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Trip Report : Rahimdad Chapter. Setting an alarm for 4 am specially with a late night is and issue as I woke up at 3:46 am. As I arranged myself to leave at 4:30 am in a relaxed way and enjoyed my drive to the meeting point. Reaching early I was surprised to see Dr @Mohamed Seidam who was already deflating as I arrived. His younger brother looks so much like him the I was confused as to how he could be sitting in the passenger seat and deflating at the same time. @sertac was just behind me and soon the place was full with our participants. Thanks to Dr @Mohamed Seidam for his suggestion and @sertac for putting the whole drive together for everyone to enjoy their Friday morning. With a quick deflation and a bunch of truly enthusiastic members who respect everyone's time and Covid restriction is by far the best bunch I've come across so far. As the convoys split and we had quick radio check, radio briefing and convoy positions we were off. I love this area because we can drive at any given level in this area. How well we all managed is not only due to our planning, but a good example of how well our structure is working. The right convoy for the right drive, this Fewnie+ level also gives chance to our Fewbies to test their skills before they're promoted to intermediate level. Everyone managed well in terms of keeping the convoy moving safely. The essence of timely departure and both convoys doing so well without many refusals and no stucks at all are testament to both convoys arriving on top of Fossil Rocks one behind the other. The 5 minutes we got from @sertac convoy to move ahead gave us enough time to create our tracks towards our final destinarion, Faya. I tried my best to find some virgin dunes on the way, but found some nice areas to play as we headed towards Faya, thankfully no one was complaining. We reached Faya just in time to have some awesome playtime in Faya. Really appreciate my convoy making way for @sertac convoy on top of Faya as soon as we saw them close by. At this point there were 2 options handed out to the convoy and all went for option 2. So we headed towards the Jeepers Mountain to see if we could find a way through. Unfortunately all the available paths have been fenced out for Mleiha Adventure company. There is a check post, I'm sure they will charge a fancy penny once they are operational. Sad to see a natural place being blocked out from public and being charged to the less adventurous people with very little done to improve the quality of the track. Hopefully we will have some wadi drives soon with the weather and our members getting better to manage anything that comes their way. Unable to try something different and exciting we opted to go with Plan B which was to use option 1. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while waiting for me to check the entrance to the mountain trail. Option 1 was to play behind Faya dunes which we did to our hearts content till it was time to head out and inflate. @Kailas was my second lead and had hardly any rerouting to do as we were lucky to be blessed with an amazing yrack, but handled the drive well and kept everyone honest. @Abu Muhammad surprised me with a monster as compared to our original training session. I was pleased to see him enjoy with his children and competently handle all challenges thrown his way. @Tamas Hoffmann pushed his Pajero and had no issues except for a little refusal right at the end behind Faya. We deflated further down and I took the wheel to see how we could make it through the soft churned up sands. Luckily as I took a little circle to get a feel of his Pajero I found a fresh track to make it through. The best thing I like about @Tamas Hoffmann is he wanted me to leave him back where I took over and he would try to repeat what I had done. As we came down, we changed seats and I was now in the passenger seat. I was impressed with the way he found the track I had taken and pushed his Pajero through to the top in one go. @Shaaz Sha quietly managed the whole trip without any hassle and seems is ready to take on any challenge thrown his way. Although I would like to hear his voice more over the radio for me to know he is still part of our convoy. @marks is incredible in the CF position. He made sure the convoy was moving and kept me updated with the convoy health throughout the drive. @Tariq Carrimjee what a change in skills and confidence since the time you changed your log in name. 😃 I found it difficult to find your name to tag you. On a more funny note it might also have something to change from your Y62 to a JK. Start getting used to these terms to sound like a true off-roader. I've been fooling people over 12 years with all these abbreviations. Being a people person I like to chat with people ofcourse with social distancing nowadays, leaving me to inflate once all have left. This Friday @Tariq Carrimjee decided to stay back with me and genuine help me inflate while he let me talk. Love you @Tariq Carrimjee bhai. @Craig Finlayson is always a pleasure and I'm so happy to get him in my convoy. His smile is so contagious and he not only comes with this positive energy to the drive adding an electric atmosphere to the day, but drives his Jeep Limo Unlimited everywhere like he paid Salik till 2024. Amazing to see him week after week treating the desert like his own highway. Climbing Faya for @Craig Finlayson is like driving on Shk Zayed highway. My final blessing this Friday came in the shape of @asifk who handled the convoy in the best possible way. He not only kept the convoy moving, but in times of doubt he reassured me over the radio that the convoy was on the move. My last drive with his was really challenging, but love his cool and calm way in which he takes on all situations. The way he handles his Pajero gives hope to all Pajero owners and a goid insight into why Pajero have made a name for themselves in off-roading. In conclusion I would love to be part of this bunch any given day and looking forward to seeing them progress as per our off-road structure. Wonderful day with amazing people and most enjoyable time out.

