GPS challenge 2024

[LuckeyM]

Dear fellow almosters, the GPS challange event, is one that most certainly a lot of us await impatiently, as this is a lot of fun and a realy nice bonding game. Just love to read all the above posts you can see the excitement. It also is a very demanding drive, as it requires a lot of skills, focus and a bunch of energy.

I was realy looking forward for the drive, could barely sleep the night before with the excitement, had a good team of Three Amigos, good spirit in the morning and a great strategy in place. After the briefing we took to the outer circle to start with the more difficult, but rewarding locations, and we were on fire! Got all the locations we were marking, within quite short time, even the purple flag was located quite quit, ducklings were gathering in my pocket and stamps on our sheet. Unfortunately the excitement does get you overconfident and less focused, getting in a new area I try to take a good look at surrounding, check the angles of approach, how fast should I go, where are the edges and if any ditches, and if not sure just take a slower drive and repeat. But with this game of course you are looking at GPS, scanning for the flag and less attention to the surrounding. Mistakes happen, and it can happen any time when you least expect, so I am we lost the challange this time, but am realy proud of our team, and am realy greatfull for all of the family here, the support and help we get from the marshals is amazing.

The important thing is to keep learning from mistakes and get to drive another day. See you all in sand.

[osman]

Hi,

Whoever joined the GPS challenge 2013 or 2014 know what takes to run such an event just for fun. I will try to thank again @Solmaz for thinking every detail, planning, organizing, running this great event for the second time; all the marshals and the founder for planting the flags a week before, checking every team at the command and control center, supporting the event and event’s somehow unfortunate events, making sure everyone is safe, any technical issues are taken care of and everyone enjoyed outmost; for the crew to provide all other support and organizing sponsor's goodie bags and awards that is a match for professional and paid events. In summary, all this is a great devotion and sacrifice had to be done to run this event. Thank you!

For the participants, I am sure most of the drivers would not even think about driving like this if the marshals didn’t patiently coached them all the way through from the CM drive to date. And the last congratulations go to all winners, well done!. Now my specifics:

@presa cought me 10-15Km before the entry point on Razeen Rd on my technical break and then we drove together to the camping spot. Then parked at the highest point, took out the chairs, put the jumpers on, watched the nice view and the sunset while having very nice conversations. But is was so cold and windy we had to start the fire before dark and before our wood stock finished, other members started to arrive. Later, the famous BBQ was set. Thanks @Aljamhi for the delicious meat.

Our two men team member @Petr joined in the morning. Since our third member pulled out a day before without any replacement, with @Solmaz's concent we were able to play the game, but not allowed to collect toys and already disqualified before we started. It was simply another good day in the desert with the friends you like.

We started without any strategy, decided to make-up as we go. We found the toys and put them back again on the points we reached at the earlier part of the day and then after crossing to the path with the other teams we did not see any toys. As we were getting close to the midday, the nature of dunes become hard to assess so we decided to stop on a high ground, took the chairs out, had something to eat and drink, chit chat and enjoy the quiet desert. After feeling refreshed, we felt the next few points were done in almost no time. However, there was one purple point we probably spent more time as we had our break, nearly about to give-up and move-on. But Bingo, @Petr found it and we were not disappointed. We then continued to tick of few more points. We were at the periphery of the area and we initially planned to visit a few more before reaching to the finish point as these are simply on the way. But we made a wrong estimate of the remaining time and had to skip them yet still we finished 15 mins later than the finish time.

It was a great company and driving experience with @Petr, thank you for another joyful day.

[Paddy]

Participating in the GPS challenge drive alongside my teammates @ImranFJ and @VTC4800 Fouad was an exhilarating experience that put our off-roading skills to the test. Imran, our lead, guided us through the diverse terrain of the challenge, ensuring we stayed on track and maximized our efficiency in visiting the designated GPS coordinates.

