Chris Wing Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Hisham Masaad for the drive today. Tensed situation handle really well. @luis mantecon Hope you are doing well and I'm sure we'll see you on a drive in no time! 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Alinazar Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 That was my first fewbie drive. Learned a lot of things today. The track was wonderful. Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, for the wonderful lesson today. Also thanks to @Hisham Masaad and @Chris Wing for guarding and supporting the convoy today. @luis mantecon, hope your jeep is getting well soon. All, See you later on next drives. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred Alinazar Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 4 hours ago, JeromeFJ said: Beautiful picture, @JeromeFJ 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT_Dubai Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 (edited) Hi guys a quick video from yesterday. Spectacular sunrise enjoyed by all. 40 seconds in I get stuck on a choppy ridge. From reviewing this seems to be a textbook stuck - not enough momentum and needed to exit sooner. Thank you for the digs from team @Hisham Masaad and @JeromeFJ and freed up to continue the morning. We had plenty of opportunities to practice ridge riding so thanks to @Ale Vallecchi for guidance and lead. As others noted we had an issue towards the end of the drive 😢 and it goes without saying that everyone on the drive wishes @luis mantecon Wrangler a speedy recovery. Hope to see you all soon. Edited July 3, 2021 by TT_Dubai 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunil Mathew Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, for the drive lead with lot of learning opportunities especially w.r.t ridge riding approaches, exit , speed etc. Key takeaways for me as learning : 1. Choose the best approach angle to get on a ridge , this may not be the track taken by the previous car, due to various reasons - weight, wheelbase etc. 2. Once you are close to the crest, never steer up a ridge sharply, when both set of your wheels are on same side of the ridge. Try to ride "square on the ridge" as @Ale Vallecchiputs it, at least for some distance, before exiting. 3. You dont need to be too fast on a ridge - need to be just fast enough to crawl and probably a bit more , for a smooth exit and also to avoid banging the cars belly on broken ridges/ridges with ripples on the crest. These are better said than done, and i need to get this perfect with more practice. Off course, yesterdays ride had its share of bad luck with one of the ridges proving unlucky for @luis mantecon, and we are happy that you are safe , and at the same time wish that you sort out the car to get it back on its legs, and to see you back in the desert with extra enthusiasm!! @Hisham Masaad , Carnity's Mr.Q as @PaoloMaraziti named him 🙂, demonstrated his brilliance yet again with strong support with the recovery, advices for refusals and what not. Seeing Hisham with his fully gadgetized FJ, in the convoy gives a sense of confidence nowadays!! Kudos to all fellow drivers, i bet at least some of us are "shaken" but not stirred 🙂.... lets take this as a learning experience and let the lessons learnt be engraved or etched firmly in our brains to help our future, split second decisions in the desert!! Looking forward and coming back for more!! 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ale Vallecchi Posted July 3, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 Qudra "Not So Easy" - Drive Report "Nothing tyrannizes the real Sufi's heart. What strikes the oyster shell not damage the pearl" - Rumi It was supposed NOT to be an easy drive, and easy it was NOT! The original plan to cover the same tracks driven on Absolute Newbie drives, at a faster and more challenging pace, worked well, until our "Sufis' hearts" were shaken by a roll-over. When that happened, we had been driving already for almost 2 and a half hours, with almost 1 hour to spare on the time it usually takes to complete the AN drive. Our pace had been brisk, averaging a little less then 28 Km/h, covering a distance of over 55Km. The trail had taken us from the Bab al Shams' entry through the low, long range dunes, heading north toward the date plantation and the big "farm" close to Qudra's Last Exit, then east and south across the tall linear dunes, and a technical area (with a "botanical" detour to inspect a copse of Ghaf trees visible on the horizon), and finally, through the area of tall dunes, with bushy slopes and mud-rock formations on their slip-face side, across the bike track, in the very diverse terrain reaching toward the Solar Parks' pylons. This is where a moment of distraction cost @luis mantecon dearly. Luckily, there were no damages to Luis, who recovered promptly from being shaken, and assisted valiantly in his Wrangler's recovery. The incident occurred on a relatively low dune to cross (don't they all happen in apparently easy terrain?), where, nonetheless, the previous drivers had left some heavy marks, hence making Luis use a bit too much speed in climbing the side slope (to overcome the rugged trail). Evidently, the line of approach to the ridge was a bit too low (probably due to the Wrangler being caught in some of the deep tracks), and the attempt to reach the ridge by counter-steering, led to the car turning progressively perpendicular to the crest, digging an even deeper trench on its left side while accelerating sideways, and eventually caused the 360 degrees roll of the Wrangler across the churned ridge. The car stopped its progress resting on the passenger's side, just across the crest itself, on the dune's low slip-face. Takeaway lessons here? Speed is often the enemy (controlling momentum being our ally), especially when combined with a less then optimal approach to the ridge (even though often forced by the conditions of the slope itself), and the instinctive reaction to steer up, to reach the ridge, even when we "know" that the car is too far from the crest itself. I am sure that this moment will be etched in all the drivers' mind, and will be an important lesson learned by all, to always choose the safest option. Fortunately, we can delve into this analysis, because Luis is 100% healthy, with car and driver having exited successfully after the accident. As required in these cases, the recovery was a team effort, with useful suggestions being given by many, a display of overall calm attitude by all, and great cooperation with the various phases of flipping the car on its 4 wheels, stripping it of all its damaged parts that would interfere with reaching the exit, and repairing the pop-out caused by the tilting of the car back on all fours. BTW, if someone has the video (even images of the roll) please share them in the gallery, so that may be a good source of discussion in terms of how to manage such extreme situations. With the images in mind of a very busy morning, my great thanks go to the entire convoy: @Hisham Masaad for his overtime at Center Forward (yes, the drive itself went smoothly, but we still had to deal with a few refusals and stucks) as well as at the winch and the jack, during the recovery; @Chinthaka Ruwan at Second Lead, who responded punctually to all my calls; @Chris Wing, as the more senior Fewbie driver, who swept the group with ease; to each and everyone in the convoy - @Alfred Alinazar (very impressive Fewbie baptism of fire), @Paolo Pellegrini (always getting better with your skills), @TT_Dubai and @Tareck (managing your two giant vehicles with constant improvement), @Ben84, @Sunil Mathew and @JeromeFJ (always in control) - who all drive impeccably, and pitched in enthusiastically with the recovery. A special thought goes to @luis mantecon, with the best wishes to have his car back soon, and to be able to get back in the saddle, across the desert, in no time. The usual stats for the drive (even though influenced by the incident) tell us that we drove for 3:23 hours, of which 2:36 moving, covering 60.8 Km (the last 3 on the exit track), at an average speed of 23 Km/h while moving (18 Km/h overall). Thanks to all for the experience, and hope to see you soon in the sand. 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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