Days of Thunder II

[David]

A few times I have been to the same area with Daggerfall and it never disappoints. Afternoon drive in the "short format" for the "big dunes".

9 cars in total, 6 advanced, Daggerfall leading with Mabubaker and Shamsi as support.

One chain down from where we had played last time we visited this area with Almost, climbs still massive but not as big as in the chain North, momentum and switches inside the chain better (for me) on this one.

Good flow in general, only 2 issues that took some time, a car that had to driven to the entrance due to a ditch (fortunately nothing major as the car drove home) and a rescue that I did not see as it was towards the back of the convoy.

Pretty much driving on the limit, a few crosses very complex, narrow gaps where to aim that are not easy to target. Very sharp crests that did not allow to stay on top of them for too long, but overall sand was in very good condition.

I personally felt comfortable during the drive, main issue came at a specific time when the sun was just directly in your eyes when crossing, it was pretty much "blind crossing", I really wonder how much does Daggerfall see and how much he feels.

Overall an amazing drive with a group of outstanding drivers and great friends lead by a Marshall that I am very happy to follow in any terrain (better if the dunes are big).

Only negative that the drive came to an end a bit too soon ... I was left wanting to drive for longer, luckily and hopefully "winter is here" so our Marshalls will plan some full day's drive to this area!!!

Thank you to everyone that attending the drive, specially Shamsi, Mabubaker and the Organizer Dagerfall.

See you on the sand soon!!!

[orlantsev]

It was a gorgeous drive. I drove in that area many times, but never as a half day drive. It takes 2.5 hours to reach there from Abu Dhabi and even longer from Dubai. My little secret is I normally take power nap at lunch time, so I came a bit early to the meeting point to rest my eyes and snooze until rest of the drivers arrived. I have not seen many of my fellow drivers in about 2 months, so it was good to see everyone is doing well.
At this level there is almost no briefing, other than "we are going to drive in this direction". No convoy order, just drive in silence. To the point that i had to check if my radio was on since there were no voices coming from it for maybe 30 minutes.
I was a cause for the second delay. We often hear that we need to stay on the crest for few seconds. However, not too long unless it is your clear intention. That was my mistake. I tried to ride the crest longer to gain a better approach angle, but got stuck on the belly. Diff. lock helped to move the car a bit, but only made things worse. The car did not release, but got stuck on the slope in a nasty position. @alshamsi_m immediately came to the rescue. It was too dangerous to do a pull, and few drivers with shovels helped to point the car little bit more into the slope, so @carlos could do a safer pull.
What is important is that Patrol has only got one front recovery point on a passenger side. This is insufficient as you you need to connect the closest recovery points which was not the case in this scenario. I remember talking to Rashid about it after I got the car, but you know...adding recovery point is not the sexiest of priorities when you have suspension plans etc. Wrong.
I think for any newbie / intermediate it could be very educational to attend these drives. Little issue is to find a driver willing to accept an extra weight. Let's admit that this hobby does not produce many slender bodies. However, as we have learnt yesterday an extra pair of hands always comes useful when shoveling. Right, Ahmad?

[Petr]

@Daggerfall fulfilled our wish from our last drive in this location to come back soon, and here we are again! I arrived 30 min earlier together with the Spaniard pair who I met on the road a few km before the meeting point, and we found @orlantsev already napping in his legendary Patrol. Soon everyone was in place, but we could not leave without our cameraman and had to wait a bit for this important member to join.

The temperature was 10 deg lower than at the last visit, so I hoped my Jeep engine would be 'cool with it, but you can rely on Daggerfall he would let your Jeep boil at the second crest. I was initially struggling at the high climbs where I could not get enough momentum before the slope and had to rely on the torque. Gradually I grasped the skill to work with the gears to keep the temp lower and I guess Daggerfall got mercier with my Jeep too. Turning off the AC also helped a big deal but the sand flowing through the window on my sweat head made me feel like a chicken schnitzel soon.

It was a great day, and I look forward to returning here again soon. Many thanks @Daggerfall for making it happen, and to @Mabubaker and @alshamsi_m to support us.

We could not talk after the drive, so I look forward to the report of @Carlos to see if his first experience here cleared his doubts whether the long drive forth and back was worth it...

[CARLOSS]

Hi Everyone!

Finally! After a long search plenty of nasty surprises we have finally found a place with just normal bushes! But for those not familiar with this area please do not get too much exited because it takes not less than 2:30-3:00hrs to reach there regardless of where you live …that’s the price we have to pay nowadays for enjoying the desert as it is supposed to be, just desert with sand and amazing dunes.

And this place is called Umm Al Zamoul with its magnificent 2 chains. This time we did the South one which I have done before 3 times (sorry @Petr you are mistaken ) but each time is completely different so no way I could recall anything substantial. However, I still have great memories of these 2 chains with @Daggerfall bringing us there one year back, @optimus with his Falcon, @Mabubaker with his Squid Game, and the one and only @Rashidjass leading the baby inter convoy in Heads will role.

And the latter is precisely the point made by Daggerfall at the drive briefing: Creating good memories and coming all back home in one piece. Objective accomplished, by the way.

The drive itself was a blast, as usual when he is leading, intense since the start till the end with a mix of crazy fast switches, technical areas and big bowls. In these areas is where Marshals let themselves go and we all enjoy like kids with candies. Radio silent is the best sound.

Nice to see how machines behave differently in these extreme conditions becoming a bit challenging to follow non-FJs due to different speed and torque…with FJs, it is like a ballet.

Before closing my report, I would like to thank @alshamsi_m and Abubaker for making the convoy safe and Daggerfall for organizing and leading. And my advance mates and infiltrate Intem for joining the event and playing safe.

See you soon, take care
Carlos

[Ehab]

Um Zamoul never disappoints and the company always make it more memorable.
Thanks @dagerfall, @abubaker and @alshamsi_m for arranging this amazing trip, looking forward to more trips in this area.

Enjoy watching

Days of Thunder II - Advanced Trip in Um Zamoul