All Newbie Full Fun

[Youri]

I was in the 10- convoy as this was only my 5th drive with the club. While driving to the location I felt nervous but I felt much better seeing some fellow newbies in the convoy.
The Jeep felt nervous before as well, with a 3rd time in a row breaking down just before the drive but managed to get the flywheel fixed with an evening to spare.

I was put in position 7-ish behind the Fortuner and could see which parts were loose sand because of this. This made the drive much easier and managed to relax pretty much throughout the drive. Instead I tried to limit the power used, and now found the 'fun' thing that while lifting the pedal a bit, the car can decide to go up a gear (context: automatic but selected gear 2). The killswitch was recently installed and that did help with the electronics kicking in. I deflated to 10.5 in the back and 9.5 front for absolutely no good reason, so next time will keep it 9.5 all-round since the tires can handle it.

Highlights were the one more or less climb, and seeing a land cruiser turn into a plane for a second. This does show how important it is to adjust the speed to the dune you're climbing.

Overall I'm looking forward to some other drives to increase the level so I can feel more comfortable in the desert still.

[Mghoneim]

Dear Almosters,

I am always keen to join all in drives as you get to see and know fellow members from different levels. It was a lovely morning with a cold windy breeze. Arrived on time as the weather was clear and started to get ready.

During the briefing I was assigned to the 10- convoy led by @alshamsi_m , floating marshal @Solmaz , supporting intermediates @Rooies @Ehab and @Giovanni.

The drive was mostly smooth, as our objective was to focus on speed and distance between drivers. There were no major recoveries, a few amount of crested cars due to low momentum and a few second tries as drivers are getting used to their cars and the terrain.

Ended the drive on time along the side of the 10+ convoy who were all looking like kids at magic planet thanks to @giorgio .

Till next time

[Kevin]

Good Afternoon Almosters!

I finally found a few quiet moments to add a trip report.

Some say better late than never! So long as it’s not to the meeting point!

First challenge with this drive was actually registering for it… Many of us were there at the opening of the drive tirelessly pressing the Join button in the hope that keep repeating the same action would somehow change the outcome! So first a big thanks to the Admin team who quietly and tirelessly ensure that we have a great platform to share information, experience and of course find out about and join the clubs drives and other events.

I joined the 10+ drive with @giorgio leading the convoy (as well as the trip reports)! He set a fast pace and really tested many of us towards our limits.

My 72 year old Mother-in-law and wife joined me for this drive, after I had told them it would be a nice gentle all level drive . Great views of the desert I said.

Just before the briefing @giorgio reset my expectations and kindly offered to take a passenger because it was going to be bumpy! Well my brave passengers insisted they would be fine… so after pointing out the sick bags and safety exits we set off!

Like a true trooper my Mother-in-law loved every minute of it. Including apparently the parts where she had her eyes closed . No sick bags were used and the Mother-in-law wants to come again!

The stock jeep was also on its first desert outing and didn’t fair so well! The thoughtfully positioned rear number plate, AKA sand anchor didn’t survive to the end of the drive. Thanks to @mpodroid for pointing out the damage in time for me to rescue the number plate and a big thanks to @rashid for helping to reattach the rear bumper and refit the plate at the end of the drive!

So now I have an excuse for upgrades

I look forward to seeing you all in the desert soon!

Kevin

[nidal78]

Hi Almosters
Full Fun drive for all newbies i am sure it matched it name specially for +10 newbies
Lovely early morning drive in sweihan organized by our marshal @giorgio who split newbies in to 2 convoys -10 and +10
Our convoy the +10 was led by @giorgio me as second lead @mpodroid in the middle, @brett as sweeper and @Rashidjass with @Mahmoodyasin floating
@giorgio mentioned in the briefing that it is going to be fast drive but no one expected it going to be that fast and that level for the newbies
From the first dune I realized that Giorgio will rock it today
Full speed, high climbs, flying on arches, ridding ridges, straight and side cresting Giorgio gave the newbies full package of fun as they all mentioned in their trip reports
Being the 2nd lead is my favorite position in that position you can learn from the best and enjoy the drive to the maximum (thank you so much Giorgio for giving me this chance) but as they said happy times don’t last forever due to my safety flag problem I had to go back to sweeper position instead of Brett (lucky you mate )
So as Giorgio mentioned in his trip report yes we rock it and yes we had a memorable drive for most of us so far but as he mentioned it wasn’t good for your training journey with the club
I know that maybe some of you get excited a bit but that not a reason to forget our safety basics in the club which is made us different from other offroad clubs, so as Giorgio said stay focus and play safe
Closing my report with a very big thank to Giorgio for organizing and leading this wonderful drive, to guardian angel Rashidjass and Mahmood Yasin for keeping an eye on everyone, to my fellow intermediate for their great efforts , and finally to the lucky newbies who got a chance to feel the excitement in the upcoming level so good luck guys and girls
Till next time drive safe and see you soon on sand

