Kill shot
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Ely
- Intermediate
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:34 pm
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Hello Almosters,
Late joiner of the drive kill shot, I was assigned to the ghost convoy… the one we don’t talk about
. And since it’s not my tale to say, all I can write about is that some members shaded sweat, probably some quiet sob and tears and wished they had wear a brown pans.
Guys… that’s what it takes to be in Daggerfall convoy
.
All my best thoughts, hopes and positive thinking to those we can’t tell the names
you were brave today ! 
All my thanks to the Marshals and our leader Daggerfall and to the support team!
@Optimus thank you for allowing me to join last minute.
@Ehab thank you for taking me out, @Rashid for you know what
@Presa… thank you for the great compliment… wish there were more girls too
Bisous everyone! Catch you somedays in the sand maybe…
Late joiner of the drive kill shot, I was assigned to the ghost convoy… the one we don’t talk about
. And since it’s not my tale to say, all I can write about is that some members shaded sweat, probably some quiet sob and tears and wished they had wear a brown pans. Guys… that’s what it takes to be in Daggerfall convoy
.All my best thoughts, hopes and positive thinking to those we can’t tell the names
you were brave today ! 
All my thanks to the Marshals and our leader Daggerfall and to the support team!
@Optimus thank you for allowing me to join last minute.
@Ehab thank you for taking me out, @Rashid for you know what
@Presa… thank you for the great compliment… wish there were more girls too
Bisous everyone! Catch you somedays in the sand maybe…
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Aljamhi
- Moderator
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- Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 8:29 pm
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The drive was absolutely unbelievable. I want to take a break and share this experience—this isn’t ChatGPT writing a trip report, as some might say. Let’s dive into the fun and excitement.
The day started with a pre-drive social gathering around lunchtime, with the founder, marshals, advanced, and intermediate members. We shared stories reminiscent of the club’s earlier days. At 1:55 pm, we headed to the meeting point to prep the cars for the drive.
The organizer @optimus decided to split the convoy into two groups. I was led by Optimus, with Mahmoud Yaseen as the second lead, and I was positioned as the second car in the lineup.
The drive started with intensity. The terrain was a bit tricky at first, but soon we hit breathtaking high symphony dunes. The challenges we encountered, combined with the speed, were on another level. Complete focus was essential—101%—since safety was paramount.
The convoy moved well overall, though there were a few moments of disconnection when some members had to make second attempts at certain dunes. Communication was excellent, though there was one close call due to slow decision-making and hesitation in analyzing the situation. At one point, members misjudged the dune crossing and ended me stuck, halfway up the slope after the crest.
This was a valuable lesson for everyone, regardless of skill level, as the drive’s speed and flow demanded quick thinking and continuous attention.
The excitement was so high that we didn’t even take a proper break. In fact, we only had a brief 3-minute stop when @Mustafa Selim brought out some watermelon—thanks, Mustafa!
As we reached the middle of the dunes, the lead marshal signaled that the drive had come to an end. It was one of those “Oh my God” moments. What an incredible day, with amazing support from the marshals, the advanced members, and great company all around.
This drive helped us develop both individual skills and teamwork.
Thanks all and see soon with new challenges on desert.
The day started with a pre-drive social gathering around lunchtime, with the founder, marshals, advanced, and intermediate members. We shared stories reminiscent of the club’s earlier days. At 1:55 pm, we headed to the meeting point to prep the cars for the drive.
The organizer @optimus decided to split the convoy into two groups. I was led by Optimus, with Mahmoud Yaseen as the second lead, and I was positioned as the second car in the lineup.
The drive started with intensity. The terrain was a bit tricky at first, but soon we hit breathtaking high symphony dunes. The challenges we encountered, combined with the speed, were on another level. Complete focus was essential—101%—since safety was paramount.
The convoy moved well overall, though there were a few moments of disconnection when some members had to make second attempts at certain dunes. Communication was excellent, though there was one close call due to slow decision-making and hesitation in analyzing the situation. At one point, members misjudged the dune crossing and ended me stuck, halfway up the slope after the crest.
