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THIS DRIVE IS NOW CLOSED To the Amazing Eight @Rinelle Sanaani @Lucky sAm @Febin Frederic @Chaitanya D @Jolly Abraham @asifk @Najeeb Mohammed @Kalahari. Friday Afternoon will see you assisted by the Musketeers @Srikumar and @Jeepie as we wind our way from 2nd December Cafe to Big Red by Badayer and Al Madam. Please see below the convoy numbering as it stands today, subject to work commitments and anything unexpected happening on the morning drives. We will be using Carnity Radio Channel 4 during this drive. Please make sure your radio is programmed and set for the right frequency as we will have no time to set up radios before we leave. One of the great benefits of starting the drive at 2nd December Cafe is that we can enter the dunes immediately so, please deflate once you arrive, put up your flag and be ready to leave. The weather report says it will be hot, hot, hot! So, the less time spent by the side of the road waiting, the better. Breifing will be given on the radio. Our advice is to deflate to around 13PSI (depending on your vehicle), slightly less more than you deflate in the Winter months because the sand is soft, and gets even softer during the day because of the heat. If you are driving a morning drive as well, you will feel the difference between the two and that little bit of extra connection with the sand will help you float better over the sand. Please make sure your compressor is in good working order, and that you have all the required tools [boring reminder for the third time I know, but still essential]. Should anyone have any problems, have to sign out for any reason or have any questions, please do not hesitate to raise them here. Looking forward to a fun, challenging and scenic drive. See you soon in the sand.

Drive RSVP is closed Convoy Numbering 1. Srikumar - XJ 2. Janarthan - FJC 3. Taha Elghuel - Wrangler 4. Christian Andras - FJC 5. Jeandre Bezuidenhout - Wrangler 6. Biju Abdul - FJC 7. Heisem - FJC 8. Tbone - Xterra 9. Andy - Pajero LWB 10. Melenany - Ford F150 11. Edgar - Wrangler 12. marks - FJC 13. Incognitoes - Wrangler 14. Nivin - Xterra 15. Emmanuel - Xterra See you tomorrow morning on or before 5:00 AM

We will be using radio channel 4 and the convoy numbering will be Jeepie Expert Jeep Wrangler Y 1 JJ Fewbie Jeep Wrangler Y 2 Jun Zamora Fewbie Jeep Wrangler Y 3 Shjiu Manuel Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 4 Rajeevan Vickneswaran Fewbie Jeep Wrangler Y 5 Yousef Alimadadi Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 6 Brette Advance Jeep Grand Cherokee Y 7 Mehmet Volga Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 8 RohanH Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 9 Lorenzo Candelpergher Fewbie Nissan Patrol Y62 Y 10 Febin Frederic Fewbie Jeep Wrangler Y 11 Magellan Fewbie FJ Cruiser Y 12 Ale Vallecchi Expert Toyota FJ Cruiser Y 13

I'm so glad that we get to learn from others mistakes. If these videos and lessons can teach deflate our egos a bit it is the cherry on the cake. Since offroading is now a big part of our life and not a competition, safety is our number 1 priority. Respect the terrain and respect the different conditions we go through at different seasons throughout the year. I've now been offroading for around 12 years and still learning the art of offroading. We should never forget our basics.

Well point noted by @Veedooshee over seatbelt and radio, as these two things we see time and time again people start to ignore as there is no radar or cops in the desert so we can drive without a seat belt. That's totally wrong. Secondly guy shouting and helping him to reverse Prado was in direct line of roll and barely escaped, if stumble on rock and fall down, he would have been the first victim. Every time we train the new offroaders for recovery, we tell them first to look for your own safety before helping others. Sometime when people panic and know they can contain the situation, they get carried away with wrong or risky approach. So one should always be 100% calm and vigilant before helping others as 1 incident is better than 2 or 3.

I think the high speed was an ego thing and they definitely learnt that you dont need the biggest balls and show them off. #slowandsteadywinstherace as for the prado, he fought gravity hence he rolled down. all would've been avoided if he straightened up and reversed down. These videos make me very happy that we have experienced offroaders with us giving us tips and advice thru every situation as i think some of these people in the videos werent so lucky.

