Morning Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - Ghantoot to Qudra - Dubai - 05 Jan 2025

[azad]

[azad]

@nithish468, @Glenn W, @RiadJL, @Ahmed Farouk, @Mahesh_ , @azad, @Mahmut, @Andrei S, @Anoop Nair,  @Marek , @Cristian , @M.Seidam, @Bjoern

here is a short video of todays drive 

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEdC-vCtJoU/?igsh=MWFoaWd1bDdtZDh4MA%3D%3D

 

 

[Looper]

Drive Report

While in most respects both the drives were similar, there are some key differences.

First section was done in an overall narrower area on Saturday, but it was a tad bit more fluid. On Sunday I was trying to do it different and wandered around a more. We covered more distance on Sunday in first section than on Saturday, but it was also ever so slightly rough on the edges compared to Saturday; May be because finally I was feeling the bumps of the track we left behind on the previous day. 

Second section was done on a more challenging track on Saturday, resulting in more refusals and consumed more time. I toned it down on Sunday to reach the next section earlier, and also because we had to take a detour to the pillion track and back. I like the way we did it on Saturday obviously it was more of an adrenaline rush.

The third section was the best area to play. We spent a short duration there on Saturday and moved on because we were already late, and we suffered refusal that took the time allotted to play in that area. On Suday we had a flawless drive in this part of the desert. As a seasoned off-roader, who has seen more greenery in the desert than sand lately, I cannot even try to describe how happy I felt here. I could have spent the whole 3 hours here and not do anything else. Even the exit was smoother where we exited. I think it was done better on Sunday.

We just about entered the Fourth section on Saturday but it was late already so we did a bumpy exit to the pillion track.

I hope you all enjoyed the drive.

I would like to thank @Frederic and @M.Seidam to be in the drive, you guys always there to help out on the refusals and it was confidence boosting to have spare leads in the drive (due to recent issues with my car though it is good now). Also big thanks to @Anoop Nair and @Bjoern for being excellent second leads.

Till next time...

PS: A note on speed: While the average speed of the Sunday drive is much more 19.1 kph compared to 12.9 kph on Saturday, we can see that the difference in moving speed was lot narrower. It was 20.6 kph on Saturday and 21.9 kph on Sunday. A point to note that we had more pillion track to cover on Sunday compared to Saturday that would have favorably affected the Sunday. We were also doing a bit more difficult areas in Section 2 on Saturday. So, on Saturday, we moved less but when we did, we moved with as much vigor as we did on Sunday.

[Looper]

12 hours ago, azad said:

@nithish468, @Glenn W, @RiadJL, @Ahmed Farouk, @Mahesh_ , @azad, @Mahmut, @Andrei S, @Anoop Nair,  @Marek , @Cristian , @M.Seidam, @Bjoern

here is a short video of todays drive 

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEdC-vCtJoU/?igsh=MWFoaWd1bDdtZDh4MA%3D%3D

 

 

As much as it looks nice to blast sand around, you should not be doing it. In the best-case scenario, you have a pop-out, but it is also the leading cause for rollovers, as sand creates a wall underneath the tires and flips the vehicle. You should be very careful with fish tailing and under no circumstances fight gravity.

The true skill of desert driver is in driving with the least amount of disturbance on the top layer of sand. I would advise on caution in what you do because you travel with guests including children.

[Lala G]

@Looper excellent reviewing and comparing both drives. The way you have split up and decoded all the data is splendid and commendable indeed giving perspective to a seemly random drive to an untrained eye. Moreover impressive is your fervor for leading us; 2 days in a row.  Appreciate your efforts. 💪

[M.Seidam]

Very well done @Looper leading and writing up the info above 👍 

and yes in desert nothing is certain and safety is of at most what we care to adhere to in this motor sport. Experience can teach us and we can choose always to learn it the hard way or the gentle way . 
Thank you all for sharing the passion on Sunday .

 

[Frederic]

Fantastic 2-day adventure @Looper ! I was delighted to be a part of it and enjoyed surfing at the back. During the refusals i purposely allowed a bit more time for shoveling and crawl control exercises as the weather was splendid and we had good shovelers with us  

It was a bit challenging towards the back as the sand was moist and clumpy and left huge crosstrack walls, which meant

going sideways often threw the car completely out of balance. @Ishak probably felt it too. Nevertheless we had great fun and every drive teaches us something.

You selected a very nice area, and it goes to show we should not give up on the Marmoom area too easily. There is always something to explore and this is what shows your skills as a lead. 

See you all soon in the sand !

[Ishak]

26 minutes ago, Frederic said:

It was a bit challenging towards the back as the sand was moist and clumpy and left huge crosstrack walls, which meant

going sideways often threw the car completely out of balance. @Ishak probably felt it too. Nevertheless we had great fun and every drive teaches us something.

You’re absolutely right@Frederic. At that moment, I often felt a bit scared😅, as my car was being pulled into the tire tracks left by previous cars. In the first hour, I noticed that the two left tires kept losing pressure, dropping to 5 psi twice—likely due to being deflected by the half-wet sand wall. Afterward, I adjusted my approach, choosing to steer down carefully in tougher situations. Thankfully, after an hour of driving, the sand began to loosen up, and I no longer experienced any pressure loss in the tires. It turned out to be a fantastic and fun drive👍. Always something new to learn! Bravo @Looper!!.

See you all soon in the sand!

Edited January 6, 2025 by Ishak

[Looper]

3 hours ago, Frederic said:

Fantastic 2-day adventure @Looper ! I was delighted to be a part of it and enjoyed surfing at the back. During the refusals i purposely allowed a bit more time for shoveling and crawl control exercises as the weather was splendid and we had good shovelers with us  

It was a bit challenging towards the back as the sand was moist and clumpy and left huge crosstrack walls, which meant

going sideways often threw the car completely out of balance. @Ishak probably felt it too. Nevertheless we had great fun and every drive teaches us something.

You selected a very nice area, and it goes to show we should not give up on the Marmoom area too easily. There is always something to explore and this is what shows your skills as a lead. 

See you all soon in the sand !

Agree to the wet sand issue on Saturday’s drive. While I was running, or rather flying through the dunes. I can understand the issues faced by back of the convoy. When sand is dry, even if the track is churned it allows for the sand to move a bit and make it easier to drive. But wet sand makes hard tracks that don’t budge and make it more challenging to drive. On Sunday it was fairly dried up.