Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Al Ajban with Imran, The Emerging Lead - Abu Dhabi - 18 Apr 2026

[Emanuel]

DRIVE PLAN

This Saturday, we’re heading into the heart of the Al Ajban desert for a thrilling morning drive that promises a mix of technical challenges, scenic dunes, and fast-flowing tracks.

Our route winds through a diverse desert landscape, starting with firm sabkha flats perfect for our initial briefing and warming up the convoy. As we progress, the terrain shifts into medium to large rolling dunes, offering plenty of opportunities for side sloping, ridge riding, and bowl play.

Imran will lead part of the convoy drive with me in Second Lead. 

Looking forward to seeing you out there for a safe and thrilling desert adventure!

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities
• Convoy Off-road Drives - Safety protocol during emergency alert

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie and above

When:  18 April 2026, Saturday

Meeting time:  7:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/JD5TjuvAgpYjHCJBA

Action Plan:  Starting from the Al Faqa Road we'll make our way southeast and then southwest into the heart of Al Ajban before heading west to our exit point.

Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Recommended off-road gears: Walkie-talkie radio and off-road flag (MANDATORY), plus tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

 

[Emanuel]

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you are excited for our drive tomorrow morning. Please let me know if your circumstances have changed and you cannot join the drive. 

I will be posting the convoy order in the next few hours.

Special mention --> @Imran Asghar will be doing his 2nd partial with us tomorrow.

Also, when using Google Maps to get to the meeting point, have a good look at the suggested route to make sure it makes sense. It made a long way to get there for two drivers last time I used this starting point.

[Emanuel]

The convoy will line up is as follows:

@Imran Asghar @Sebastian Nohse @Raj K @Hartzel @Wayne Momsen @M.Seidam @khurramm @Krinesh

Lead + SL               Emanuel    The White Rhino    Expert
SL + Partial Lead    Imran Asghar    Toyota, FJ Cruiser Xtreme, White 2013    Advisor
3                             Sebastian Nohse    2023 Ford Ranger Raptor, Burned Orange Color    Fewbie
4                             Raj K    2020 Mitsubishi Pajero 3.8 LWB - 5 door - White    Fewbie
5                             Hartzel    2022 Toyota Fortuner 4.0 - White    Fewbie

CF                           M.Seidam    Nissan Xterra 2012 ( white/black ), JGC limited 2015 ( white )    Senior Marshal
7                             Wayne Momsen    2023 Defender 90- Dynamic-white    Fewbie

8                           khurramm    Tahoe 2014    Fewbie
Sweep                     Krinesh    2024 Ford Ranger Raptor: Orange    Fewbie Plus 

We will use Carnity Channel 4, which is 446.081.

Get lots of rest and see you in the morning.
 

[Yerem Davtyan]

@Emanuel, my apologies have to remove my rsvp and skip tomorrow.  Have fun! 

[Emanuel]

3 minutes ago, Yerem Davtyan said:

@Emanuel, my apologies have to remove my rsvp and skip tomorrow.  Have fun! 

Thanks for letting me know.

[Kashx2]

Good morning. Car didnt start well this morning. Im not going to risk it, sorry to step out. 

[Emanuel]

48 minutes ago, Kashx2 said:

Good morning. Car didnt start well this morning. Im not going to risk it, sorry to step out. 

Thanks for letting me know.

[Imran Asghar]

Evening all,

A quick note to say that despite the change in the planned route (black line from south to north), we were blocked by a large fence and had to find another way in. Took a bit of time but we got there in the end.

As you can see, the actual route we took was the green line, so we ended up back at the start and went through the first set of dunes, which were pretty decent. We covered just under 49 Kms. 

The area had a lot of greenery, which made it quite bumpy in places, so it took a bit of thinking to get us onto cleaner dunes.

The section towards the end of the first half and into the second half was quite technical, so it was good that we didn’t have any major issues—especially with all the bumping and banging along the way.

Everyone did really well. I was especially happy with Raj’s progress, and I felt confident with all the drivers throughout.

Thanks as well for your patience. The unexpected issue at the start meant we couldn’t get onto the bigger dunes first, but it’s a good learning. For future drives in Ajban, we can start from the north and come down, basically doing the planned route in reverse.

Big thanks to Dr Seidam and Emanuel for the support and ideas—definitely things I’ll use going forward.

@Krinesh thanks for support at the back it made my drive very chilled and dramatic free thank you 

Night night.

Edited April 19 by Imran Asghar
Because I was half asleep when I wrote it. I had a coffee and re done it. Yalla push

[Emanuel]

Thank you all for joining today’s drive and for contributing to a smooth, enjoyable morning in the dunes.

Everyone arrived early, which allowed us to start the briefing a few minutes ahead of schedule and get moving into the desert. That kind of punctuality sets the tone for a well‑coordinated drive, and it certainly showed today.

A special thanks to @Imran Asghar for the detailed post‑drive report and for leading with such clarity and precision. Watching you weave through the technical dunes, chart clean paths toward our target areas, and keep the convoy informed throughout was a pleasure. Your calm command of the terrain made the entire experience seamless.

Appreciation also goes to @M.Seidam for joining us and providing solid mid‑convoy support. Your presence allowed Imran to fully focus on the terrain ahead, knowing the center was in capable hands.

@Krinesh, excellent job managing the sweep. You kept the convoy tight, communicated updates at the right moments, and ensured no one was left behind. That steady rear‑guard presence is invaluable.

And @Raj K, well done on completing your first Fewbie drive. You handled the challenges with increased confidence and adapted quickly to the pace and rhythm of the level. A strong start to your Fewbie journey.

Overall, it was a well‑executed team effort from start to finish. Looking forward to seeing you all again on the next adventure.

[Emanuel]

The Relive video of our drive is here. Be sure to smash the like button

See some of the photos of our drive in the Gallery here. Please post any new photos there too.

Have a great week ahead everyone.