COVID 19 Compliant - Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Al Qudra - Dubai - 22 May 2020

[J J]

6 hours ago, siddharth maheshwari said:

Hi @J J hope you are doing well! You have a new hood i guess..

It's been there since April

[andy_macdxb]

Hi Gurav, in the hope of making an RSVP, is it possible to say roughly what time new drives get posted. 

Would be appreciated, 

Thanks, 

Andy

[Frederic]

Mini Trip Report:

Having noticed most of the drives were fully booked at a faster pace than a Metallica concert, we must conclude that the ones who made it in the RSVP list were either very lucky or very eager to join  

Everyone made it on time, even @Remco Snoek that joined us all the way from Abu Dhabi. 

It was also a pleasure to see @asifk his girlfriend/wife helping out with deflation. It shows that this hobby can bring people together as a team, and if that happens to be your partner it is even better. 

We started off at @Rahimdad his vacation home but quickly had a troublesome refusal, as @George Francis his Pathfinder seemed to be only working on 2WD. We tried a few things but had no other option than to pull him back to the flat ground and assist him to the exit. I hope your car is fine by now George. 

Fast forward 30mins and @Gaurav slowly started to stretch his legs, and slowly started increased the pace. @Rajeevan Vickneswaran had some small refusals in the beginning, and the initial fear of the other side of the dune (as we all had) resulted in some refusals. But after we spoke a minute where i slightly altered my convoy position and re-assured him that on the other side of the dune there is only sand, and he can rely on us for the full 100% knowing that the rest of the convoy already passed by that same place, he suddenly changed into a confident offroader and did not struggle anymore for the rest of the drive. Very well done @Rajeevan Vickneswaran !!

I had some fear that my little blue Pajero had to recover the mighty F150 of @Nikhil Saju Paul, but he drove his car though the dunes like going to Emirates Mall. No stress, no Struggle. Very impressive !

@Matti Brockman, being Finnish, has racing pilot DNA in his blood and it shows. After deflating a bit further due to the summer sand, he turned into a Kimi Raikonnen. Perfect control of the car, composed yet dynamic. Brilliant driving !

@Nacho has grown a lot in a few drives. You've blended in and have very good control over your car. Both you and your wife had a constant smile and thats always a good thing  

@J J was our sweeping man and he did great, thanks buddy !

@Najeeb Mohammed you learn very quick. You've only joined us recently and i see you improving quickly. Well done ! I love that Black Cruiser !

@Anish S you really impressed me last Friday. I know that the big Pajeros are not that easy, and they are a bit heavy to drive, but you did not struggle anywhere. I've seen you crossing dunes at a few places where you had the perfect momentum and hardly had to brake or correct. You are one with your car, and that says a lot about you. Keep up the good work !

@Remco Snoek i know you had some fears that your Fortuner 2.7 would struggle, but this shows again that driving in the desert is more about control and knowing your vehicle, and using momentum in your advantage, which you did. Well done !

I cannot forget to mention my life partner @Vanessa8580, who was driving in second lead and knowing how competitive she is, she wanted to do things perfectly. Getting crested perfectly is also a part of that, and believe me if you go through the Carnity photo gallery you'll find tons of photos of me getting crested perfectly too. I am proud to see how far she has gotten in such a short time and hope on many more adventurous drives in the future !

As usual, @Gaurav gave us a perfectly balanced drive with some challenges, but also enough time to gain confidence and get everyone to drive home with new baggage. 

On to the next one !

 

[George Francis]

@Frederic Tks for the hand you and Gaurav gave to pull me back to the road....pathfinder is at the workshop something do with a sensor....most probably will be fixed and ready for the next drive if not shall get my other ride...

[Najeeb Mohammed]

2 hours ago, Frederic said:

Mini Trip Report:

Having noticed most of the drives were fully booked at a faster pace than a Metallica concert, we must conclude that the ones who made it in the RSVP list were either very lucky or very eager to join  

Everyone made it on time, even @Remco Snoek that joined us all the way from Abu Dhabi. 

It was also a pleasure to see @asifk his girlfriend/wife helping out with deflation. It shows that this hobby can bring people together as a team, and if that happens to be your partner it is even better. 

We started off at @Rahimdad his vacation home but quickly had a troublesome refusal, as @George Francis his Pathfinder seemed to be only working on 2WD. We tried a few things but had no other option than to pull him back to the flat ground and assist him to the exit. I hope your car is fine by now George. 

Fast forward 30mins and @Gaurav slowly started to stretch his legs, and slowly started increased the pace. @Rajeevan Vickneswaran had some small refusals in the beginning, and the initial fear of the other side of the dune (as we all had) resulted in some refusals. But after we spoke a minute where i slightly altered my convoy position and re-assured him that on the other side of the dune there is only sand, and he can rely on us for the full 100% knowing that the rest of the convoy already passed by that same place, he suddenly changed into a confident offroader and did not struggle anymore for the rest of the drive. Very well done @Rajeevan Vickneswaran !!

I had some fear that my little blue Pajero had to recover the mighty F150 of @Nikhil Saju Paul, but he drove his car though the dunes like going to Emirates Mall. No stress, no Struggle. Very impressive !

@Matti Brockman, being Finnish, has racing pilot DNA in his blood and it shows. After deflating a bit further due to the summer sand, he turned into a Kimi Raikonnen. Perfect control of the car, composed yet dynamic. Brilliant driving !

@Nacho has grown a lot in a few drives. You've blended in and have very good control over your car. Both you and your wife had a constant smile and thats always a good thing  

@J J was our sweeping man and he did great, thanks buddy !

@Najeeb Mohammed you learn very quick. You've only joined us recently and i see you improving quickly. Well done ! I love that Black Cruiser !