[Ely]

Dear Almosters,

Commencing this report, I extend my gratitude to the adept support team (Mpdroid, Rashid, Brett, Nidal, and Mahmood) for their invaluable assistance. Special thanks to our leading Marshal and organizer Giorgio, who welcomed us to this new "moderate playground." And, incidentally, thank you for admitting me at this level! (We were indeed distant from the monotonous drives! I used to believe that a drive becomes boring only when it's no longer at your skill level, but it can also seem dull when one is overly confident or oblivious, actually. Our knowledge is confined by our consciousness and what we believe we know. Since belief and consciousness are distinct, it offers ample opportunities to overlook things we may not ponder enough... and that's okay because we all continue learning. However, common sense, on the other hand, is like the Khumo vs. Coopers debate: a discussion for another day.)

Approaching this drive with no expectations other than enjoying good company and becoming more acquainted with my car, I was pleasantly surprised during registration to find myself joining the 10+ convoy. I was missing driving with you all guys (@ ALJAMHI, Mostafa, Paddy, MSharhan, AhmedtoDXB)!!!

Convoy placements shuffled during the drive, but Nidal was second lead for the first part of the drive and Brett for the second part, while Mpdroid, Mahmood and Rashid (from Paddy’s car) were in support. I started as 3rd and finished as 5th.

Anticipated as a faster-paced drive with a customized mix of cresting, side cresting, and bowls, it presented an exciting menu!
A difficult drive ? Come on… I felt CMIYC was faster and more challenging than this one (still having goosebumps when I think about it). Survival mode ? *coughing* Mh… I was attempting to survive the "survival mode" in CMIYC, so for this one, I'd say challenging enough, requiring more focus than usual but not to the extent of breaking a sweat. And maybe it felt even “comfortable” for others(?) though that might be a serious assumption.

Now, let’s talk serious here… if you “compare” it with FalconX or Liwa which were only intermediate level…and felt like OMG no words to speak (even as a simple passenger) because it’s best to keep your mouth closed and eye on the dunes ... I just wish to highlight…guys… truly… the next level is 100 times worst than this drive or CMIYC. We are still playing like toddlers in a sand box building sandcastles here! (and apparently from Giorgio’s report… it wasn’t looking fantastic!)

Yet, it is true… I felt the challenge. Sometimes I had to abandon the crest earlier to avoid losing momentum and being crested. Maybe I should have pressed on, feel the crest, and get crested to learn how to use my crawling system! Similarly, not always nailing the side cresting, I opted for a lower line to rejoin closer to the original track instead of grappling with gravity or calling for a second attempt. I didn't want to disrupt the good pace of this beautiful drive. I faced second trials, made a scary mistake as my name got called once and Giorgio was about to get a heart attack (I most likely did some more…), and changed position once, unsure if it was the right call. At times, it's still challenging to gauge if staying or leaving is safer.

But you know what? It was one of the best drives to me ! It was fun, refreshing, and I learned so much about my car! I undeniably favor cresting dunes over driving bowls! And @Giorgio… you were so perfidious to lead us on the snake wavy ones ending with ditches… hope your car is okay!! Honestly, I am glad you didn’t have any coffee because you were already unstoppable !!!

This is it ! Love you all xxx

See you soon in the dunes !