If you dont have any emotional value attached to any number like bday, first car, bla bla then Im sorry to say both numbers are no big deal and goes in usual recycle mode from RTA. Value of importance 4 digit - 5k to 20k - sold by RTA A code - 2k - 5k - sold by pvt seller B and C code - 1k - 2k - sold by pvt seller D onwards no one pays for anything D plate code goes in super high demand in 1, 2 or 3 digit as RTA was only allowed to sell D code initially (till 2010), so in 1-3 digit they only used to sell D plates in auction/advertise. Now I think they can sell any plate. D and 5 digit - no special value. I have reserved A46329 - my first car in Dubai in 2002 - emotional value. I have bought L2404 - my bday - from RTA directly.

The FJ/Jeep memes remind me of this one from family guy

Shocking amount of times that this car rolled all the way down😧 Initially he didn't have enough momentum to go uphill, but then coming down i do not understand why he was playing so much with the steering wheel, he should have reversed straight down slowly. I also noticed that people had to shout to get his attention, if he had a radio, people could have guided him down better. Then he braked really hard and the car started to roll. Another thing caught my attention was the fact that the driver was thrown out of the car so most probably he didn't have his seatbelt.

In here my favorite was G 63 plate on Merc G63. In Turkey i was driving a Peugeot 206. Surely my plate wash 10 AL 206 i wanted that plate so much and luckily got Peugeot fan police officer while registration. I ended up getting the plate number for free Keep that plate number when you are selling your car. I was getting a C plate number if i choose another Xterra over the one i choose now. But cleaner car is better than a good plate number.

All these numbers and digits are quite meaningless and invaluable to me. I'd rather go for:

No its fine as I will be going for the fewbie in evening , you go ahead with this drive. I will remove my RSVP from here and Join Rahim bhai.

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher if you want you can take my place, I will go for the newbie drive with @Rahimdad, as there are still few positions available in his drive. Please let us know here so that we can change RSVP before the final convoy list is done. Kindly note this adjustment @Jeepie

Thank u sir @Wrangeld for an exciting teaser for the drive.. see su all tomorrow

I am with you Topgear, this is still a topsport driven by top athletes. Not really interested what the top 2 teams will achieve, most probably Mercedes 1 and Red Bull 2. But very interesting what is happening in the middle. And how will Ferrari save this season? Also strong characters behind the wheel, from a driver that lost his Father and friend and still performed through his career to a guy who is not coming from an elite family and still made it into the sport. This is still an art.

@Rahimdad even late though i will still pen down something on this.. 1) First as rightly said by almost everybody speed is the issue (as @Gaurav always says it we are not here to race or to overtake anybody without any reason).. 2) As @Gaurav quite often advises us newbies to take a 'leap of faith' to cross this kind of dune whilst for him i think it is his overconfidence that misled him to just tackle the dune in any manner without assessing it.. 3) Discipline and respect is also another skill required which appears to be lacking here..

With this I made my choice thanks @Xaf

78997 has a bit of value. The boeing 789 > is a version of the 787 - 900, Emirates might get them in the future and pilots will look for these combinations. Porsche 997 Keep it!

@Gaurav I have a Silver 2017 Duster with full-lock and automatic 4WD, 8 inch clearance and front/rear tow hooks. No off-roading experience apart from a few sandy patches on the way to Al Qudra Lakes.

Dear @Tbone, @Michael sammy,@Colin Jordan, @Mels Wolf and @Javier M find below the convoy numbering for this Saturday's drive: 1. Ale Vallecchi 2. Mels Wolf 3. TBone 4. Michael Sammy 5. Colin Jordan 6. Javier As already mentioned in the drive's announcement, we'll reverse the usual itinerary, and will start with Super Bowl and Iftar Bowl, with the goal to find better sand and cooler temperatures to make the climbs a little easier. Let's just hope that Friday's off-roaders have not left too many marks on these great dunes. In case these major bowls were a bit too marked with previous tracks, we'll have a lot of opportunities to visit other "minor" bowls, as we progress toward the final exit point. In fact, after Iftar Bowl, in the direction of Badayer, there are still quite a few great dune formations which we'll be able to explore, also in the hope of finding less signs of traffic. Please note that the meeting and deflation point is a little deeper into the village of Shabiyat, so keep on going after you leave the Dubai-Hatta Road, until you actually arrive at the marked point. When you do so, please tune into Carnity Channel 1 (466.006). Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday morning. Enjoy the end of the week.