@Anish S you really impressed me last Friday. I know that the big Pajeros are not that easy, and they are a bit heavy to drive, but you did not struggle anywhere. I've seen you crossing dunes at a few places where you had the perfect momentum and hardly had to brake or correct. You are one with your car, and that says a lot about you. Keep up the good work !

@Remco Snoek i know you had some fears that your Fortuner 2.7 would struggle, but this shows again that driving in the desert is more about control and knowing your vehicle, and using momentum in your advantage, which you did. Well done !

I cannot forget to mention my life partner @Vanessa8580, who was driving in second lead and knowing how competitive she is, she wanted to do things perfectly. Getting crested perfectly is also a part of that, and believe me if you go through the Carnity photo gallery you'll find tons of photos of me getting crested perfectly too. I am proud to see how far she has gotten in such a short time and hope on many more adventurous drives in the future !

As usual, @Gaurav gave us a perfectly balanced drive with some challenges, but also enough time to gain confidence and get everyone to drive home with new baggage. 

On to the next one !

 

Thank you @Frederic 

[Nacho]

8 hours ago, Frederic said:

Mini Trip Report:

Having noticed most of the drives were fully booked at a faster pace than a Metallica concert, we must conclude that the ones who made it in the RSVP list were either very lucky or very eager to join  

Everyone made it on time, even @Remco Snoek that joined us all the way from Abu Dhabi. 

It was also a pleasure to see @asifk his girlfriend/wife helping out with deflation. It shows that this hobby can bring people together as a team, and if that happens to be your partner it is even better. 

We started off at @Rahimdad his vacation home but quickly had a troublesome refusal, as @George Francis his Pathfinder seemed to be only working on 2WD. We tried a few things but had no other option than to pull him back to the flat ground and assist him to the exit. I hope your car is fine by now George. 

Fast forward 30mins and @Gaurav slowly started to stretch his legs, and slowly started increased the pace. @Rajeevan Vickneswaran had some small refusals in the beginning, and the initial fear of the other side of the dune (as we all had) resulted in some refusals. But after we spoke a minute where i slightly altered my convoy position and re-assured him that on the other side of the dune there is only sand, and he can rely on us for the full 100% knowing that the rest of the convoy already passed by that same place, he suddenly changed into a confident offroader and did not struggle anymore for the rest of the drive. Very well done @Rajeevan Vickneswaran !!

I had some fear that my little blue Pajero had to recover the mighty F150 of @Nikhil Saju Paul, but he drove his car though the dunes like going to Emirates Mall. No stress, no Struggle. Very impressive !

@Matti Brockman, being Finnish, has racing pilot DNA in his blood and it shows. After deflating a bit further due to the summer sand, he turned into a Kimi Raikonnen. Perfect control of the car, composed yet dynamic. Brilliant driving !

@Nacho has grown a lot in a few drives. You've blended in and have very good control over your car. Both you and your wife had a constant smile and thats always a good thing  

@J J was our sweeping man and he did great, thanks buddy !

@Najeeb Mohammed you learn very quick. You've only joined us recently and i see you improving quickly. Well done ! I love that Black Cruiser !

@Anish S you really impressed me last Friday. I know that the big Pajeros are not that easy, and they are a bit heavy to drive, but you did not struggle anywhere. I've seen you crossing dunes at a few places where you had the perfect momentum and hardly had to brake or correct. You are one with your car, and that says a lot about you. Keep up the good work !

@Remco Snoek i know you had some fears that your Fortuner 2.7 would struggle, but this shows again that driving in the desert is more about control and knowing your vehicle, and using momentum in your advantage, which you did. Well done !

I cannot forget to mention my life partner @Vanessa8580, who was driving in second lead and knowing how competitive she is, she wanted to do things perfectly. Getting crested perfectly is also a part of that, and believe me if you go through the Carnity photo gallery you'll find tons of photos of me getting crested perfectly too. I am proud to see how far she has gotten in such a short time and hope on many more adventurous drives in the future !

As usual, @Gaurav gave us a perfectly balanced drive with some challenges, but also enough time to gain confidence and get everyone to drive home with new baggage. 

On to the next one !

 

It was an amazing drive after a long time out of the dessert! Thanks everyone, specially @Gaurav and @Frederic for your guidance and your enthusiasm helping everyone in the group! I keep learning everyday and enjoy it more everytime!

Thanks!see u soon!

[Nikhil Saju Paul]

Hi All ,

Was never much of an author but I’ll do my best! I’m really sorry if the terms or technicalities mentioned below are wrong , this is my small understanding and thought I’ll share it with you rockstars 

 Al qudra though being one of the simplest routes , summer plays a huge factor in terms of maintaining momentum. Having a V8 5.7 liter engine , momentum was never much of a concern during the winter sands. I usually never used to worry much about stopping in soft patches , this time I kept maneuvering into hard ground to brake and stop , to avoid Fredrick having to tug me out. This was indeed a watch and observe drive. Helped me understand a lot of factors to respect when the harsh summer kicks in. I really didn’t trust the weight of my car and aired down to 9 PSI both front and back wheels. I was watching the black FJ brute tackle the dunes in front of me and for a moment I was envious of short wheel bases, The ease of tackling. Long wheel bases like mine at technical spots feel like maneuvering a bus inside Emirates mall ( @Frederic’s words not mine )

I really admire the patience of the marshals ( Fredrick and Gaurav) who had an eagle eye out for all of us and made sure all of us were safe and well recovered. This is remarkable leadership skills and instills confidence in all of us. 
 

Honestly I look forward to nothing more nowadays than our Friday drives. 
 

Stay safe
Nikhil