Did not push too hard to climb this one. VID-20201113-WA0023.mp4

Another wonderful attempt by @Mohamed Seidam VID-20201113-WA0027.mp4 Nicely executed by @Ali Abas Ali VID-20201113-WA0025.mp4

Thank you @sertac for wonderful morning drive with zero stuck and maximum fun. Enjoyed all the bowl rides. Everyone did excellent yesterday.. 👍👍

DRIVE REPORT Solar Park Bliss ! The Solar Park area, less visited by other Offroad clubs, gave us some wonderful scenery in the form of long range dunes, stone formations, gazelles, and one nice big Oryx. I absolutely love this area and it provides a wonderful mix of some long dune formations, big treacherous bowls, and some technical areas where pockets and ditches can easily surprise even expert drivers. I was really glad to revert back to the verbal briefing, socially distanced, and with masks on of course. The drive itself went smooth, covering about 47kms and finally exiting at the backside of the ADNOC petrol station. I was blessed with a strong convoy and apart from some refusals and some small shoveling work all did amazing. @Jon M was in my second lead, and never hesitated or struggled anywhere. Well done buddy ! @frederic demolder you are really getting comfortable in the Discovery Sport ! Please don't be stressed whenever you have a stuck or refusal, we love doing recoveries, and the convoy loves watching them to learn. This is a team sport and we are all there to help each other. @Anvar Sadath Bekal well done with the white Pajero, your flag eventually wanted to be layed at rest in the Solar dunes but luckily it will be resuscitated @Badar Tariq the gold Pajero really has enough power when you push it, but please make sure to keep focussed, as otherwise you might break bumpers or worse the entire car. If you are not sure where the convoy went, please announce on the radio so we can help you out. @Melenany makes it all look so easy, and the massive power your truck has in combination with your skills, shows you've come a long way and is a proof that with any 4x4 you can find your way in the desert. @Andrei the shiny bright blue Wrangler was sliding his way through the dunes effortlessly. Well done ! @Lukas Lewis is back with the Explorer and the exploration went extremely smooth ! Well done ! @Mohammed Razeen you have the perfect offroader in the FJ Cruiser, and the very few refusals you had were easily resolved by yourself, so that’s great work ! A massive thumbs up for @Jeepie for supporting her second drive of the day with only little time inbetween both drives to quickly rush home for coffee and a shower. It shows your ultimate passion for off-roading and i am glad you were there to support me ! PS we have noticed a lot of litter in the desert, and as a club we commit ourselves to not leave anything behind in the desert, so if you ever lose a flag or want to throw something out of the vehicle, please think twice and consider the Marmoom conservatory is made to protect the animals and we should tread lightly in this area and only leave tire-tracks behind. For the drivers who have done their Absolute Newbie drive AND 5 Newbie drives, and you have a radio, flag, shovel, and compressor and interested to bump up the level a bit, can apply for their promotion to Fewbie by clicking on below link: See you guys soon in the sand !