This was a valuable lesson for everyone, regardless of skill level, as the drive’s speed and flow demanded quick thinking and continuous attention.
The excitement was so high that we didn’t even take a proper break. In fact, we only had a brief 3-minute stop when @Mustafa Selim brought out some watermelon—thanks, Mustafa!
As we reached the middle of the dunes, the lead marshal signaled that the drive had come to an end. It was one of those “Oh my God” moments. What an incredible day, with amazing support from the marshals, the advanced members, and great company all around.
This drive helped us develop both individual skills and teamwork.
Thanks all and see soon with new challenges on desert.
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David
- Advance
- Posts: 195
- Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:15 pm
- Location: Dubai
- Has thanked: 733 times
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Old Sweihan with Optimus is always fun, he knows this track very very well and delivers every single time.
2 convoys, I ended up in the more experienced one with Optimus and Mahmoodyasin as 2nd lead which clearly meant pushing and wanting to have a very experienced driver behind for protection of the convoy. Scorpio was floating.
Main problems came in the big climbs from the hard side, some of them do not have many crossings and once the upper tier by the crest is broken and the sand becomes softer it is very very difficult to cross since the sand drags you down.
My favorite part is always towards the end of the chain when the nicer sequences are located, side to side several times that always bring a smile to my face.
One incident that I have to mention, I know I am not Marshalls but as a member of the convoy it is my right to feel safe in the convoy and my obligation to keep the other fellow drivers also safe, a "stop do not cross" was called and not followed by several cars, this is very very dangerous, drives from now on will become faster, with bigger dunes ... we all need to make sure we all run to safe positions if anyone calls "stop" or "do not cross" on the radio, being safe is always the main priority.
Old sweihan claimed its usual tire on the way out by the farms, so hard to visit this area and not to have to change a tire!!!
Thanks you Optimus for arranging the drive, Scorpio for the support and everyone for attending!!!
See you on the sand soon!!!
2 convoys, I ended up in the more experienced one with Optimus and Mahmoodyasin as 2nd lead which clearly meant pushing and wanting to have a very experienced driver behind for protection of the convoy. Scorpio was floating.
Main problems came in the big climbs from the hard side, some of them do not have many crossings and once the upper tier by the crest is broken and the sand becomes softer it is very very difficult to cross since the sand drags you down.
My favorite part is always towards the end of the chain when the nicer sequences are located, side to side several times that always bring a smile to my face.
One incident that I have to mention, I know I am not Marshalls but as a member of the convoy it is my right to feel safe in the convoy and my obligation to keep the other fellow drivers also safe, a "stop do not cross" was called and not followed by several cars, this is very very dangerous, drives from now on will become faster, with bigger dunes ... we all need to make sure we all run to safe positions if anyone calls "stop" or "do not cross" on the radio, being safe is always the main priority.
Old sweihan claimed its usual tire on the way out by the farms, so hard to visit this area and not to have to change a tire!!!
Thanks you Optimus for arranging the drive, Scorpio for the support and everyone for attending!!!
See you on the sand soon!!!
Last edited by David on Sun Sep 29, 2024 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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CARLOSS
- Advance
- Posts: 196
- Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2020 2:10 pm
- Location: Dubai
- Has thanked: 870 times
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Hi everyone!
This is a testimony of one of the best drives ever happened in Old Sweihan that I had the pleasure to drive in. But let’s start from the beginning…
Some you may know that I am an official old Sweihan “hater” due to my 50% chances to get a cut tire
based on many drives performed in this area but yesterday was different, most likely due to the surgical accuracy of @optimus 
drafting perfect lines.
As usual with him, no monkey business, no time to waste but to drive/dance like in a ballet
. If you were able to follow his lines with the right momentum you would have been able to experience an amazing feeling of adrenaline and joyfulness looking at the bowls and switches passing by, one after the other.