I'd go with N number since it comes with the car anyways. I personally have bought 3 plates (1 bike + 2 car) they all have repetitive numbers and emotional value.

PREPARATION FOR THE DRIVE AND WHAT TO EXPECT 1) Please ensure that you reach the meeting point on time, i.e., 5:00 AM sharp. If you are late, you would be left behind. 2) The senior members on the drive would be Me and @Emmanuel. 3) @Tbone would be assisting everyone with the recoveries 4) Convoy numbering would be posted after 6 pm today. 5) Please spend 15 minutes to go through the Absolute Newbie briefing Video. This would help you prepare for your offroad trip. 6) Once you reach the meeting point, please turn on your radios. We will be using Carnity Channel 2 tomorrow. (446.03125 Mhz). The instructions to program the radio are provided in the below post 7) All traction controls, ABS and Air bags need to be switched off. If it requires pulling the fuse, please do the needful. Incase of any queries you can always ask the senior members. 😎 Deflate to 15 psi. Incase if you have any difficulties you can approach the senior members who would assist you. 9) Feel free to ask questions on the radio or announce if you have a problem. We shall be starting the drive close to 2nd December Cafeteria, and enter the desert through some nice easy tracks and dunes so that you can get familiar with your vehicle. As the convoy's confidence increases I shall be gradually increasing the level of the drive keeping in mind everyone's comfort level. We will be driving for about 3 hours, practice driving in sand, proper steering control, crossing some dunes, and getting you and your vehicle accustomed to off-roading in general. By 08:30 we will be heading out, where you can inflate the tyres with your compressor. As we would not be exiting close to a gas station, please ensure that you have your own compressor. See you on the sand tomorrow.

Looks like the whole world is amazed by Ford attempt of launching a capable off-roaders and not just an imposter in a plastic skin. This def need a separate topic only for Ford Bronco Meme.

That’s exactly why we keep preaching to leave your egos at home during off-roading. It eventually goes wrong and the desert “giveth but also taketh”..😉

The 2.7 comes only with the 10 speed gearbox. Very curious how that will work in the sand. Maybe 2 very long first gears? I sense a new Omani hack coming.

Excessive speed made him fly and land nose down, and wrong angle made him partially flip in the air with front left side diving down more. However the worst part, in my opinion, is that the guy should have never approached the crest while another car was stuck there, even less driving along a line so close to it! If anything, he should have approached slowly and stopped nearby to see if help was needed..

- It is a sharp and steep ridge, Looks like the dune is being climbed from the slip face side. - Too much speed and wrong angle for sure. - Very unsafe move, Seeing a car already stuck, we should stop, wait and reassess the situation... - Another reason is the show off attitude, showing that my car is better and more powerful. - Very dangerous move, should have reverse straight down. - It was a hard braking as well while reversing.

Guys i found a car and i am in purchase process now. This question could be odd for the people who doesn`t care about plate number. The car i am buying have the plate of N 78997. Which is nice number with double 7 and double 9. I have the plate number under my name D 30197. D is bit nicer because it is old plate from year 2000. N plate belong to year 2011-2012 but numbers are nicer. What would you choose? I know @Gaurav also in to plate numbers. If there is any other plate number freak let me know what you think/

As its just passed 7pm in Saudi Arabia I present to you our convoy numbering for tomorrow. 1 Rahimdad - Lead 2 Vanessa - Second Lead 3 Veedooshee 4 Avig 5 David Ortell 6 Sertac - Centre Forward 7 Sreejith Sreenivasan 8 Topgear 9 Ahmed Farghaly 10Chaitanya - Sweep Radio Channel for tomorrow's drive Carnity Channel 1: 446.00625 Mhz. Please make sure your radio is charged and set to all 5 Carnity frequencies when you arrive at the deflation point, as we might change the channel if there is disturbance on Channel 1. Keep your distance when deflating and do not "gather" upon arrival. Deflate your vehicle and step back in the car so we can convey the briefing over the radio. Whenever you need help to deflate, announce on the radio and a senior or marshal will come to assist. Make sure you have a deflator, flag, and your radio. Since we will be ending with no gas station nearby a compressor is compulsory for tomorrow's drive. See you tomorrow ! @Vanessa8580 @Veedooshee @AviG @David Ortells @sertac @Sreejith Sreenivasan @topgear @Ahmed Farghaly @Chaitanya D.