The challenge presented us with 40 GPS coordinates, each representing a different level of difficulty. Our objective was to visit each point, locate the hidden toy, capture a photo as proof, and report our location to @Solmaz , the event organizer. With teamwork and determination, we set out to conquer the course and earn as many points as possible.

Despite our best efforts, we encountered various obstacles along the way. Out of the 27 points we managed to visit, there were instances where we revisited two locations by mistake, resulting in duplication. Additionally, at three points, we were unable to locate the flag indicating the toy's presence, leaving us empty-handed.

However, our perseverance paid off as we successfully collected a total of 12 toys from the 22 points where we could confirm our visit. Each toy served as a tangible reminder of our achievements and the challenges we overcame together as a team.

Throughout the journey, communication and coordination were key to our success. Imran's leadership ensured we stayed focused on our goals, and his navigation skills helped us navigate the desert terrain with precision. Together, we tackled steep dunes, muddy trails, and navigated through the vast expanse of the challenge course.

As we crossed finish line, we reflected on the journey and the memories we had created together. While the challenge may have presented its share of difficulties, it was ultimately a rewarding experience that strengthened our bond as off-roading enthusiasts. We left the course with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that we had given our all and emerged as second place holder in podium, despite the challenges we faced along the way.

Hoping to finish first in next year GPS challenge.

See you all on sand soon.

[mpodroid]

What to say? Thank you, thank you and again thanks to @Solmaz for the great event and impeccable organization.
Thanks to all the marshals who joined and supported the best drive you can ever have off-roading in the desert.
@alshamsi_m , @presa , @Agalon , @Scorpio , @Rashidjass , @rapailo , @Barish , @Abubakar


I was part of the Stickatsee team: myself, @Giovanni and @Martin

Our goal was to have fun, just that: no worries, who cares about winning or losing. Just have fun.

Despite this, we started our team preparation one week in advanceL @Martin designed an amazing logo, that we printed on our T-Shirts and stickers for our FJs doors.

Left Dubai early in the morning before 5am. Did not planned for a stop at the last gas station, but @Martin needed, so while on our way to the meeting point I added a stop. According to Waze, the last gas station is a point in the middle of nowhere and no gas at all. So we want back 18 km, to the real “last gas station” recommended by @alshamsi_m .

Refilled and move to the meeting point: overall, we wasted 25 minutes, loosing our contingency, but despite this we arrived at the MP 10 minutes before the start of event, already deflated and with flag poles fixed.

We had our team briefing, decided our strategy (sorry, cannot disclose it, you are not on a need to know basis :-)) and left the head quarter, towards our first point. Almost arrived when @Martin broke the joint between the spindle and the upper arm.

Challenge ended: the winning rule is to complete the drive all together, with driveable cars by 4pm.

We informed the HQ on the emergency frequency, shared our GPS coordinates, and after a while an amazing team of valuable rescuers (@Rashidjass , @Abubakar and @Scorpio ) came to help us: unfortunately, the verdict was: not possible to drive anymore, car needed replacement parts, abandon it and put a waypoint of google maps. Stickatsee :-)

@Martin went back with marshals to take care of the repair, while myself and Giovanni decided to continue the game, out of competition, just for fun.

Amazing and memorable day.
Once more time, thanks to everybody.

[nidal78]