And this is what happened to me yesterday and it made me very happy
Convoy-wise, most of the stuff have been said in previous trip reports so I am not going to repeat that but, better to follow the basics rather than regretting something bad happening when playing in the big dunes.
@Mahmoodyasin took the second lead, strong and serious one and @Scorpio kept an eye & looked after the convoy while both @David and I helped him by doing some “laundry” at the back
. All good, always satisfying to help the convoy to move and to reconnect.
Now, I am counting the hours for the next challenge…big boys challenge, I must say.
See you soon
Carlos
This is a testimony of one of the best drives ever happened in Old Sweihan that I had the pleasure to drive in. But let’s start from the beginning…
Some you may know that I am an official old Sweihan “hater” due to my 50% chances to get a cut tire
based on many drives performed in this area but yesterday was different, most likely due to the surgical accuracy of @optimus drafting perfect lines. As usual with him, no monkey business, no time to waste but to drive/dance like in a ballet
. If you were able to follow his lines with the right momentum you would have been able to experience an amazing feeling of adrenaline and joyfulness looking at the bowls and switches passing by, one after the other.And this is what happened to me yesterday and it made me very happy
Convoy-wise, most of the stuff have been said in previous trip reports so I am not going to repeat that but, better to follow the basics rather than regretting something bad happening when playing in the big dunes.
@Mahmoodyasin took the second lead, strong and serious one and @Scorpio kept an eye & looked after the convoy while both @David and I helped him by doing some “laundry” at the back
. All good, always satisfying to help the convoy to move and to reconnect. Now, I am counting the hours for the next challenge…big boys challenge, I must say.
See you soon
Carlos
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piotr
- Intermediate
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 2:05 pm
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Hello All,
Kill Shot drive in @Dagerfall convoy in Sweihan - what a way to come back after the summer break ;)
Unfortunately, after almost 3 months out of the sand I felt quite rusty, which was quite easy to see, and probably painful to watch for the Marshalls. It took me a long while to get into the groove, in the meantime committing a few smaller and bigger errors (these tend to come in groups as your frustration goes up). Climbs were a particular challenge, alternating between lacking power or hitting the limiter and losing a chance for a clean line. Time to work more on technique, probably change the tires and do a little work on the engine.
The second half of the drive was much more enjoyable, with the muscle memory coming back and finally getting into the flow. Overall learning being - be patient, and stay calm in relax - don't let the pressure take over. It's (almost) like riding a bike; in the end you always finish with a smile on your face.
Big thank you for our Marshalls, and our 3* support for their patience and support - in particular @rashidjass being my guardian angel yesterday (and also showing my passenger how to drive properly in the dunes) :)
Overall we covered 50km, with 1h moving.
See you in the sand soon!
Piotr
Kill Shot drive in @Dagerfall convoy in Sweihan - what a way to come back after the summer break ;)
Unfortunately, after almost 3 months out of the sand I felt quite rusty, which was quite easy to see, and probably painful to watch for the Marshalls. It took me a long while to get into the groove, in the meantime committing a few smaller and bigger errors (these tend to come in groups as your frustration goes up). Climbs were a particular challenge, alternating between lacking power or hitting the limiter and losing a chance for a clean line. Time to work more on technique, probably change the tires and do a little work on the engine.
The second half of the drive was much more enjoyable, with the muscle memory coming back and finally getting into the flow. Overall learning being - be patient, and stay calm in relax - don't let the pressure take over. It's (almost) like riding a bike; in the end you always finish with a smile on your face.
Big thank you for our Marshalls, and our 3* support for their patience and support - in particular @rashidjass being my guardian angel yesterday (and also showing my passenger how to drive properly in the dunes) :)
Overall we covered 50km, with 1h moving.
See you in the sand soon!
Piotr
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Kevin
- Intermediate
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 11:18 am
- Location: On my way…
- Has thanked: 4 times
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Where to start? This was my introduction to Intermediate drives! Wow...
