Srikumar Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 6 hours ago, Shiju Manuel said: Thank you @Emmanuel and @Wrangeld for the amazing drive with lots of learning things, the sand is really soft and climate is extremely hot. Today I realized the importance of ground clearence in Fewbie level onwards. Got a hit on the front number today, lucky not damaged much. May be I should think to modification on the my car soon to fit for the drive. Thanks to everyone on the drive today. See you all soon. Photos will be uploaded in gallery. Hi Shiju, if you intend to continue offroading at Fewbie and above level with your Pajero, you might want to trim the front bumper lower lip and get a stronger bash plate than stock as a start. Then as the next stage get a small 2 inch lift installed which will give you a very nice ride to comfortably push it through most places. Having said the above, the learning what you get in driving a stock Pajero is invaluable. Offroading is about knowing the strength and weakness of your vehicle and working around it. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Wrangeld Posted June 27, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 The One Where An Unfortunate Reputation MIght Start to be Formed Yesterday afternoon was a bit strange, starting with the confusion over how to get to the proper starting point at Badayer Shops. In the blazing temperature, it was excellent to see almost everyone wating in the parking area with the others arriving on time - having also been a bit confused by the ROAD CLOSED sign that MIss Google Maps has not yet been informed of! A word of warning to any trip lead looking ot start at Badayer and move to Iftar Bowl - enter the desert from the first roudnabout or you will like @Emmanuel end up in Al Madam before you can turn round. The end result, we entered the desert a bit later than planned. As it was showing 54C on the termerature guage in my car the later the better! With @Jeepie at the wheel, leading for 2nd time and @Colin Jordan in second lead, we moved off. It would not be an understatement to say that we had three recoveries within the first 500 meters and this was the theme of the day. As mentioned, it is a bit worrying that for the second week in a row the drive was defined more by the number of stops and recoveries needed than the driving fun. The summer sand was punishingly soft and a heavy long wheel based car will inevitably find the going harder than the three SWB Jeeps that handled the conditions quite well (I think @E.C. TAN who was sweep only had one or two moments - and he had to gind a new route after the sand had been churned by much bigger vehicles). A welcome back to the drives to @Roshan Abraham who was acting as centre forward, but even for an experienced driver thse conditions were not easy. The intention was to get to Iftar bowl and play. The challenge was that the desert from this direction was unforgiving, technical, and for newish fewbies a big challenge. @Shiju Manuel, @RohanH @Chaitanya D we tried valiantly to get a route that was less challenging from the start point and all of you will have learned from the experience - momentum is your friend (whether you approach a dune straight on or try to criss cross) and with a longer vehicle that becomes even more critical when the dunes are soft like they were yesterday. After the first hour and a half, i took over leading duties from @Jeepie who had done a magnificent job of taking the convoy forward and on a route that on any other day would probably have been less challenging. Every route she or I took seemed to end up with almost certain knowledge that if others tried to follow through the soft stuff, there would be even more stucks - and after the extreme revcovery of last week, I for one felt a bit once bitten, twice shy. A massive, massive thanks goes to @Emmanuel who shoveld, tugged and coached more in one afternoon than in probably many before all rolled up in one. And a massive thanks to everyone for your patience and persistence. We decided to exit sooner than planned, simply because the prospect of digging each other out in the dark after such a tiring afternoon seemed the right thing to do. For sure, next Badayer trip wil have a different entry point so we can get to the bowl and have some play time. So, back to that reputation thing ... second week of leading drives and second week of drivers having multiple stucks. We will see if that results in the take up for any new drives falling off! In my earlier reports I have written about the excitement and challenges of moving up from newbie and the experiences of what it it like being promoted in this game. The move from being a participant, even with responsibilities as centre forward or sweep, to actually planning and leading a drive is also a big leap. It creates renewed respect and admiration for the amazing marshalls of whom we have the benefit in this club. Learning to lead effectively and safely is not something that is going to happen the first time you sit behind the wheel of the lead car. There is an even steeper learning curve than when you move from other promotions. @Gaurav, @Rahimdad @Frederic @Srikumar @Asif Hussain @Emmanuel Hats off to you. You make the whole leading thing look so effortless - just like taking a drive out in the sand! Practice makes (well, not quite perfect) us all better. With the continued patience of our club members, I will continue to hone these skills in the aspiration of leading in some way comparable with these guys. I am keeping in mind that @Jeepie and I started this journey with Carnity in November last year. There's still a long way to go and lot of fun to be had. Bring it on. See you soon in the sand. 5 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiju Manuel Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 4 hours ago, Srikumar said: Hi Shiju, if you intend to continue offroading at Fewbie and above level with your Pajero, you might want to trim the front bumper lower lip and get a stronger bash plate than stock as a start. Then as the next stage get a small 2 inch lift installed which will give you a very nice ride to comfortably push it through most places. Having said the above, the learning what you get in driving a stock Pajero is invaluable. Offroading is about knowing the strength and weakness of your vehicle and working around it. Totally agree with you @Srikumar and thanks for the advice. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaitanya D Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 2 hours ago, Wrangeld said: So, back to that reputation thing ... second week of leading drives and second week of drivers having multiple stucks. We will see if that results in the take up for any new drives falling off! In my earlier reports I have written about the excitement and challenges of moving up from newbie and the experiences of what it it like being promoted in this game. @Wrangeld and @Jeepie you both did very well as leads no doubt. Just that the heat and soft sand was getting everyone stuck. I feel every refusal or stuck is a learning experience for newbie/fewbie as this is what we need to get out of. More we learn in harsher conditions, probably the better. Of course everyone wants to drive on dunes without getting stuck, but that probably will never teach you how to get out of a stuck situation. 3 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Febin Frederic Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 @Wrangeld i love reading your trip report mate. Welldone 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 @Wrangeld and @Jeepie there is no race, rally or contest here in Carnity drives or its lead, EVER. It's an adventure sport that we are in and we should always keep on learning and optimizing ourselves. As you both share the one drive time in same vehicle that's why learning curve seems a bit delayed, but that's perfectly normal and nothing you both should be really worried or concerned about. You both are doing great and please continue doing the same. I personally love your both cool and calm approach at the worst of the situation - which is a very BIG ASSET. Thanks @Emmanuel for the wonderful feedback, support and watchful observation to let them lead the real convoy. I remember last month I did the same area with fewbies and also unable to complete till Iftar bowl due to various intense stuck and one of the car overheating to the max and curfew time changed all of sudden. These are absolutely normal behavior of the desert driving and especially in summer, when sand is less forgiving and cars running warm with little less power output. The only thing I will learn from my last failed attempt, if I do it again now, is to skim the route to half - with less play time and more drive time considering the convoy slow movement and adding bit more buffer for intense stuck. It's called planning on the go - where you start with very tight control to cover as many as km's you can and then slowly adding the play time (if time permits) after the first 50% route is covered. When it comes to sand, we all are kids and we all love the playtime doing endless sideys and hill climbs but when on a route with a mission to reach a difficult endpoint, trip lead need to take some tough decision too (at times) to delay the playtime, stick to flat track (sometimes), avoid sharp dunes crossing, avoid going through pockets, go easy in heat (to have no refusals/stuck) etc. I personally don't push my car above 3K rpm, when Im pressed on time, so that cars behind me don't fight or struggle to go through. As lead car crossing at 3K will increase to 4-5K rpm for the last car due to cross tracks and soft sand in summer. So more you factor these ideas, more you will have a better control on convoy movements. Keep learning, you both are doing great. 3 1 5 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepie Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Thank you Gaurav, I did mention to Richard that I thought he was a little tough on us in the report😄. I was very pleased we managed to get everyone in and out safely and I think there is no shame in having to adjust the plan. For sure we have a lot to learn, but I think it is important to remember to have fun while learning. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikumar Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 @Wrangeld I felt you are being a bit harsh on yourself. Leading in such extreme weather conditions is firstly a real challenge, and the soft sands add another complication. Area 53 has always been a more difficult area compared to others. I remember my first drive in that area as a Fewbie, I really struggled through the entire drive. @Asif Hussain was also in the same convoy and he also was having his first experience of that area. Now, in drives we are accustomed to having an occassional pop-out. But the speciality of that drive was that me and Asif Bhai were having pop-outs two at a time. And if I remember correctly, it was totally 3 times that such double pop-outs happened. But we all learnt from these challenges and thats where you start observing the sand even more closely. Like Gaurav mentioned your and Jeepie's biggest asset is your calm composure even in the most stressed situation. I am sure the route forward will only become easier and more enjoyable. 2 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmanuel Posted June 27, 2020 Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Badayer, 54° outside, fewbie level, after another morning drive for @Jeepieand you... This was actually a big challenge for a first official lead, @Wrangeld. So please don’t be too tough on yourself. You are not expected to control everything and you are not responsible for every stuck. I think you did very well by adapting the route and taking good decisions, and at the end of the day it’s been a fun drive. And everyone, again, I’m very sorry for having delayed the drive at the beginning. It was a stupid mistake to miss Badayer Shops exit... 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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