Thank you @sertac and @Rahimdad for an energetic and fantastic drive. Enjoyed it well. I was in the 9th position in waiting list and obviously my hope to get pushed in to the drive was nearly zero, but then a suggestion from our @Mohamed Seidaminvolvement from @sertacand @Rahimdad made it for me and others in the waiting list to the 2nd convoy. As always the drive was exciting with the diversity of terrains and the achievements of @Abu Muhammad and jeep boys @Tariq Carrimjee and @Craig Finlayson on the hill climb was a treat. Our silent and calm CF @marks had little to deal with, but did very well when he had to. The only disappointment in the drive was that we cudnt make it to the mountain as the roads were all closed. Thank you @Rahimdad once again for a wonderful and educative day and hope to catch up in the upcoming events. Keep cool and stay safe. 👍👏👏

@Rizwanm2 that was really perfect in proper momentum and control from the start . 👍🚙💪 @Rizwanm2 it was perfect , next time you will make it sure 😉 till top and riding the ridge all long down

Till next week... Peace and keep safe!!!

This was my first ever drive under the lead of @Ale Vallecchi, and I can confidently say that he knows how to make the most out of a drive. The drive was very thrilling, consisting of several challenging dunes and providing the drivers with a chance to see the true potential of their cars. We learnt how to ride on a dune’s crest, something new and a bit challenging for the Newbies, hence really emphasizing on the thrill. @Foxtrot Oscar was one of the most active sweep that I ever come across, always being there to assist anyone in need and making sure our convoy remained in order. Looking forward for another drive with you.

Another perfect line executed by @Christian Andras VID-20201113-WA0028.mp4 This is my attempt at the second play area. VID-20201113-WA0031.mp4

Side slope 3 . I let my brother step out to clip it for me in a second attempt 😉

Nice one tonight!! Great thing we got out before dark!! looking forward to the next one. Please check the Gallery, I posted some photos from today

Convoy with Sertac It was such a well planned and superbly lead drive by @sertac today at the Fossil rock to Faya area. From the coolest early morning to nice hot times, we went through different levels of driving techniques and definitely thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done to the whole team...👍

Drive report After a few weeks leading drives in Qudra area, I chose to challenge myself and try to do a lead in a totally different terrain. The first half of the drive was through some technical and quite bushy dunes. It's always easier to do slide sloping but at one point, everyone that reaches Fewbie level needs to learn how to tackle technical dunes. I, for example, love driving in technical dunes even though I am driving a LWB Pajero. It's a good way to learn how to control your car and it's something different than doing endless side sloping ... I had a few LWB cars in the convoy such as @Tamas Hoffmann, @Sinol, @Probir Mukherjee, @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, @Athula Dharmadada and @Mikhail Lukichev but they all managed very well in this area. We only had a minimum of refusals and they were all self recoveries. I only got a little stuck on the last dune before the sabkha but with the help of @DANIEL NOGUEIRA, @David Ortells and @Desert Dweller I got out very fast. We then drove a good 20 minutes on the dirt track and crossed the round about to get to Faya. Because it was extremely busy on Faya and there were police cars everywhere I decided not to try to get to the top but we went to play in the bowls on the left side of Faya. That's where everyone needed to push their cars and keep their momentum to go from one dune to another. Also there, we had a very few refusals, only @Yasas Dharmadasa showed us a very nice yoga pose with his car where the back of the car hung in the air but he was able to do a brilliant self recovery, very well done to Yasas ! Once it got a bit dark, the locals came to life and it got a bit dangerous in the desert. We decided to exit safely and got to the road to inflate our tires. A big thank you to @Tamas Hoffmann to be my second lead, @DANIEL NOGUEIRA to be CF and @Desert Dweller to be my trusty support and sweep. I was really glad to have you by my side again ! See you all very soon in the desert again ....

@Vanessa8580, @Desert Dweller, @DANIEL NOGUEIRA and the whole team, thanks a lot for the wonderful drive! I loved the technical dunes in the first half of the drive and challenges which we had to overcome! Faya was beautiful! Thanks for a very wise decision to not to go on top, safety is Carnity and my own priority all the time! @Probir Mukherjee, @Yasas Dharmadasa, @Athula Dharmadada, @Tamas Hoffmann, I took a few photos, a little bit more you can find in the gallery Thanks!

