Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Faqa - Dubai- 29 Oct 2022

[Gary F]

@munkybizness wonderful journal entry of our early morning drive.

 

The sand certainly had a difference feel which from the moisture, being long wheel base I felt at times I needed more momentum on the sidies but less throttle to prevent fishtailing.

Surprisingly the gladiator felt more competent the higher up it was. 
 

still need to fight to right balance of speed for going over crests, too little and I crest, too much and I jump…

 

 

[Bashar Beasha]

4 hours ago, Islam Soliman said:

Thanks for the feedback @Bashar Beasha.. it’s natural during early drives that you have such a feeling .. we have all been there .. it takes a couple of more drives to get the comfort and confidence. You did very well for the level and for sure whenever you feel you need more time/space to feel more comfortable don’t hesitate to share on the radio or 1:1. 
As we always say during the briefing and throughout the drive, we want to have fun and keep it interesting for everyone but there is no competition or stress as safety is no 1 for all.

I agree, and it was an absolute fun. Thanks again and looking forward to join your next newbie drive. 

[Simon D]

Thanks @Islam Soliman for the wonderful drive , it was a quite long convoy to drive in .

@munkybizness there is no better way to describe the drive, very detailed and artistic . and as always i grasp the opportunity to learn from your experience my friend   . 

everyone drove amazingly well, I was pleased to meet some new faces as well as our old friends. I was tremendously happy to see @Mohamad Anwer  in the sand again ( i knew it buddy that nothing will stop you from coming back) 

thanks again for everyone who joined the drive looking forward to seeing you all again soon 

[Looper]

On 10/31/2022 at 5:54 PM, munkybizness said:

There's a certain amount of mystery in the air every time @Islam Soliman takes to the sands. And no doubt, on this hazy Saturday morning, as my Patrol pierced rammed through the fog settled in Faqa hopping over every hump in my way, I could feel the unknown getting bigger and bigger still. After all, when Islam takes you to Faqa, you know there's going to be lots of sideys. Lots and lots of it

I arrived late to the meeting point so without any pleasantries, I jumped right away into setting up my flag and deflating my wheels. To the left, a duotone classic caught my eye. I assumed it was a mirage (or the fact that I was still waking up). It's only when I was all done, did I realize that what I'd assumed was a mirage was just that - a cool blue sight with a shimmering white top in the form of a classic Land Cruiser 70. There's only two people I know who look after these with this much care. And from the roster, I knew it was @Mohamad Anwer. What I didn't know was everything that had transpired in the past month and same to bring this blue bird rather than his usual supercharged box. After hearing the story, I was and am just so glad to see him on his feet, smiling away as a beautiful sun peeked across the horizon. He, of course, came back to the desert not just with a classic, but one with "balloon" tyres. If ever you needed a greater sense of how to conquer your fear, it was on this morning with Mohamed piloting a car with tyres designed only for the most courageous.

With seventeen cars on the roster, this was no small convoy and definitely one that I hadn't witnessed in many months. Ahead of me lay some fresh newbies and with it came the responsibility to also not push too hard. To make matters even more interesting, the foggy and humid night before had seeped moisture into the sands making them clump up after every passing car. So, by the time it came to car #4, the tracks were already deep and compacted. The fact that nobody had a severe popout, save the partial one, is a testament to how well the convoy drove in these conditions.

If you drive long enough with Islam, you begin to recognize that he has a unique skill in positioning his behemoth of a car, in the middle of a dune face. I am going to call him the Dunesurfer from now on for this exact reason. And behind him, a very competent and supportive @Benjamin kept up. This is exactly why Islam pushed the pace as much as he did in this newbie drive. Between Benjamin and I, was a team of newbies all coming to terms with their machines and it reminded me of my early drives and both the lack and exuberance of throttle I too would put in then. Keeping the right gap also seemed hard for each driver. But all I will say to each one of you is that you don't need to think so hard. Practice makes better, and you will get better at this. The more important thing to focus on is throttle management. And it is a skill I am still learning to this very day. Over time, you'll know what is just enough as you get closer to what your machine is telling you.

@Frans M, driving a manual LC70 is no easy feat. And if you ever need the guidance, there is no better voice than @Mohamad Anwer. Please do connect with him. Not only is he one of the most amazing human beings, but his knowledge of the platform will also give you tremendous insight into how to better yourself. The going away of the fear and the understanding of which line to take, will come with time.

@Stan, whether your car is green or black or sparkly is a debate that will rage on for some time to come. But what you should know is that you have a very capable machine, but it too has its limitations, apart from the restrictions that the desert will throw at you. You already have a good grasp on how to read the lines of the desert. For now, in your newbie drives, err more on the side of caution and exit out rather than trying to fight gravity and muscle your way up. With time, you'll find exactly how to surf the dune face while managing your fishtailing effortlessly like Islam does. We have an unwritten rule that we don't enforce this early on about "leaving the lightest of tracks". This comes when your car is using just the right amount of momentum that it floats over dunes rather than digging in and churning up the track.

@Bashar Beasha, it's always nice to see another Y61 on the convoy roster. And yours is a stunner. It also has oodles of power that you will get better at managing as the drives go by. Trust me, I've been in your exact seat. Where you were good at climbing up the dune, you continued to throttle too hard through the dune face even when your car was slipping down in the wake of tracks left behind. In situations like these, it's always better to exit out rather than trying to pitch your nose up again and try to climb up. Towards the end of the drive, I could see you exiting out early and taking a loop to re-attempt. This is the right way to do it. There is no shame in re-attempting a climb.

One of my early issues was that I would always worry what people would think about how terribly I was driving such a legendary car, so much so that it got into my head and for many drives and I couldn't shake it off. That may not be an issue for you but almost all new off-roaders are significantly worse than what their car is capable of. This is why even the most experienced off-roaders still do Newbie drives when they get a new car because no two cars are the same. Through practice, they inch up and closer to what their machine can truly do in their hands and with their feet. 

And to @Gary F behind me, all I can say is that apart from that crest which gave our shovels and your arms quite the workout, you drove really well. I especially liked seeing how you chose the line and height that you were most comfortable with. You do have a long long-wheelbase motor so it will require even more attention when crossing ridges and doing narrow twisties, but on long range open dunes, you were up to the mark. And I loved seeing the smile that was constantly plastered on your passenger's face. It's moments like these that really instill the awe of adventure and motoring into the young ones.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't call out my favorite security detail (@Simon Dawood) who would be by my side in every refusal and recovery. Having you shoulder to shoulder is a real pleasure and thank you for your input. In bouncing ideas off of you, I learn so much. In the back, thank you @Gaurav Soni for playing an excellent shepherd running up and down the ranks and sniffing out the tracks. It saved me a couple of times. And since we left none of the seventeen behind, thank you @ASAD. for sweeping us up and depositing us ever so gently back where we started.

See you all out on the sands soon.

[ 🐵 ]

@munkybizness your drive posts always inspired me to write better. I imagine one day there will be published book of your posts called “Driving in the Deserts of UAE and other collected works by Munkybizness” with an introduction by @Carnity.

Edited November 2, 2022 by Looper

[munkybizness]

1 hour ago, Looper said:

@munkybizness your drive posts always inspired me to write better. I imagine one day there will be published book of your posts called “Driving in the Deserts of UAE and other collected works by Munkybizness” with an introduction by @Carnity.

You give me far too much credit @Looper. And in your analyses, I am inspired by the incredible detail you capture from every foray we make into the sands. Words just come easy to me when I’m surrounded by people like yourselves who bring so much passion and knowledge to our drives, that all I have to do is sit back and take it all in ✨