COVID 19 compliant - Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Big Red to Pink Rock - Sharjah - 14 Aug 2020

[Wrangeld]

27 minutes ago, Edgar said:

Hi @Wrangeld unfortunately something came up last minute and I’ll be unable to join tomorrow, please give my place away, hope to meet you soon. 

@Mukundan Nair you are #1 in the wait list. You can take the convoy position of @Edgar . Please Mukundan confirm you have seen this message and confirm your attendance. 

@Edgar thanks for the update

[Mukundan Nair]

Hi Wrangled,

Thanks, shall join on the fewbie drive. Had also signed up for Newbie with Fredrick since all slots were filled up. Will exit from that now.

regards

 

Mukundan

[dune jockey]

Hot summer , soft sand and superchurn by lot of cars made our morning drive quite an experience. 

Fantastic lead by @Wrangeld and sweep by @Brette. I could crawl out myself from that superchurned bowl, thanks to all those who waited patiently untill I wriggled out.

Some stats below and pictures in gallery.  Have a nice weekend 

Mapped video link 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOnMMLYG5v

 

[Craig Finlayson]

 

[Wrangeld]

The E4x4 Highway

I for one am glad that Carnity starts drives before the crack of dawn, having experienced the level of congestion we did around Big Red and Pink Rock one the rush hour started. 

Thank you everyone for arriving so punctuality that we could get moving early enough to experience just a little bit of driving dark. Dawn was breaking as we arrived at Big Red which allowed us enough light for a little playtime all to ourselves. 

As we all found out later, these dunes get quite crowded later in the morning. 

I remember my first Fewbie drives, realising that the pace is often quicker than before, as well as the complexity and we did enjoy a good range of challenges today. Soft sand pockets combined with multiple tracks are not the easiest of obstacles, but we are not always going to find pristine dunes, so it is important to learn how to navigate you way through. @Anish S did a great job in 2nd lead, not putting a wheel wrong showing his slightly greater Fewbie experience.

Behind him noone really struggled, but just about everyone had their moments. @Yousef Alimadadi, either get the chips remapped or use a bit more gas. Your car is anything but underpowered. I see the improvements every week in your driving, so keep it up. 

@Islam Soliman that Yukon is a heavy old beast, with a big power plant. So please be careful with the weight of your right foot if you get into trouble. I can guarantee that if you have to dig yourself out with your own shovel you'll quickly start either taking note of the wheels digging in, or need a much bigger shovel. 

@Mukundan Nair @h1fny @Neale Faulkner as first time Fewbies ... Well done. You've started to see the difference in expectations from a Fewbie drive and really handled everything well save for a few little moments. 

No doubt the FJ crew at the back had a lot of churned up sand to deal with @David Ortells and @Christian Andras , but more than @Jun Zamora whose driving today is truly miles away (better) than the last time we drove together. 

A general pointer. Think a little more about where you stop when waiting. @Chaitanya D and @Brette would have been a lot less busy had this been done.

Back to that traffic. The madness of the convoy that drove round and through our group not once, but twice, getting stuck multiple times was disappointing. Thanks to you all for the patience of waiting so we could exit safely. I have never seen quite so much traffic on the dunes as this morning. 

Having said that, we made it through lots of side sloping and dune crossing to reach Pink Rock just in time to see @Gaurav at play with his convoy. Just keep in mind, that was all of us, newbies, just a short time ago. 

See you soon in the sand.

[Yousef Alimadadi]

Thank you Wrangled, this trip was full of joy, new experiences and challenges 😊😊😊

[Srikumar]

5 hours ago, Wrangeld said:

Behind him noone really struggled, but just about everyone had their moments. @Yousef Alimadadi, either get the chips remapped or use a bit more gas. Your car is anything but underpowered. I see the improvements every week in your driving, so keep it up. 

I would say start with a basic tuneup of spark plugs, air filter, ignition coil and some good tyres where you can go lower on the PSI(I am not aware of your current brand of tyres) . Pajero 3.5 is a reasonably powerful vehicle without any modifications. 

[Frederic]

15 minutes ago, Srikumar said:

I would say start with a basic tuneup of spark plugs, air filter, ignition coil and some good tyres where you can go lower on the PSI(I am not aware of your current brand of tyres) . Pajero 3.5 is a reasonably powerful vehicle without any modifications. 

I think he drives the 3.8 which has plenty power once you build the momentum with it. 

[Wrangeld]

It is a 3.8, so lots of potential. Either not enough gas or the power stops being delivered for some reason. 

[Jun Zamora]

Thanks @Wrangeld for taking us to another level in our driving experience. What I thought was impossible for me a few months ago, you help me prove possible by taking us through those technical dunes and making it through safely. It was also my first experience to climb at the big red. Those side slopings in the soft sands were really a challenge. Thanks @Brette , @Chaitanya D, @Anish S for sharing your experience in giving clear instructions whenever there are refusals in the convoy. I’m sure everyone enjoyed this morning’s drive.

See you all on our next adventure!