@Mohamed Seidam wow what a climb, my passengers were amazed 😃.. VID-20201113-WA0024.mp4

up hill climb

Side slop 4

Side slop 2 @Rizwanm2 well done perfect line 👍

Side slop 1

What an exciting drive today 😀 Learned a lot, met some great people, and experienced a few new techniques. @Ale Vallecchi and @Foxtrot Oscar, thank you very much for the tremendous effort you put in teaching us, encouraging us and keeping us safe. @Malachy McGrogan, thank you for taking the time to recover my fallen toolkit bag 🙏🏻 @Gaurav and @Rahimdad, I didn’t have refusals or get stuck today; I’m not sure if it’s the Yokohamas (as promised by Gaurav 😂) or if it’s Angela’s endless transmission of positive energy and good vibes 😃 Thanks to all fellow drivers for their helpfulness and team spirit 🙏🏻 See you all on the sand real soon!

Raising the stakes: Faqa Arboretum 102, Newbie Drive Report Some drives start one way and end another. It was the case of this Newbie drive: it had been planned as a leisurely loop in the Faqa area, and it ended as a much faster paced, fun packed ride all the way to Solar Park. Praise must be given to the quality of the drivers, who negotiated the first long range dunes of western Faqa so well that, once reached the planned midpoint of the drive in no time, prompted me to divert the track into the taller dunes' area, rather than turning back toward Faqa Town, and go all the way to the sabkha leading to Solar Park. This is how a previously driven Newbie itinerary executed in this area (Faqa Arboretum 101), which lasted 3:30 hours for 47.3 Km, became an almost Fewbie drive of 5:00 hours (not all moving) and 60 Km. Along the way a few lessons were learned. First and foremost, I am confident that the necessity of never fighting gravity became engraved in all the members' minds, following a couple of tricky approaches to a taller, steeper dune, which resulted in a couple of wheels up in the air, and in a perfect sideways stuck. On a very positive and encouraging note, the whole convoy kept its motivation, put its collective head down, and marched on toward Solar Park, rising to the challenge of learning the principles of approaching the ridges, riding the easier ones, and practicing safe criss-crossing of low, wider dunes, toward the end of the drive. The day ended with mostly refusals, a few stucks, quickly solved by our Master Sweeper Angela (AKA @Foxtrot Oscar), and quite a few relieved yet smiling faces. Well done to all the not-so-Newbie members: @Federico Galbieri for further improving in his Second Lead position, @Kaile Barrameda for her resilience, @Federico De Chirico for his persistence, @GauravSoni and @sri ganeshfor their fast learning, @Pickey Singh for continuing to master his new mount (congrats on your first recovery), @Sandeep Padhi, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ and @Aravind Padmaraju for an impeccable drive, @Ahab Shamaa for attending his last Newbie drive (welcome to Fewbies), and @Malachy McGrogan for the perfect control exercised on his beast. As mentioned above, the drive took 5:00 hours, went for 60 Km, at an average speed of 12 Km/h (but a much brisker 23 Km/h while moving). Congrast to all drivers, thanks for coming, and hope to see you soon again.

Superb report @Rahimdad - Superman led another great drive, with no stucks and only a handful of refusals. The pace and momentum was spot on! @Kailas

@Ahab Shamaa you can't give credit to the tires for what you've learnt in the past few weeks. You have your goid days and you'll have days you'd like to forget. I'm glad you enjoyed the day and there is a difference the tires can make, but that is not to undermine what you pick up as skill and develop it further week after week to negotiate the levels of difficulty thrown at you. Although I was not there in person, but I'm sure the tires are not the only thing to praise. Some credit should also go out to you for honing in on your skills, the tires might just allow to unto do little better. I'm happy for your good choice of tires as Yokos are not that heavy and the groves on the tires make sure you get out of most situations on your own vehicle power. Keep learning and impress me when we meet. Looking forward to riding by your side.

