COVID 19 Compliant - Evening Newbie Desert Drive - Tawi Nazwa - 29 May 2020

[Jefy]

Quick summary from yesterdays drive. 

Everybody was on time (thank you for that), except myself. Yes I showed up at 16:00, but with the preparation I need, I should come earlier. My apologies for that.

It rained a few days before, that made the area forgiving. You've seen territory on the second half of the drive that normally during this time of the year is reserved for fewbie+ levels.

Saw many smiles and I hope you all enjoyed it. 

As a general feedback:
- Javier has mentioned it on the radio as well. Keep a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, but don't make the distance too long. This is to avoid splitting of the convoy.
- Radio communication, be prepared to answer the radio. It does not have to be in a split second, but in a reasonable time. Don't talk on the radio during a manoeuvre, but cruising on the sand, you should be able to handle it.

Thanks for the drive, till the next time!

Xaf
 

[paolo dassi]

Great and enjoyable drive yesterday! We were back to almost the same spot of the week before, amazing to see how the sand got harder due to the mid week heavy rain. I still have loads to learn, but it is good to see that drive after drive you sort of "anticipate" how the car will react in some passages... a part from when you misjudge and get stuck! This happened to us in the beginning of the drive, when I approached a steep up and down dune a bit too fast and being overcautious I hit the brakes in the wrong moment in time and way too hard, resulting in a stuck with the car sitting on the dune crest with no way to move it other than waiting for the help of @Xafwho pulled us out in no time. A bit of a shame only having to wait in the car without being able to get our hands dirty and help him to help us due to Covid restrictions. From my side - experts please feel free to jump in and elaborate - lessons learnt are: 1. very important to look at what car in front is doing, otherwise I would have not known how steep the descent was. 2. Try not to approach the up hill slope too fast (ok, not even too slow though!), if you recognise you are too fast approaching the top, 3. do not hit breaks at the very top and do not do so too hard. Doing so would cause exactly what happened to me, the car "broke" the dune crest, pushed sand forward rather than slowing down gently and got stuck! The drive moved ahead proving to be exciting and in an amazing scenary, see pictures here. We climbed up Pink Rock, this time we went uphill with no issues at all to end up at the Cafeteria to inflate tires and sort ourselves for the trip back home. Thanks @Gaurav for safely leading the convoy and to all the participants for the time spent together (but distant) yesterday afternoon... see you next week!

[bunty_and_pops]

Great drive - thanks to all esp @Gaurav 

[Rahimdad]

@paolo dassi you have hit the nail on the head. Well done. There is no alternate to option, it does not matter how many class room style courses we put you through or how much we write about the does and don'ts of the trade, but experience is what will make you a better driver while off-roading. You will have your share of refusals and stucks, it is what you take from each one. Over time you will understand yourself, your driving habits and how your car reacts in each situation better and start enjoying this sport completely. Remember like every human being, every vehicle has its own different ways to react, when the driver and the car start gelling well, that is when like @Frederic would put it is everything will start following a rhythm.

I am happy that your spirit is in the right direction to learn and help, our situation will not last, but as long as your spirits are high and you have the right intentions, you will grow very quickly in this sport.