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COVID19 Compliant - Monday Afternoon Short Intermediate Desert Drive - The Slip Side of Al Qudra - 22 Feb 2021


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11 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

DRIVE REPORT 

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

Al Qudra is the off-roading backyard for most of us: a well known territory, usually associated with the idea of fairly easy drives. 

Today's drive was specifically meant to get past this stereotyped image and prove that even Al Qudra can be a very challenging place for off-roading, even at Intermediate level. 

The whole convoy (at the end we were 12 cars, which for a Monday afternoon Intermediate is probably unprecedented in Carnity), was diligently ready by 3.30pm sharp, and 10 mins later we closed our briefing and hit the sand. 

During the previous couple of days more than one participant had made it clear that the expectation for a real Intermediate level was high, and my drive brief had certainly contributed to such expectations. 

Well, I think the convoy got a good taste of an Intermediate Drive today. After a couple of minutes of warm up, we started a very fast paced stint along a nice group of mid-sized long dunes.

It was a shot of adrenaline that woke up the whole convoy: anyone who had plans for a relaxed drive doing some photos here and there immediately came to realize that this wasn't such drive, and that - as promised in drive post and radio brief - this was, on the contrary, a drive requiring the full, undivided attention of every driver. 

As Carnity Advisors say, a Leader in an Intermediate drive doesn't use the rearview mirror that much, and I must say I didn't. 

Today's convoy was bombastic, really fantastic. Whatever I threw at them they chewed it without hesitations. 

From what I could see, @Ahab Shamaa, who had made the impossible to be able to join the drive, chased my tail very closely, making an amazing 2nd lead in all situations, while @Jon M, who was in his 1st Intermediate drive, was definitely faced with a whole new game, but stood to the challenge magnificently.

@Ashok chaturvedi's yellow FJ Cruiser did wonders today as we didn't spare any possibility for breaking crests and doing high speed criss-crossings both from windward side to slipside and from slipside to windward side. 

After approx 40 mins we completed our first stint and entered an area of smaller and more technical dunes, which I tried to spice up with some very quick and tight turns and tons of sharp criss-crossings. 

It was here were we had the first serious stuck, with @Islam Soliman's GMC Yukon digging down in a small bowl of soft sand, which gave me the chance to inaugurate my brand new winch.

A few mins after I got crested in a moment of hesitation. Being an afternoon short drive, we should have opted for a quick tug (which eventually turned out to be the solution, with @Anish S, performing an exemplary recovery), but we instead indulged shoveling, as @Mohamed Seidam's contagious enthusiasm couldn't be contained in those moments.

After crossing a sabkha, we then started the 3rd stint of our drive, this time on the longest, tallest, and most complex dunes of the day. 

The drive had been named "The Slip Side of Al Qudra" and I think that if anyone had not yet understood why I had chosen such title, he/she had pretty much a clear idea at this point, as we probably dived down on slip faces at least 100 times during this section of the drive. 

We had a couple of crested cars, brilliantly and quickly recovered, and in general the convoy did incredibly well along these high and complex dunes.

@Tariq Carrimjee, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe and @Ilya Golubinsky found finally adequate challenges for their capable Wranglers. Certainly today wasn't the ideal occasion for an open top drive, as @Tariq Carrimjee realized.. 😂😂

I was honestly amazed by @Gaurav Soni, who pushed is Pajero to an outstanding performance. 

Equally astonishing was @Jack Thomas, who had the hardest job of all today with his intercontinentally long F150.

By 6.10pm I was planning our way out across the last few dunes to get out on the sabkha and eventually to Bab Al Shams. It was probably because we all felt a bit exhausted and started relaxing in the anticipation of the imminent exit, that the classic last minute disaster happened:  literally not more than 50m away from the safe flat sabkha, we suddenly found ourselves in a couple of difficult bowls, where we had 3 pop-out and two stucks, one to be winched out. 