Hello All, Wish you all a very happy & prosperous Diwali! My first fewbie ride and what a splendid experience it was - yet again! though I kept losing my flag (thanks @Ashok chaturvedi for watching my back) the drive was marvellous thank you @Brette, @Jeepie for the fun, excitement and the learnings. Special thanks to the knight in shining Pajero @Frederic. Already looking forward to the next one! Have uploaded some snaps in the gallery

Hi @Frederic It was a pleasure to drive with you again ! @Jeepie thank you for your support ! See you next time 👍😉

@Frederic @Jeepie Hi. It was an Amazing drive with you guys. Hope to you catch you up for the next drive again. Thank you everyone. @Jon M Thanks for sharing todays trail activities. Can you tell me which application do you use for this?

Thank you @sertac for a splendid ride. It was fun and the scenery was stunning. Thanks also to all the group. Great driving and comradery. Looking forward to see you again soon.

Trip report for the Convoy 1 This was so much fun. As a lead i had a sweet sweet time. All went exactly as planned. With a beautiful morning breeze we started from Mahafiz. From Mahafiz to our famous play area we took a fast track and just skipped the small dunes. In this time i had a crest and @Christian Andras easily pulled me out from the situation. Once we reached play area everyone showed their talent and pushed their cars to the limit. After that we start heading to the Fossil Rock. There we met with @Rahimdad and his convoy. After a short break we start heading to the Faya. On the way we had some nice dunes and i think moment of the day the Bowl. We drove around it we climbed to it many times Such a blast. After the Bowl we start climbing to the big dunes behind the Faya and played around. Finally we climb to the Faya and since we finished our trip plan early we played around Faya bit more. Finally exited without any damage and no stuck except me Some places i pushed the drive bit high level and everyone respond well. @Christian Andras amazing 2nd lead. Flawless. Even i was in some sticky situation you were able to save yourself very nicely. @Ali Abas Ali nicely managed. I am feeling like if you give more gas from the start you can climb even better. @Mohamed Seidam nice drive. You are learning fast. @Veedooshee Well managed for the first fewbie+ you only had bit of hard time when i take the drive above fewbie+ @Mehmet Volga Amazing CF. Handled everything. @Luca Palanca Falsini Flawless. Your Fortuner is a toy for you and you are playing with it very well. @Alexander Alcala Flawless. Never had any problem. @Rizwanm2 Well managed. Getting better everyday. @Nabil Bishara Flawless and thank you for your sweep duty. Thank you everyone to joining this drive. I had a good time hope you had too.

On another note, I would like to bring up one topic. During this trip I saw some people smoking and throwing the cigarette butts on the ground, carless of having some respect for the beautiful environment we have the luck to drive into. Please have the decency to put the cigarette butts in your ashtray or in a tissue but DON’T TOSS THE CIGARETTE BUTTS ON THE GROUND! Thank you.

Today was a long and interesting drive. Experienced my first pop out that was quickly handled with the help of the team, thanks guys! Just a quick edit of our trip and a tire pop out at the end 😄 The front tire was at around 11Psi and the sharp turn at high speed can make these things happen. Better to go for a smoother approach next time. See you guys on dunes again!

was nice to drive with you guys. Thank you @Frederic @Jeepie and team🤩

Drive timing is 6:00 AM, changed the drive post text too. Calendar timing always supersede, when in doubt.

Thanks @Tbone for the great drive!

My first plus first of all I would like to thank @Rahimdad and @sertac for the arrangement of the two convoys today. Indeed you made our day full of thrill and joy . it was my first fewbie plus and first time my youngest brother to join as a passenger. We both enjoyed the fossil rock despite its relative crowdedness , luckily it was not today as Expected Every one was on time and ready. We crossed three major areas for playing sidyes and up hill challenge , fossil rock was at top as usual and ending it at feya slip side . Every one took his turn if not twice three times in each , it was epic! we realized toward the end that we had zero stuck and few refusals which was quickly self cleared.every one drove good today. thank you a lot and see you again soon w😎🚙👍

Hey @Rahimdad, now you’re just being humble 😀 I believe you’re an awesome driver, as I’ve heard the same statement from Ale, Gaurav, Frderic, Mohamed and several others... With or without your superman tees, you couldn’t have fooled everyone 😀 Hope to see you in action soon!