First lesson - I need to drive more frequently to maintain the skills! This was an exciting and challenging drive! (I was in the so called easy convoy!)
Second lesson - I need a car that can climb BIG dunes with my level of skills (Which proved to be needing some development)
Third lesson - Bring clean trousers!
Thank you for a great drive and all the support and patience from the entire convoy!
Thank you @Daggerfall for pushing my limits while giving sound and timely feedback and tips. Thank you @presa for making some of the lines look easier while I was following you. Thank you @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass for helping me regain the convoy on the occasions I had lost or broken it.
Lastly thank you JJ the Jeep for surviving one last drive... We have come a long way together you and me... all those early mornings, high dunes and sun sets... but alas you are not able to improve along with me... so it is with a heavy heart that our relationship is no longer working for me...
... to be continued ...
First lesson - I need to drive more frequently to maintain the skills! This was an exciting and challenging drive! (I was in the so called easy convoy!)
Second lesson - I need a car that can climb BIG dunes with my level of skills (Which proved to be needing some development)
Third lesson - Bring clean trousers!
Thank you for a great drive and all the support and patience from the entire convoy!
Thank you @Daggerfall for pushing my limits while giving sound and timely feedback and tips. Thank you @presa for making some of the lines look easier while I was following you. Thank you @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass for helping me regain the convoy on the occasions I had lost or broken it.
Lastly thank you JJ the Jeep for surviving one last drive... We have come a long way together you and me... all those early mornings, high dunes and sun sets... but alas you are not able to improve along with me... so it is with a heavy heart that our relationship is no longer working for me...
... to be continued ...
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nidal78
- media
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- Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2019 12:02 pm
- Location: Sharjah
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- Contact:
Hi dear Almosters
What a drive we had this weekend
I wish to know what is the secret between @optimus and old Suwihan
Really when you see @optimus how he is driving in this area you feel like he was born and raised there
Nice lines switching from chain to chain very smooth and easy and of course we were struggling behind him
We had many seconds tries and many convoy disconnection due to the very soft sand and not having enough momentum in some places
In this kind of drives (fast base and big dunes) the key (from my point of view) is always keeping bigger distance between the cars so you can have the right momentum to climb and switch from bowl to another so the flow will not break and you will have the maximum fun
For me I will be honest it wasn’t my best day due to some issues in my car
In some parts of the drive the car didn’t respond well and it kept losing power which was very annoying
and forced me to drop some nice climbs, so some time it’s the car not the driver
Although of that I enjoyed every minute of the drive specially in the big bowls I felt like we were flying
Closing my report with huge thanks to @optimus for organizing and leading this amazing drive (hat off
)
To @Scorpio for keeping an eye on us and his valuable instructions, to our amazing advance drivers @Mahmoodyasin (our great second lead) @David and @Carlos for their great efforts when help is needed
Finally to my fellows intermediate I am sure we all had fun in this drive but I am sure we all learned a lot of lessons as well
See you all on sand soon
What a drive we had this weekend
I wish to know what is the secret between @optimus and old Suwihan
Really when you see @optimus how he is driving in this area you feel like he was born and raised there
Nice lines switching from chain to chain very smooth and easy and of course we were struggling behind him
We had many seconds tries and many convoy disconnection due to the very soft sand and not having enough momentum in some places
In this kind of drives (fast base and big dunes) the key (from my point of view) is always keeping bigger distance between the cars so you can have the right momentum to climb and switch from bowl to another so the flow will not break and you will have the maximum fun
For me I will be honest it wasn’t my best day due to some issues in my car
In some parts of the drive the car didn’t respond well and it kept losing power which was very annoying
and forced me to drop some nice climbs, so some time it’s the car not the driver Although of that I enjoyed every minute of the drive specially in the big bowls I felt like we were flying
Closing my report with huge thanks to @optimus for organizing and leading this amazing drive (hat off
)To @Scorpio for keeping an eye on us and his valuable instructions, to our amazing advance drivers @Mahmoodyasin (our great second lead) @David and @Carlos for their great efforts when help is needed
Finally to my fellows intermediate I am sure we all had fun in this drive but I am sure we all learned a lot of lessons as well
See you all on sand soon
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Ehab
- media
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2020 10:27 pm
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Hi Almosters
It is indeed very nice to drive with fresh intermediates and first timers in old sweihan, i do remember my first time in this area where i thought our marshals took us out if earth
Overall the convoy was very safe and no risk was taken by any driver, which is the essence of this hobby.