@Jack Thomas's two pop-outs in 15 mins were part of the game, but they should be considered a badge of honor in today's drive, as they both happened in the most difficult terrain of the day, which costed me a pop-out as well. He's still light-years away from the all-times record of pop-outs that I still hold, so he shouldn't get too excited about today's double..😂😂

The last minute disaster costed us a bit more than a full hour, so we finally made it to the tarmac by 7.30pm. All tired but, behind our masks, certainly smiling. 

Congratulations to everyone for a majestic performance today. I hope you all had fun as much as I did. 

Also, many thanks to @Islam Solimanand @Anish S for the great help in the final messy 45 mins. Your help was key to sort out the pop-outs, especially the last one, fixed in a deep bowl and in the dark. Equally my gratitude goes to all the others, who patiently waited on the sabkha: this solidarity and team spirit is one of the reasons I love driving with Carnity.

See you soon at the next mid-week drive, Desert Wanderers!!

@Lorenzo Candelpergher I surely would love to nick name you the flying lorenzo..it was a wonderful pace and I enjoyed being on this drive. Amazing is the part that you drive a Nissan Petrol long wheel which is a super heavy luxury SUV but your talent is such that you make it look so easy to drive. Among the drive objectives as you mentioned one was to enjoy the desert view but the only view I had is my bonnet and the tracks of the car in front me such was the pace. IM is an experience I feel a bit challenging with 100% concentration... .

 

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1 hour ago, Ashok chaturvedi said:

@Lorenzo Candelpergher I surely would love to nick name you the flying lorenzo..it was a wonderful pace and I enjoyed being on this drive. Amazing is the part that you drive a Nissan Petrol long wheel which is a super heavy luxury SUV but your talent is such that you make it look so easy to drive. Among the drive objectives as you mentioned one was to enjoy the desert view but the only view I had is my bonnet and the tracks of the car in front me such was the pace. IM is an experience I feel a bit challenging with 100% concentration... .

 

Hi @Ashok chaturvedi,

thanks for your meaningful comment about the intensity of the drive. As you will appreciate, Intermediate Drives have a faster pace and a higher level of technical complexity, which - no doubt - require a much higher degree of concentration. These are also the drives where one can refine and polish his driving skills and slots in such drives are coveted by those who are focused mostly on improving their off-roading technique.

Obviously one doesn't always have to focus only on the drive and from time to time it is also nice to have a more enojoyable ride in a Fewbie or Fewbie+ convoy. This also applies to Leaders: for example, I had loads of fun yesterday leading this action-packed drive, but I like the idea to settle down at a Fewbie level for a more relaxed weekend entertainment.

This is the beauty of Carnity, you can chose from Newbie to Extreme drives, depending on your appetite, provided you qualify for the intended level.

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@Ashok chaturvedi, @Gaurav Soni, @Mohamed Seidam, @Jack Thomas, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Ahab Shamaa, @Ilya Golubinsky, @Islam Soliman, @Jon M, @Anish S, it seems the drive has taken a toll on you... 😂😂: very little comments so far, still recovering from Monday or damned busy at work? 

Have a great day!

Edited by Lorenzo Candelpergher
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It was a awesome drive.   Exciting from start to finish.   It was also lovely to experience Qudra on a Monday afternoon, as it felt like our private playground.    
 

the above drive summary captures the feel of the drive perfectly.  To many more.  
 

Thanks once again.   

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6 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

@Ashok chaturvedi, @Gaurav Soni, @Mohamed Seidam, @Jack Thomas, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Ahab Shamaa, @Ilya Golubinsky, @Islam Soliman, @Jon M, @Anish S, it seems the drive has taken a toll on you... 😂😂: very little comments so far, still recovering from Monday or damned busy at work? 

Have a great day!

@Lorenzo Candelpergher yes it definitely had my adrenaline going into the rest of the week. I am afraid it seems to have taken a toll on my truck, it is spending the next few days in the garage getting repairs done hahah but it is all part of the fun I guess ;) I am going to try get it fixed prior to Friday!

 

The drive itself, was my second IM and it was definitely kept up to the level of thrill, challenge, and pace of what I first experience last week. The step-up from the Fewbie to IM is definitely the biggest and I can't wait for the next one already.

