Jump to content
  •  

Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Ghantoot Express - Dubai - 15 Jan 2021


Ale Vallecchi

Recommended Posts

Dear Desertnauts,

in preparation of tomorrow's drive, a bit of information to enjoy the ride as much as possible.

The meeting point has been set just beyond the exit of Al Qudra's Last Exit ADNOC station, to the left of the short stretch leading back to the roundabout. This will allow us 1) to stay away from, and not get confused with, two more Carnity convoys meeting at Bab al Shams track, 2) to deflate near available services where we could quickly dry ourselves up in case of rain, and 3) include the crossing of western Qudra's long range dunes to our itinerary, in the direction of Ghantoot. 

Having already answered the question of whether we'll be driving in case of rain (with a yes, we will), just consider perhaps a slightly higher deflation point for your tires (still better not above 15 PSI), as the sand may still be harder and more compact than usually.

Once reached the meeting point, you may start deflating, and tune into Carnity Channel #3 (446.056)

The convoy order, at the moment, will be the following:

@Alexanderrr in Second Lead

@Sudhanva Sonawane at #3

@Simon Dawood will be #4

@Rob S #5

@Harshad Ashraf will drive at #6

@Karthik Raptor at #7

@Waqas Parvez is going to be #8

@Miamimoe at #9

@KAMALIO will be #10

@Reggie Landicho #11, with 

@Niki sweeping the convoy.

We'll be driving across mostly long range dunes, with some technical areas to cross, with the goal of reaching the date palm trees (some solitary, some growing in small groves), toward the border with AD (which we are NOT planning to cross), before deciding where to exit. 

Enjoy the end of the week, and see you tomorrow.

 

  • Like (+1) 4
  • Thanks (+1) 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Ale Vallecchi …. What a drive… Thankyou! 95km with only a few stucks and a flat tire!  Brilliant drive by the full convoy on a trip that had everything (except the rain).   Sorry I didn’t get to see any of you as we inflated and left!  Enjoy the weekend! 

Edited by Niki
  • Like (+1) 4
  • Totally Agree (+2) 1
  • Well Done (+2) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Ale Vallecchithank you for the wonderful drive,it was my 1st drive following your lead and sure would not be the last 🙂. it was mix of everything long-range dunes and technical ridges (although they were chopped off due to the wind direction) @Niki thank your for sweeping and learned today how to fix a flat tyre,you have always been very supportive,rest of crew drove beautifully,due to the extreme windy conditions couldn't take much photos,however what ever i have taken is uploaded in the gallery.

  • Like (+1) 1
  • Thanks (+1) 1
  • Well Done (+2) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, @Niki and fellow convoy members for the wonderful drive this morning. It’s one of the longest drives I have done so far and also not being at the back of the convoy for a change 😅. See you all soon in the desert!

 

41640070-CEF1-4AD0-A27E-4CAE3FABF187.jpeg

  • Like (+1) 3
  • Well Done (+2) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ghantoot Express - Drive Report

"One day, when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open, and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day." - Rumi

When the drive was being planned, little did I know that moving the starting point to Qudra would provide such a beautiful and unusual start of the Ghantoot Express. Instead of the forecasted rain, a strong, almost gale force wind, blowing from the south, opposite the usual prevailing winds' direction, swept the long range dunes along the Sih Al Salam Road (a.k.a Bab al Shams Rd.). The effect of the sand streaking on the open areas, and ruffling the ridges to a fine powdery dust, lit up by a hazy, yet luminous sunrise, created a surreal Martian landscape. On this extra-terrestrial terrain, full of beauty, our train of cars floated speedily. 

As much as the morning's strong winds, the abundant rains of the previous week, had also had a great impact on the architecture of the dunes that we would cross. First, the pelting rain had saturated the ridge's crests, making them collapse in many places; the winds that followed, blowing from the slip-face to the hard-face, had pushed what sand remained on the ridges away from them, flattening the tops (to a width of almost a whole car) and creating a step just below the ridge on the hard face (one meter or more at times) that made crossing quite tricky (as it required finding the place on the ridge with the lowest and narrowest step). 

While the newly re-shaped, much more packed dunes, allowed for a faster average speed, they also became very tricky, when drivers attempted to mount the ridges from too low a line of approach, with a counter-steering maneuver: the hard-packed sand would quickly build a dangerous trench on the upward side of the car, which in at least one situation almost led to a roll, and caused an unwarranted pop-out.

Having quickly learned from these small incidents, the whole convoy drove very well, in a terrain that offered a mix of challenges. Long range dunes (entering and exiting Qudra, toward Ghantoot), a couple of areas with smaller, closer, technical dunes, in the middle part of the Ghantoot stretch, open dunes and sabkhas while heading back to Qudra from our southern-most point, another set of technical dunes to access Qudra once again, and a final sprint through open long range dunes to finish back at our starting point, near Qudra's ADNOC station.

Great driving by all: @Alexanderrr(thanks for the Second Lead), the newer Fewbies @Sudhanva Sonawane, @Simon Dawood, @Rob S, @Harshad Ashraf and @Karthik Raptor, the more experienced ones @Waqas Parvez, @Miamimoe, @KAMALIO, and @Reggie Landicho, with a special thanks to @Niki, who swept and supported the convoy with speed, precision and reassuring calm.

At the end of a longer day than forecasted (we extended to make up for the 40 minutes that it took us to fix the pop out), we drove for 100.1 Km (Qudra to Qudra), in 3:28 hours of driving (4:40 h overall), at an average moving speed of 29 Km/h (21 Km/h overall). 

Thanks to all for the drive, and see you soon in drier sand.

  • Like (+1) 5
  • Thanks (+1) 3
  • Well Done (+2) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Ale VallecchiThank you for a wonderful and WINDY drive.  Very unique experience today with winds and drizzles. Also was happy you made up for lost time by extending the drive.  It is never enough.

@Niki Man you have some kind of arsenal in your treasure chest.  I see your passion for off roading and hope to meet you on many more, atleast i know I will be equipped 

@Reggie LandichoGood to meet you often on the drives.

 

Rest of the crew until next time and always a honour to drive with the Carnity Club.

 

  • Like (+1) 1
  • Thanks (+1) 2
  • Well Done (+2) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/15/2022 at 11:47 PM, Karthik Raptor said:

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi, @Niki and fellow convoy members for the wonderful drive this morning. It’s one of the longest drives I have done so far and also not being at the back of the convoy for a change 😅. See you all soon in the desert!

 

41640070-CEF1-4AD0-A27E-4CAE3FABF187.jpeg

What app/device is this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello @Ale Vallecchi thanks for a wonderful drive. I appreciate you didn’t mind extending it.🙏

Great to see again how supportive @Nikiwas in every opportunity. Brilliant as always.


Good to meet again some old folks and to be on the tail of @KAMALIO and @Miamimoe. Your Jeeps rocks💪

See you all next time.

  • Like (+1) 1
  • Thanks (+1) 2
  • Well Done (+2) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of use