Enjoy watching
It is indeed very nice to drive with fresh intermediates and first timers in old sweihan, i do remember my first time in this area where i thought our marshals took us out if earth
Overall the convoy was very safe and no risk was taken by any driver, which is the essence of this hobby.
Enjoy watching
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David
- Advance
- Posts: 195
- Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:15 pm
- Location: Dubai
- Has thanked: 733 times
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Wow ... breaking up online ... this is brutal, I hope at least you told him/her in person first!!! 
Kevin wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:00 am Where to start? This was my introduction to Intermediate drives! Wow...
First lesson - I need to drive more frequently to maintain the skills! This was an exciting and challenging drive! (I was in the so called easy convoy!)
Second lesson - I need a car that can climb BIG dunes with my level of skills (Which proved to be needing some development)
Third lesson - Bring clean trousers!
Thank you for a great drive and all the support and patience from the entire convoy!
Thank you @Daggerfall for pushing my limits while giving sound and timely feedback and tips. Thank you @presa for making some of the lines look easier while I was following you. Thank you @alshamsi_m and @Rashidjass for helping me regain the convoy on the occasions I had lost or broken it.
Lastly thank you JJ the Jeep for surviving one last drive... We have come a long way together you and me... all those early mornings, high dunes and sun sets... but alas you are not able to improve along with me... so it is with a heavy heart that our relationship is no longer working for me...
... to be continued ...
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Moustafa
- Crew
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:15 am
- Has thanked: 477 times
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Okkk
Tha day started long time before the trip
As we were in 10+ morning drive , we had nice gathering with Mandi
before our trip , it was big group and intermediate trip members start to join also .
We had big number off intermediate but also we got our founder with 6 marshals
So we had 2 convoys, I was with leading marshal @optimus supporting marshal @Scorpio rescue @Carlos 2nd lead @Yassen
During the briefing @optimus told us open your eyes and don’t follow me blindly
If you feel you can’t do it or you are not comfortable to follow
Then extreme fun starts, in my 1st time I was using the car maximum power and momentum and I wish if I have more
We did som climbing I wasn’t expecting it’s possible to do
I felt old Sweihan was under our control and we are able to do everything ( off course following the marshal exact track)
We learned also how important is the immediate respond to any instruction or information and keep the safety before anything else
Was the fastest trip ended ever
I couldn’t believe we finished even more than 3hr
Was amazing trip and full beautiful day with almost4x4 family
See you all soon
Tha day started long time before the trip
As we were in 10+ morning drive , we had nice gathering with Mandi
before our trip , it was big group and intermediate trip members start to join also .We had big number off intermediate but also we got our founder with 6 marshals
So we had 2 convoys, I was with leading marshal @optimus supporting marshal @Scorpio rescue @Carlos 2nd lead @Yassen
During the briefing @optimus told us open your eyes and don’t follow me blindly
If you feel you can’t do it or you are not comfortable to follow
Then extreme fun starts, in my 1st time I was using the car maximum power and momentum and I wish if I have more
We did som climbing I wasn’t expecting it’s possible to do
I felt old Sweihan was under our control and we are able to do everything ( off course following the marshal exact track
)We learned also how important is the immediate respond to any instruction or information and keep the safety before anything else
Was the fastest trip ended ever
I couldn’t believe we finished even more than 3hr Was amazing trip and full beautiful day with almost4x4 family
See you all soon
