COVID 19 Compliant - Morning Absolute Newbie Desert Drive - Al Qudra - 10 Jul 2020

[topgear]

5 hours ago, Frederic said:

Hi @topgear welcome to Carnity Off-road Club ! 

Of course you can join. Could you please do the following ?

1) Please reply which car you are driving, if you have prior offroad experience, and confirm if your vehicle's front and back towpoints are in perfect condition.

2) Please take your time to go through the briefing video and let us know which offroad-tools you have or don't have yet.

3) Please read the separate topic about Covid19 precautions and click on the "totally agree" emoji as confirmation that you have read and agreed with these precautions.

4) You'll need to RSVP on the drive calendar. On Carnity Home page you will see all the UPCOMING EVENTS which are scheduled. Click on the Absolute newbie drive and in the left corner you will see the RSVP signup (as pic below). Now click on "GOING" and your name will appear on the RSVP list.

@Frederic sorry for the delay. Was busy at work today.

1) Car is FJ Cruiser. Tow points are in perfect condition

2) No prior experience.

3) I have the flag pole, air compressor and walkie talkie but needed to spend some time to configure to the right channel as per the video instructions.

The RSVP is full even as of this afternoon, how do I get onto the list? Thank you in advance.

[Frederic]

2 minutes ago, topgear said:

@Frederic sorry for the delay. Was busy at work today.

1) Car is FJ Cruiser. Tow points are in perfect condition

2) No prior experience.

3) I have the flag pole, air compressor and walkie talkie but needed to spend some time to configure to the right channel as per the video instructions.

The RSVP is full even as of this afternoon, how do I get onto the list? Thank you in advance.

Hi @topgear unfortunately the Qudra drive is full by now. I see one more available spot in the Newbie Morning or Newbie evening drive. If you’re interested you can RSVP for one of those, but you’ll need to be quick as the RSVP closes at 09:00 AM tomorrow. 

[topgear]

I think I am more comfortable with Absolute Newbie. 

[Frederic]

8 minutes ago, topgear said:

I think I am more comfortable with Absolute Newbie. 

Hi @topgear there is hardly any difference between absolute newbie and newbie drive. We have absolute beginners signing into newbie drives every week. Our Marshal will always make sure you will be comfortable and well guided. 

[Frederic]

DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED

As i am excited to see the new members rolling in and looking forwards to seeing many smiling faces tomorrow, i will start with going through the convoy list and some introductory information.

For most members this will be their first time either in the sand, or with a club. I still remember clearly the first time i hit the sand, and since that first time the sand bug has gotten me. To make your drive relaxed and fun there is a lot of planning we do from our side, and we expect some preparation from you as well before joining the drive. However fun and thrilling offroading is, there is a big emphasis on safety, and in these COVID19 times that also comes with some restrictions. 

1) Please go through the drive topic, and make sure to read the MUST READ drive topics such as the COVID19 precautions we take from our side (we stay in the vehicles during the drive, no gathering or briefing, etc...) but also go through the Newbie Briefing video we made as this contains basically ALL essential information. It is perfectly normal that you might not remember everything, but go through it a few times as this video replaced the old way of during our briefing verbally. Things like starting the drive with a full gas tank seems quite logical, but you'd be surprised how people come to the drives with a 1/4 tank and get into trouble after 1 hour. Cars consume a lot more gas in the desert.

2) Try once putting the vehicle in 4H, 4L, 2H and switch between the modes to see how the car reacts. As mentioned in the briefing we drive on 4H in the desert, and only switch to 4L when we have a refusal or get stuck.

3) Try switching off your traction controls. For most cars it is sufficient to push the traction control button a few seconds. 

4) If you have offroad gears such as a shovel, pressure gauge, deflator, radio, flag, PERFECT, if not please get this for your second drive onwards as this will become your ESSENTIAL tools for every offroad drive. 

5) For people without a radio we will be providing you a disinfected spare radio that you can use for the first drive. For people that have a radio, please have a look at programming the 5 Carnity frequencies as mentioned in the drive post. We will be using Carnity Channel 4 tomorrow. (446.08125 Mhz). 

6) Listen to the instructions of the seniors on the radio and follow them precisely. 

7) Don't be afraid to ask questions on the radio or announce if you have a problem.

8)) Getting stuck is perfectly normal and a part of the learning process. All of us including myself get stuck at times. There is no shame ! Announce on the radio that you are stuck or have a refusal and we will come and help you out. 

Convoy List

@marks @Sreejith Sreenivasan @Nabil Bishara @Incognitoes @Jeandre Bezuidenhout @Taha Elghuel @h1fny @Ahmed Farghaly @Mukundan Nair @Christian Andras @Adam Koster @Oliver Slade @Melenany @Mels Wolf

@Taha Elghuel @Melenany please click on the totally agree emoji in the COVID19 precautions topic. This is a mandatory requirement before being allowed on the drive.

https://carnity.com/forums/topic/15097-covid-19-precautions-must-read-before-drive

Drive Plan

At 5:00 AM SHARP we will meet up at the google pin location as mentioned in the drive post. You will see the cars on the right hand side in the sand. Please keep sufficient distance between the cars when you park and start deflating your tyres to 13-14 psi. Myself and @Mels Wolf who is a senior offroader will be helping you out if needed with the deflation. That time i will also hand out the radios and do a radio check. 

Next we will put the convoy together as per the above numbering, and head out into the dunes. Al Qudra is a fantastic area for beginners as it provides smooth dunes and easy terrain. We will be driving for about 3 hours, practice driving in sand, proper steering control, crossing some dunes, and getting you and your vehicle accustomed to off-roading in general. 

By 08:30 we will be heading back to the Last Exit Petrol station, where you can inflate by yourself if you have a compressor, or use the compressor at the gas station. 

I will be personally collecting your feedback after the drive, to improve ourselves and our organisation. Also after the drive you can still use this topic to provide feedback, read our drive report, and browse the gallery where you will find the drive pictures or upload your own pictures. 

See you tomorrow !

[topgear]

12 hours ago, Frederic said:

Hi @topgear there is hardly any difference between absolute newbie and newbie drive. We have absolute beginners signing into newbie drives every week. Our Marshal will always make sure you will be comfortable and well guided. 

I have signed up for the Sharjah morning drive. If any space free up for Qudra, please let me know and reserve it for me. Many thanks.

[Frederic]

1 minute ago, topgear said:

I have signed up for the Sharjah morning drive. If any space free up for Qudra, please let me know and reserve it for me. Many thanks.

That's a wonderful drive, you won't be dissapointed !

PS Are you Jeremy, Richard, or James ?😆

[topgear]

1 minute ago, Frederic said:

That's a wonderful drive, you won't be dissapointed !

PS Are you Jeremy, Richard, or James ?😆

Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Otherwise, I will be rolling in with G63😁 with the Grand Tour crew/entourage in tow.

[Oliver Slade]

Hi Frederic, I’m really sorry but will be unable to join. 

[Frederic]

3 minutes ago, Oliver Slade said:

Hi Frederic, I’m really sorry but will be unable to join. 

Thanks for informing. See you soon in the sands !