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Lorenzo Candelpergher has been promoted to Marshal level


Gaurav

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2 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

After over 13 years in Dubai, it was only in early 2020 that I eventually discovered off-roading. 

Having been a hopeless workaholic for most of my adult life, until then I had never had a hobby nor any free time to practice one. I even used to say my work was my hobby.. If I think of it now I can hardly believe it. 

In February 2020 I had just bought a new Nissan Patrol, the Platinum City model, definitely not meant for off-roading and definitely meant to be a quiet Business / Family car. Then, a newly met acquaintance, who then became a dear and close friend, @Luca Palanca Falsini, persuaded me to join him on a family drive organized by one of the famous off-road garages in Dubai. I joined the drive with wife, children and even mother-in-law (no I wasn't planning to drop her in the middle of the desert.. 😂😂). I didn't know what to expect, I had made no preparations and nobody had given me any briefing.. I just drove into the desert and returned home with crashed front and back bumpers. Luca was afraid I'd never talk to him again, but quite on the opposite, I walked out of the car smiling from ear to ear and thanked him for the opportunity.  That was the start of what was meant to become the very first and only real hobby that I consistently practiced in my life. More than I hobby, I'd say it became a passion. 

After driving a few times with other clubs, my engineering mindset urged me to seek for a more structured approach and, in my search, I discovered @Carnity. I was intrigued by almost everything about it and decided to give it a try. My first drive with @Carnity was on 20.03.2020, at Pink Rock, with @Rahimdad leading and @Wrangeld in support. I loved that drive, which I still remember as incredibly inspiring and exciting as we first approached and then climbed the Rock. 

With Covid-19 pushing stress levels through the roof, off-roading became not only a passion, but also a powerful stress reliever, allowing a weekly mind reset that kept me functioning across one of the most difficult times of my entrepreneurial career. 

Drive after drive, stuck after stuck and pop-out after pop-out (many, many pop-outs 😂😂) I learned how to handle my Y62. From Newbie to Fewbie to Intermediate, it was a great learning process, in a great environment, where I felt welcomed, supported, challenged to go a bit beyond my comfort zone, but always safe in doing so. I received precious feedback before, during and after every drive, I was congratulated on my achievements and cheered up on my mistakes, I was always overwhelmed with help whenever needed and felt compelled to help back, in a contagious, addictive team spirit, whenever others were in trouble. 

For months I've had my alarm set at 6:59 pm on Sundays to make sure I'd be able to respond to the RSVP of my favorite drive, feeling as excited as a child, for the first time in my life taking some time for myself and with a new goal to achieve: I wanted to master my off-roading driving skills. 

Moving to the Advisors team was a great amplifier of the whole experience, making me aware of the great deal of work that goes on behind the scenes to make @Carnity function as a Swiss clock and growing even more my appreciation for this great club and the wonderful people who come together in it. I kept on polishing my driving skills, but also learned about recoveries, and progressively shifted my focus from my own driving to that of all the others around me, as the whole purpose was, at that point, enabling others to live the same wonderful experience as I was experimenting.

A whole new world of opportunities came with the Leaders Lead course brilliantly delivered by @Gaurav to @Luca Palanca Falsini, @Janarthan and myself and with the subsequent possibility to lead convoys. To my surprise, I discovered that the pleasure of leading and, in so doing, making people enjoying themselves while following my lines, by far exceeds the pleasure of driving for the sake of driving... 

The possibility to choose where to go, when to go, which level to drive, the fine line between pushing the convoy to do a bit more without doing anything unsafe, the challenge to set the level so that everyone has fun but the weakest driver can make it through, the pleasure of planning a route to unveil a scenic sunrise driving east in the morning or west in a burning sunset in the afternoon, the satisfaction to see your convoy conquering a mighty dune, a giant bowl, or tricky technical terrain, the sense of adventure exploring new territories... are pure magic. I felt blessed and honored in every drive I led and enthralled by the feedback from those who followed my tail. 

In less than one year I made it to Expert level in my Y62 until, in February this year, a distraction reminded me the hard way how still inexperienced I was in reality.. I paid my toll, grounded for six endless weeks with an outlook to have my Y62 back only after 6 months 😭😭). As a real desert addict, I couldn't bear the waiting, so I finally came back on a new Jeep Wrangler, with my glorious Patrol returning to more important family duties just a few weeks ago. I know I disappointed many, including @Islam Soliman, opting to leave on the tarmac my white whale for an easier off-road ride... but those 12 months on a Y62 made all the difference of the world and I'm glad Marshals and Crew never discouraged me despite my heavyweight Nissan. 

Thanks to the Crew, @Gaurav, @Srikumar, @Frederic, who believed in me and gave me the chance to grow at my own pace and in my own way, coming to terms, from time to time, with my impatience to do always more, to count, to measure and to ALWAYS speak my mind (😂😂).. 

Thanks to the Marshals and Experts, @Ale Vallecchi, @Brette, @Chaitanya D, @Vanessa8580, @Jeepie, @sertac, @Anish S@Luca Palanca Falsini and especially @Wrangeld, my off-roading mentor, who all took me on their convoys and later entrusted me in supporting roles setting the example of what a convoy leader should be. I regret I never had the chance to join @Emmanuel in a drive, but who knows what the future may reserve for us... 

Thanks to the Advisors, @Hisham Masaad, @M.Seidam, @marks, @Yousef Alimadadi, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @Alexander Alcala, @Nivin, @Rizwanm2, @Shaaz Sha and the Support Team, @Alex Raptor, @Dodi Syahdar, @GauravSoni, @Veedooshee who joined my drives in support making my leads always easy and relaxed.

Thanks to all those who joined my drives, too many to name one by one, except for @Danish Mohammad, who, this last summer, gifted me with the best present a lead could ever receive, i.e. the chance to watch an off-roader blossom in confidence and skills drive after drive, following my lines. And thanks to all those others who patiently tolerated my endless early pop-outs and stucks, to those who drove in the churned up sand left behind by my Y62, who shoveled under my belly, who tugged me out..  What a fantastic experience all this has been and what a fantastic experience it is going to be!

I'm proud and honored to have, even more so now as a Marshal, the chance to give back what I have received from this wonderful team sport and within this amazing club. I guess I'll never give back as much as I really received, but I'll do my best, of that you can be sure.. as much as you can be sure about my fast pace in the next drive!!

 

@Lorenzo Candelpergher Congratulations on marshadom. Beautifully well written. I have not driven with you yet, but looking forward to meet you on sand the soonest...👌

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@Lorenzo Candelpergher many congrats and personally, I have been trying to build up courage to join one of your famed high octane drives - hope that happens soon!  You are an asset to the club in many ways - congratulations again 🎉🎉🎉

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1 hour ago, Niki said:

@Lorenzo Candelpergher many congrats and personally, I have been trying to build up courage to join one of your famed high octane drives - hope that happens soon!  You are an asset to the club in many ways - congratulations again 🎉🎉🎉

Dear @Niki,

take the chance and join one of my drives: you'll discover it doesn't take any more courage than in any other drive at the same level, as all what is needed is enthusiasm and focus, which I'm sure you have loads of. I don't recall anyone ever pulling back or asking to quit out of fear for the high pace or the high climbs in my drives. On the opposite, I recall more than once people asking for MORE after they got acquainted and realized that whatever we do, in those "high octane drives" we do it in absolute safety and with great fun, taking everyone a bit beyond their comfort zone only to discover that their comfort zone is made to become bigger after every drive!

Looking forward to see your name in the next RSVP!!

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