Hey almost family
GPS challenge the most popular event in our calendar of the season so far it is the event where we able to test our skills that we learned in our journey with club and I am sure that our marshals feeling so proud when they see all the participants coming back safe in the finish line so thank you so much marshals for all your efforts that made us good offroaders
I reached the camp around 10:30pm found some friends around the fire we spent nice time chitchatting with a lot of funny stories and around 12:30am we decided it is bedtime
Next morning we gathered up around the fire again had our breakfast and prepared ourselves for the long day @Solmaz gave us nice briefing about the competition and the other marshals gave us some important tips about the safety roles then off we went
Me @Ehab and @Aljamhi (The Dune Smashers) put a strategy for collecting the points by taking the farthest and the most difficult ones at the beginning and set the coordinates one by one
Our strategy was perfect at the beginning we collected 3 hard points with the toys that meant even if other teams using same strategy we were at the lead but in this scenario one mistake can cost you losing the lead and that what happened to us, on our way to one point I got stuck in a soft sand because I was driving with 15 psi tire pressure (due to heavy rain week before the event I was expecting hard surface and it was but in some areas it was too soft) although the recovery was quick but it seems like we lost our advantage in collecting the toys first
Overall we had an average driving style no crazy movement @Ehab our leader try chose the easiest route to the points but even easy route can catch you, we had 3 stucks and few second tries,This year the difficult points were Heiden very well compared to last year we reached some of them but we couldn’t find them especially the last point next to the camp spot so good job marshals you made it this year
We reached the finish line exactly before the stoppage time happy and safe.
After calculating the points the results were announced by our beloved founder @alshamsi_m and we came in the 4th place
Finally on behalf of me and my team we would like to give a huge shout to the master brain of this Amazing event @Solmaz you really did an awesome work so thank soooo much
Huge thanks as well to founder and marshals for all their efforts and guidance
Last but not least to my team mates, it was really fun to drive with you guys
And to all participants friends specially the winners you really did a great job congratulations
Till next time stay safe and see you soon on sand

[Vika]

Hello everyone!

Better later then never! And now it's my call to provide a trip report on the recently concluded GPS Challenge Second Edition organized by @Solmaz , the one and only
Woman Marshal with a smart brain and a brave heart. Her dedication and tireless efforts were evident throughout the event, ensuring its success and smooth execution, throughout the competition, Solmaz's organizational skills shone brightly, guiding participants with clarity and precision. Her commitment to safety was
unwavering, with thorough briefings and precautions in place to mitigate any potential risks.

The GPS Challenge brought together teams of three members, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, professionalism, speed, and safety. Each team was required to function as a cohesive unit, relying on effective communication and collaboration to navigate the challenges presented during the event.

The essence of teamwork was palpable among the
participants, as they worked together seamlessly to overcome obstacles and achieve their objectives. Whether it was navigating difficult terrain, solving complex puzzles, or completing challenging tasks, teams demonstrated professionalism and mutual support at every step of the journey.

It was inspiring to witness the determination and
camaraderie displayed by all participants, reflecting the true spirit of the GPS Challenge.
The event not only showcased the thrill of adventure but also highlighted the importance of teamwork, professionalism, and safety in
outdoor pursuits.

So, our team of three @KIMOz as an incredible leader, me myself the second lead, @ahmadtodxb as the best support and sweeper was all about trying our best to nail the navigation, find the right spots, and do it all quickly but safely. It was like a real-life treasure hunt, but with a twist. We had to stick together, communicate effectively, and hustle to beat the clock while making sure we stayed
safe.

Our team of three poured our hearts and souls into this challenge, giving it everything we had. From meticulously studying the navigation maps to strategizing our approach, every decision was made with care and dedication. Huge thanks to you guys, without you it would not be possible

The challenge was more than just a competition; it was a test of our teamwork, resilience, and commitment to excellence. Each member of our team played a crucial role, supporting one another through every twist and turn of the adventure. There were moments of uncertainty and doubt, but we rallied together, drawing strength from our
shared determination to succeed.

@Solmaz did an amazing job setting everything up and
keeping us on track.

Overall, it was a blast! We learned a lot, pushed ourselves, and had a ton of fun in the process.

Can't wait for the next adventure!

In conclusion, the GPS Challenge Second Edition was a resounding success, thanks to the efforts of @Solmaz, @Agalon, @alshamsi_m, @Rashidjass , @Scorpio , @Barish , @presa , @Mabubaker,@, rapailo, unfortunately @giorgio was not there, but he was monitoring all the process from outside and the dedication of all participants

Thank you once again to @Solmaz and all the Marshals's team for
organizing such an unforgettable experience. We look forward to future editions of the GPS Challenge and the adventures that lie ahead!

Best regards,
Yours Turtle Warriors