@ALI ALMOUMAR @Irshad Alam @varunmehndiratta @Explored Dubai @Vrinda Muttiyil @Hisham Masaad @HAZEM.Ali @Ken Hüüdma @Wrangeld @Frederic @Lorenzo Candelpergher Hi guys, Go to this link to take a look at the images my co-pilot found worthy of eyes, unfortunately the thumbnails don't work so you'll have to download them all to take a look. CLICK HERE Since we were up front there may not be many image of those who drove behind Ken in which case i am sorry and hope that maybe my next photographer co-pilot who insists on joining will catch you Btw if you guys wanna see any more of his stuff on instagram he's over at @Johnseye.dubai Hope i didn't miss anyone.

@Tero Vallas, by the way, I somehow feel that ABS doesn’t fully cut off as I occasionally hear the sound but no doubt switching the TRC and the Stability Control makes an immediate difference. I had the same issue on the first drive and not till @Rahimdad Bhai conveyed the 10 second trick did I know about the two functions from the same button. Will read up a bit more about the way ABS is affected by the two functions. In the meanwhile if any on Carnity have the knowledge to share, please do.

I was able to try this today in our drive. By pressing few seconds it switches off both traction control and ABS and it does not limit the rpm of engine anymore. Very useful and good advice, @Rahimdad and @Atif! Thank you ! Now it was pleasure to drive.

Hi @Mohammed Razeen - the app is wikiloc. Free to download and use but really fun to see what we have achieved!

Please remove from.WL as well shall be joining next week. Thanks and safe driving. GOD bless

Thanks Gaurav and Packing for the drive today.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to prepare for tomorrow's morning drive. This time, we'll start in a very little driven area of Dubai, and will gradually move toward the better known stomping grounds. From the yellow dunes of Murqaab, we'll cross into the white dunes of Lisaili, with the goal of reaching first Solar Park, and on to an exit in the Qudra area (either at Bab al Shams or Qudra Parking). We'll drive with care through the more technical parts of these areas, but also with speed and more exciting maneuvers in the longer range dunes we'll find from the middle of the itinerary onward. The drive is supposed to be quite long-range, so we'll try to move at a brisk pace, looking to practice all our off-roading skills. As mentioned, one of the purposes of the drive is to support the FJ Cruiser's drivers in getting more acquainted with their cars, so there may be a few extra information that will be shared with them, in terms of which gears to use, how to best approach obstacles, and what to expect from this unique vehicle. These will be the convoy order: @Foxtrot Oscar will be my Second Lead @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan will drive in the #3 position @Arda Yagcioglu will take #4 @Abu Muhammad will be #5 @Ahab Shamaa will take the spot #6 @Piotr Kolodziej at #7 @Pancho will anchor the convoy in the middle @Tero Vallas is going to be #9 @David Ortells will have #10 @Karthik Krishnakumar will drive at #11 @Heisem takes spot #12 @Kailas will be driver #13, and @Najeeb Mohammed will return in the Sweep position. The meeting place will be just opposite Murqaab Mosque, where we can line up and start deflating as soon as we arrive (to about 12-13 PSI). Once at the deflation point, please tune into Carnity Channel #2 (446.031). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, I wish you a nice Wednesday evening.

Words of wisdom!!Thanks @Rahimdad. Steer down should be the simple step for everyone to avoid such situations.

Hello @Hardik Mody If it’s stock the better ( clues of off road abuse as @Chaitanya D advised earlier ) At 200k km check for the timing chain ( it’s chain and not belt in X ) when was replaced . If not then might need replacement. As well as engine and gear mounts. ( during full bumper to bumper check in reliable mechanic can tell ) GCC species , as non GCC in most insurance companies won’t be fully insured not mentioning the offroad cover. as for price this is variable and negotiable depending on the market and seller respectively . best wishes cheers