DRIVE RSVP IS CLOSED NOW Here is the final convoy list Gaurav C Silver Pajero h1fny N Jeep Wrangler JLU Neale Faulkner AN Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2019 Kieran McKeown AN Silver Renault Duster Lisa Pemberton N Black Pajero Enoch Mbatiah AN 2016 Pajero Omar Shoukry AN Ford Explorer limited Mohamed Seidam AN Jeep Grand Cherokee 2015 farazcan AN 2007 Landcruiser Prado Vineeth John Joseph AN White, Nissan Xterra Miguel Ibarbia AN Jeep Wrangler JK, 2015 Xavier Treasurer AN Xterra - off Road, 2015 Hennie Schoeman AN Jeep Wrangler 2017 Mels Wolf I Dark Grey Pajero @h1fny @Neale Faulkner @Kieran McKeown @Lisa Pemberton @Enoch Mbatiah @Omar Shoukry @Mohamed Seidam @farazcan @Vineeth John Joseph @Miguel Ibarbia @Xavier Treasurer @Hennie Schoeman @Mels Wolf Please be on time, sharp at 5 AM, little early is always better. Please tune to Carnity Channel 1 - 446.006'25 freq, if you have the radio. Deflate your tires to 15 PSI as soon as you reach to the meeting point. Be inside your car - AT ALL TIMES - after the deflation, I and Mels will pass by each vehicle to hand over the spare radio and to check your front and rear tow points. I will personally verify each absolute newbie if you have watched the absolute newbie video briefing, posted on the first page here.

Yes agree that 78997 is a nice number. The only reason why you are asking is because you have emotional attachment to your own number. If that is the case, then go with your own number. I would too if I am emotionally attached to the number.

This is a 4x4 i really wondering how it does at sand. I think it wont have enough power to climb long dunes but it should be good for newbie and fewbie drives since its being very light and it shares the 4x4 system with Nissan.

Hi, I have a 2016 pajero stock. I have no experience in off roading.

Yes that seat belt point is very important ! Well done !

Yes I’m having this plate for almost 8 years now

Hmm..this is interesting. buy the way my plate number is C-94515. as per above its worth about 1-2K is anyone interested. 😀

Dear @Chaitanya D, this would be very kind of you, thanks a lot for your availability! If you were aiming for a Fewbie drive instead of a Newbie one, I don't want you to give it up for me..

Hi everyone, so the convoy numbering for the drive tomorrow will be as below: We will use radio frequency #2. The plan is to start off at a comfortable pace, play around a bit on the broader and longer dunes within the area and eventually make it up to fossil rock. If time permits, we will try and head towards faya for some extra play time and eventually exit out towards the adnoc gas station on the sharjah-maleha road. Looking forward to a fun filled drive.

Completely agree. Drive to Survive on Netflix and various Podcasts and interviews allow us to understand more about those drivers, the struggle they went through and how they got there and stay in F1

Thank u Sir @Gaurav.. il take photo in squarish a d portrait next time.

Thanks @Islam Soliman for keeping us informed. See you next week. @Heisem your name has been added on to the drive list. @Onlyjunaid you are now Waitlist#1

Got another one ...different terrain though VID-20200715-WA0094.mp4

Not safe nor wise. Very dangerous way of approaching the recovery area if he didn't jump and flipped he would have lost control and hit the wrangler. He didn't evaluate the recovery area nor took time to think of the best recovery angle or dune side he just chosen to speed up as if he reached faster he would have got a prize.

@Rahimdad, to me it seems like one of the most important things to learn when off-roading, which is when to stop rather then when to continue.... the car stops going forward and slide sideways, stopping at this moment probably would have prevented the rear Tyres digging in causing the flip... besides the angle and speed of attack I guess this is the biggest take-away...

Clearly a very sharp angle on both sides of the ridge to get a lifted Wrangler stuck like that. The exact wrong time to show off. Too fast, poor choice of line. Love this helpful way to learn @Rahimdad

Hi @Wrangeld I have added my name again - still doubtful subject to some work commitments, but I will withdraw before 6 on Thursday if it does not work out. Magnificent 7 was far better movie than Hateful 8!