[BShehzad85]

My First time driving in Sweihan Desert, was amazed by the size of dunes comparing to my previous experience in Badayer, Qudra and Al Faqa.
I drove early morning to join, after headcount I joined Al Shamsi’s group. Learned to maintain proper distance, give clear and surprisingly Al Shamsi could see behind while leading from the front.
thanks @Giorgio for organizing the trip and Thanks to @Alshamsi for leading us.

[mrwkassem]

Was a lovely morning and nice drive all the way to swihan desert, i brought my family for the first time, no fog, arrived on time, set the flag, deflate tires, it is my 3rd drive, so i knew few members from the last 2 drives, convoy was split into 10+ and 10-, I was in the 10- group with our leader Al-Shamsi. he gave a brief about the drive with helpful instructions, i appreciate the way he align the convey by having intermediates in between to control the convey. it was different experience, last 2 drives was practicing the high dunes, but this one was practicing the curves where you need to keep your speed to cross the curves and maintain the track, was really a smooth drive comparing to the high dunes. we had about 4 stops to gather and enjoy the trip (Al-Shamsi offered some coffee but unfortunately he had no cups), the instructions by Al-Shamsi during the stops as well as through the radio was really helpful. i got stuck once in a medium height dune which was need just a small pull.
thanks to Al-Shamsi and all the rescue team, really enjoyed, and looking for the next adventure.

[Msharhan]

Dear Almosters,

This was one of the fast-paced (long) drives we happened to have under the 1 badge and thanks @giorgio for taking us through.
As he promised, the 10+ had a fun-filled track throughout with high climbs, side crests and switches, through the ridges, etc..etc.. and the convoy enjoyed almost every dune and kept well thought out as it included something for every type of driver.

Thanks for @brett and @nidal78 for switching between the second lead and sweep, we enjoyed both your versions throughout the drives.
and cant wind up without saying the float @Rashidjass and @Mahmoodyasin guiding the convoy from every angles.

As rightly said, we all had a very memorable experience this time and were given a close chance to watch and learn from every step you all took based on the situations and given a chance to try it ourselves to be better riders.
We are very motivated by all the guidance and comments passed to us and having said that, looking forward to more such chances.

Thankyou all
Sharhan

[Rooies]

I was looking forward to the drive as I have not been on a drive in a long time. I followed a fellow Alomoster towards the meeting point, when they pulled over for breakfast (which I did not know) I found it was @Mahmoodyasin & @Rashidjass . I joined them for breakfast & became "second lead" to the meeting point.

We reached the meeting point, there were already quite a lot of cars, we did the normal drills, then caught up with the rest of the drivers. @giorgio did the briefing & the convoys was split into 2, I was with @alshamsi_m convoy. My fellow inters were, @osman , @Ehab , @Giovanni & @Mghoneim , @Solmaz was floating.

There was about 19 cars in the convoy, I moved up close to the front as there was some bigger cars there . In the beginning there was some "issues" with following distance but it was resolved as we continued on the drive.

There were not a lot of stucks, some second tries, but overall it was a good drive.

Thank you @alshamsi_m for the nice track , @Solmaz for keeping an eye on the convoy & my fellow inters for the help during the drive.

Till we meet in the sand again, stay safe.

Greetings
Rooies

[Rooies]

I was looking forward to the drive as I have not been on a drive in a long time. I followed a fellow Alomoster towards the meeting point, when they pulled over for breakfast (which I did not know) I found it was @Mahmoodyasin & @Rashidjass . I joined them for breakfast & became "second lead" to the meeting point.

We reached the meeting point, there were already quite a lot of cars, we did the normal drills, then caught up with the rest of the drivers. @giorgio did the briefing & the convoys was split into 2, I was with @alshamsi_m convoy. My fellow inters were, @osman , @Ehab , @Giovanni & @Mghoneim , @Solmaz was floating.

There was about 19 cars in the convoy, I moved up close to the front as there was some bigger cars there . In the beginning there was some "issues" with following distance but it was resolved as we continued on the drive.

There were not a lot of stucks, some second tries, but overall it was a good drive.

Thank you @alshamsi_m for the nice track , @Solmaz for keeping an eye on the convoy & my fellow inters for the help during the drive.

Till we meet in the sand again, stay safe.

Greetings
Rooies