Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Mahafiz Delight - Sharjah - 5 Jun 2022

[KKIRAN]

Hi sorry for late info of withdrawal from tomorrow’s drive. Hope to see you all next time.

[munkybizness]

This weekend, a return to the "Newbies" for me, was such a revelation. It was also a run down memory lane to almost a year ago when I too was first learning to calm my nerves as we set off from the first dune in Muquab, or the first time I saw the sun peek over the horizon in Mahafiz. Rising up the ranks, you realize how much of the banter just disappears. As I hit Fewbie+, I would quickly hop out, setup the flag, do some lunges deflating tyres, and apart from the cursory greetings of the morning, just ask around for which frequency we're on. Then come the warnings of not fighting gravity, and the convoy order, and we're off. Somewhere along the way, a wayward gazelle or a clumsy camel will catch our eye, become the butt of jokes for drivers in the back (just like backbenchers in school), and the radio will be silent once again. "Bio breaks" will become moments to air down the tyres once again. If the Newbies are a space of dialogue, the ranks higher up are a place of quiet contemplation. 

But the truth is, that in rising up to the highest levels, the magic of the desert, the supreme landscape, and our place in it, gets shrouded from view. We rarely take a moment to take stock of where we are, how we got there, and what this all means.

In joining @Brette & @Gaurav's drives in the red sands of Sharjah, I found once again, the magic that had pulled me deep into these sands. On the second morning, I arrived fashionably early at the famous tree shade in Mahafiz, aired down, setup my flag, and then just pulled out my camping chair, popped open a store-bought bowl of watermelon, poured myself a steaming cup of coffee, and just leaned back...

There, across the horizon, a blue tinge with golden underlines was beginning to put on its daily show. Except today, I was here to look at it with awe & wonder. Calmer and with my bearings now in place, I was ready to drive out.

Except, Mahafiz and its lush desert forest had other plans. Shrubs peppered the dunes far and wide. And with every turn, the root balls of these shrubs made their jarring presence in the soft sands felt even more. These shrubs also created unenviable harsh pockets of sand. We could have just as easily taken the flat ground, but the marshal in @Gaurav wanted us to navigate as offroaders do, turning on a dime, to find our path through. As we finally emerged out of the first clearing, and circled in from the right, we saw a wall of slopes emerging. In the early morning light, their slopes shone even brighter against the foreground of the green shrubbery.

Behind him, @Senthil Kumar, our second lead for the day, who's not afraid of heights anymore after scaling Liwa with @Frederic, was happy to throw his hat into the ring multiple times. In both the long side slope riding, the straight climb up Al Faya, and the line that he laid for the convoy behind him, he showed just how confident and disciplined a driver he is. There was no showboating. It was crisp, efficient and clean - all the qualities you want in a good driver.

Here, on these long side slopes, and the might Al Faya Bowl, @Looper, @imranaasghar81 & @Dodi Syahdar put on a show that I'm in complete awe of. Dodi marked new lines at the highest points of these long slopes, rode the ridges of Al Faya like no car has done before, and conquered every line with elan. It is clear why you are the driver you are.

Elsewhere, I saw first hand yesterday what @Looper looks like in "attack mode". From being the first to sail up Al Faya down the middle slope to laying down the gauntlet for everybody else, I want to see more of this side of you. I absolutely love it! Gone was the smooth Wrangler, and in its place, a lean war machine was racing, climbing and flying off the sides.

In the FJ with fresh new air intakes sucking in the cool morning air, Imran and his checkered flag called the games to a start.

But this isn't an Intermediate drive. And some of our more enthusiastic drivers were not going to be left behind. It was clear that in watching the different cars make their run across the long slope, @george charbel had trained his eyes to find a much cleaner and smoother gradient up the slope. Combined with the right amount of throttle, he sailed up the side. It was such a treat to watch, that I too could not hold myself back from trying the same line. George, it was absolutely sublime. You have a great eye.

Behind me, @Yogesh Chaudhary, was equally doing his best to negotiate the gaps and get over soft sand pockets. For the one refusal you had, it was purely a matter of choosing a cleaner line and being more thrifty with your throttle. Your tire pressure was also too high for the softer sands in Sharjah. I would recommend starting with 14 psi in the future on your H/T treads in Sharjah, and 15 psi if you're in Qudra. With deflation done, the same sections immediately became so much more pliable.

@takeshi sobue, your daughter is the reason we encourage drivers to bring their kids out to drives. And I'm so glad you did. She's a superstar in the making, and these memories will only go on to become the highlights of her childhood. It was also amazing to see how she wanted to get involved with shoveling. Let this be a lesson to all drivers who don't like shoveling, that if "Loon" (I hope I've spelled that correctly) can do it this well and with this much enthusiasm, you're not excused 😛

For me, the most redeeming part of the drive was to see @Stan Hassett and @Theo09's drives. Theo, you have excellent command on that Fortuner. With your choice on whether to get a Prado or something more meaty, I am certain that you will make it do the same wonders you did with the Fortuner. You were also the most compliant "left-to-right, and back" operator I've seen on a Newbie drive putting those guns to great use .

Stan, apart from little hesitation which is totally warranted as you start out on this journey, you were great too. I particularly liked how when you ran out of momentum on crests, you didn't force your way through. Most drivers do this and dig themselves in. You stopped right there, and this made reversing out and trying it all over again so much easier - not to mention quicker.

All in all, I understand now even more clearly why @Frederic (in Liwa, on the second morning - I have good memory) and @Gaurav insist that drivers come back and participate in newbie drives. This weekend in Sharjah has given me a renewed interest into what matters even more than the driving - which is to pass the bug on to the others. And I hope we did that, because I hope to see all of you return and continue driving. The seeds of great skill have already been embedded. Let it germinate and flourish, much like the lush forests of Mahafiz

See you all out on the sands again soon

[ 🐵 ]

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by munkybizness

[Frederic]

Absolutely agree with you @munkybizness. Many people that Newbie level drives are for Newbies only, but they are in fact "All Level" drives, and we always welcome ANY high level member to join these drives for the reasons you described above !