COVID19 Compliant - Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Highway to the Sun: Murqaab to Solar Park - Dubai - 16 Apr 2021

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

1 hour ago, ARAGON said:

which i also did when i experienced the  first 45 degree incline with my car, and i panicked during the Ab Newbie ride

Once you complete couple more drives you will get used to it. When you go to Fossil rock and faya 45’ incline will be nothing. You are in safe hands of the Marshalls, when they go thru, you can blindly follow. Only thing you need to know the correct momentum needed for crossing the dune, patch.

[Sunil Mathew]

27 minutes ago, TT_Dubai said:

My very first car in the UAE was a Ford Explorer. Loved it. It was a 2007 but it did have 4LO and proper 4WD. Is that not the case with new Explorers now?

nope @TT_Dubai..the new shape came in 2011 with AWD and 4 modes - Normal/Sand/Mud and Rut/Snow

Each mode has different power splits between wheels, and am not sure whats the exact setting on each..basically you dont have much say in it , the computer does it based on wheel slip i think.

you can watch whether each wheel is powered, through a display on your dash, real time

i stop here, as its a digression from the topic 🙂

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear Desertnauts.

Last minute warning

Mu phone's screen died just a few minutes ago, and I do not have any substitute cell at hand. Therefore, for any urgent or last minute news, please write it here, and @Mehmet Volga, the other Senior in the drive, will be able to see it and relay it to me.

See you tomorrow morning. Have a good rest.

[Ranjan Pattanaik]

6 hours ago, TT_Dubai said:

My very first car in the UAE was a Ford Explorer. Loved it. It was a 2007 but it did have 4LO and proper 4WD. Is that not the case with new Explorers now?

No @TT_Dubai, new one having terrain management system including sand mode, rock, snow and descent. No 4LO 🤣 but i had before Explorer 2014 XLT but now its sports one which having little better torque & HP. If stock then reminding me 4LO...see u tomorrow morning. 

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

@Ale Vallecchi, @Mehmet Volgai am late by 15 min due to oversight of time

[Lakshmi Narasimhan]

@Ale Vallecchi, @Mehmet Volgavery good drive. Managed through few tricky areas very well and guiding every one. It was pleasure to follow the tracks of @Ale Vallecchi, loved it a lot and thanks for lots of tips all around the drive. Definitely it was a drive for few taking us out of the comfort zone and to experience ridge riding and crossing the bowls, special thanks for taking through ridge riding one by one and the briefing and letting us to watch others doing the ridging to understand what mistakes we do. I believe every one in the drive had something new to learn with few refusals, recoveries, pop out and enjoyed. I throughly enjoyed this drive in the convoy and looking for many more drives!!! 

[Chris Wing]

Great drive today! Loved the area and meeting you all👍🏼 Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for leading us through the tough spots and the advice along the way, learned a lot today😁

[Ranjan Pattanaik]

Thank u @Ale Vallecchi for the lesson today. I learned a lot and quite tricky one though. Loved the place and drive under your supervision. Expecting more drive in future....

  

[Sunil Mathew]

great drive, great learning experience , one step closer to getting in sync with my car, and a sense of accomplishment for my second offroad drive, although i can see "miles to go before i sleep", nevertheless 🙃

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for giving us a taste of ridge riding, under a fully controlled environment and your able guidance.

I think we newbies gave you a real test of your patience today!! 😃

[TT_Dubai]

A very enjoyable drive today with a lot of back to basic refreshers. Some newbie side sloping combined with some technical dunes to keep us all alert.

Thanks again to @Ale Vallecchifor the structured itinerary and helping me when I popped my first pop out cherry 😀 and for the support from @Mehmet Volgaand @Shaaz Sha in getting me back into the action in less than 15 minutes! Thank you!

Lots of instruction over the radio. At one point I took a call while watching the others and waiting for my turn to climb a tricky soft dune. The walkie talkie was on in the background.  The caller asked whether I was outside a mosque with the Imam in full flow...nah it was just Ale giving his instructions to the convoy 😂

Nice to start the weekend with the drive and have a great weekend all!