I just grab the shovel and ran to help. At the end the show had to go on. (Here is a quick note to @Ehab , I was the one digging the right back tire which is the diagonally opposite one of the popped-out tire, so the car is level when the popped-out tire has been dug. That’s one of the standard procedures we do, it is not related to fear or being terrified 😊)

During the pop out fixing, I wanted to check if my tires are totally okay and realized that the left front tire was nearly flat. When I checked the pressure, it was around 4-5 psi but there was no pop out visibale. After inflating it back without any problem, I rulled out the possibility of puncture. However, after we are done with fixing the pop out, I realized my tire was flat again. So, I told Shamsi that I possibly have a cut tire. They moved and left my beloved @Rashidjass. With his suggestion, I replaced the pin and everything was solved.

During this operation I was shocked of the number of marshals and advanced members around me, this gave me a lot of confidence and remembered how safe we are!

@Rashidjass took me to the convoy back which was literally still only 2 dunes away from us due to many issues 😊. I’ve joined to the convoy and tried to survive in the back, overtake the stuck ones. Couldn’t even count how many stuck cars we overtook but worth to mention nearly on every dune there was one stuck. I will check the video records for exact numbers.

I had several second tries and one diagonal stuck on a crest, however it wasn’t a thing that 4L, magic buttons of FJ and a marshal in the driving seat can’t resolve 😊 all credits to @presa! He explained how to do it but I couldn’t self-recover myself so at the end he jumped on the driver seat and glided through the dune with his experience. Sorry @Sorin , you were too eager to pull me out. Next time InshAllah! 😊

Few points which I realized during and after the drive.

• Even we were instructed to overtake the stuck, most of us were hesitant to apply it. It might be due to all the previous experiences and good habits we developed through our training. However, when marshals asks us to do something it supposed to be followed strictly since it is the best for us and for our development.
• We have heard many times on the radio from the support team the warnings “don’t forget the distance”. Yes it was a chaotic drive but, the main fundamental of driving in the desert is the correct distance. It gets you out of many problems, whatever happens it shouldn’t be compromised.
• There is no shame on being stuck or having a pop out, its just learning process and can happen in any level. This drive showed us to enjoy and appreciate these incidents once again.
• We all should remember, being stuck or making a second tries are way better than flying or putting ourselves in danger. So don’t get greedy and overconfident on your skills!
• My eyes were searching @giorgio and @Mabubaker in this drive. You are missed guys. I am sure @giorgio would especially enjoy to see how greatly the newbies suffered :yaeh_am_not_durnk:

Lastly, I want to specially thank to our founder who organized and executed this event seamlessly and all the Marshals showed up along with support team (the heroes of the day). Everyone worked a lot, learned and enjoyed the day. Well done to all newbies which have been a part of this horror act! Happy to be a part of this family. See you on the sand soon!

P.S. Dear @presa , there is a lot of expectation about the drive in Sweihan after F13th, keep it in mind. 10+ Newbies are eager more than ever now 😊
Last edited by dorudoru on Thu Aug 26, 2021 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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