 

Everyone was awesome team players, and it is great you allow members to just get on with the recovery and refusals, whilst being on hand with any guidance we needed.

Thanks and be great to see you all again soon

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37 minutes ago, Jack Thomas said:

I am afraid it seems to have taken a toll on my truck, it is spending the next few days in the garage getting repairs done hahah but it is all part of the fun I guess ;) I am going to try get it fixed prior to Friday!

 

@Jack Thomas, sorry to hear that: what happened? 

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40 minutes ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

@Jack Thomas, sorry to hear that: what happened? 

update as of today is they think my front differential needs to be repaired, along with oil change for front and rear as it is dirty. Hopefully that fixes the problem. It was making horrible noise driving in 2H, so I was having to drive in 4H on my way home.

All part of the fun I guess haha

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11 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

@Ashok chaturvedi, @Gaurav Soni, @Mohamed Seidam, @Jack Thomas, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Ahab Shamaa, @Ilya Golubinsky, @Islam Soliman, @Jon M, @Anish S, it seems the drive has taken a toll on you... 😂😂: very little comments so far, still recovering from Monday or damned busy at work? 

Have a great day!

Too much work @Lorenzo Candelpergher! It was a great initiative to do a mid week drive and I thoroughly enjoyed. Loved the dunes at the start 

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Ok, so I’m gonna repeat myself. I finally understood why drivers don’t talk much on IM drives. It’s because they don’t have time to breath, let alone speak 🤣

I’m not sure about Flying Lorenzo, Enzo Lorenzo seems better to me. It rhymes, it’s part of @Lorenzo Candelpergher’ name, and it alludes to the great Enzo Ferrari 😂

As I mentioned before, I couldn’t talk on this drive, but I was able to think... However, the only two thoughts that came to mind, were oh my God what a rush, and what would @Lorenzo Candelpergher do with a Ferrari? 😀 This guy drives a beast and handles it like a toy car 😀

Before the first minute of the drive expired, we were all wide awake and sitting straight behind our steering wheels. The drive was absolutely awesome and challenging. At some crossings, I would watch Lorenzo maneuver, and I would just cringe knowing I had to repeat the same maneuver 😂

In addition to the thrills, I ate as much sand shoveling and recovering on this drive, as I’ve done on my previous drives combined 😂 It was very windy and the soft sand found its way to my ears, eyes and mouth. I know you guys are thinking about the other orifices, but I won’t go there 🤣
In any event, it all worked out at the end, and the drive was simply thrilling, amazing, fast paced, and adrenaline generating. I would repeat it in a heartbeat 😀 Thank you Lorenzo for a fantastic drive, leadership and support. You are an amazing marshal, and I loved driving with you in the lead. 
@Jon M, you were a trooper and you did so well on your first IM drive. Keep it up bro!

@Jack Thomas, sorry about your car bro; I hope you get it sorted before the weekend, so you can enjoy the dunes 😀

@Mohamed Seidam, it was great seeing you brother 😀 You’re quite the teacher as I keep on repeating to you. Thank you for all you do, and for going out of your way to help your fellow drivers out. You even give free medical advice on the drives 🤣 

BTW, I cede my king of cresting title to you my friend. You managed to dethrone me on this drive; I have proof.  But don’t worry, I’ll recover my title on another drive soon, I’m sure 🤣
I didn’t get to see or talk to most everyone else because we were all so concentrated on driving 😀 All I can say is great job driving, and an even better job helping and supporting each other. Three pop outs, took a toll on Lorenzo, who fixed all of them including his own 😀 The recoveries and pop out were handled amazingly well by the whole convoy; well done!

Finally, @Ashok chaturvedi, @Gaurav Soni, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Tariq Carrimjee, @Ilya Golubinsky, @Islam Soliman & @Anish S, I loved driving with you guys, and I can’t wait to have a repeat of this drive. See you all on the sand soon!

Edited by Ahab Shamaa
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