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Wow! Enthusiasm quickly turned into bitter realism😫😫😫. I have to join the queue of people bailing out, my FJ’s power ratio is not good enough without major upgrades…I’d like to join as spectator/wincher, but I still haven’t installed a winch, so now I have an excuse😂…

The only time I could manage to get my camera out was at the beginning of the drive.

What a drive, all the hallmarks of @Ale Vallecchi’s tredamark drives were there. Fantastic. Awesome. Felt like drove through continents… Kenyan Serengeti to Aussi Outback to Yes of course Middle East (we are there!). Especially loved the first segment of the drive where we required to do precision ridge riding on long powdery and loose as talcum sand dunes and then race to catch next one, if one were being slow they will loose the sight of the convoy in front. Plus the exploration of completely new areas, that we no one has ever gone before. Thank you very much @Ale Vallecchifor the drive. You will see me many many more dives with you. A big shout out to @Gaurav Soni for all the work he put in as the center forward and @Mario Cornejo as sweep for officiating the proceedings. And who can forget the true recovery agent in today’s drive @JeromeFJ you were great at all times. Kudos to @Rob H the tuner, never shy to get dirty to make cars drive like race cars, thanks a lot for all the under the bonnet work. @Thomas Varghese was an amazing 2nd lead, and after missing both the drivers between i and him, I could see first hand how well he managed everything. He sure looks like the go to 2nd lead, as it is my second drive back to back as him being the second lead. Never shy to explore the surroundings- he was in tight control of the lead following him everywhere, even when asked not to. All in all a fantastic drive as usual and thanks everybody who participated in today’s drive, @Sunil Mathew, @Russ, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, And @Rawad - hope to see you soon buddy- and all of the the Saturday morning gang.

Guys recovery is on its way sent by the insurance. I will drop it at the agency Thank you all for waiting, hope you can still enjoy the rest of the drive @Rob H I owe a beer man. Really appreciate your help. Ur awesome Hope to drive with you all soon.... if I dont loose a kidney to fix the car tho 😅😅

@Mario Cornejo @Niki @PaoloMaraziti maybe you can reduce the weight (for the car off course) by removing unwanted stuff like passenger and rear seats... 😜

@Niki ...shhhh 🤫 I am trying to find an excuse for more mods 🤣

Thankyou @Gaurav - this is a humbling reality check! I have the power/weight (@135hp/ton) but not the credentials with regards history of climbs! Nor do I come armed with a winch as a support member! 😢 …. I will drop from the attendee list, however if a ‘runner’ (slow middle aged version) is needed to support winching etc - count me in. I am also skilled on a keyboard so can document and post in real time the performance of the team for all to enjoy (I will work on taking flattering profile pics also!) jokes aside - this is a moment for all who signed up to be self critical and ensure they are ready this time round (am certain the event will happen again, especially after it is renamed the FJ Bowl!)

@Rawad great news and I hope you did not have to wait too long for the recovery truck. The drive continued, we headed back close to where we paused. @Ale Vallecchi offered to extend the drive for a while. We managed to complete close to 80 Km over an interesting terrain of red sands, variety of flora and groves of ghaf trees. Everyone drove very well, there were just a few refusals and other obstacles that were sorted out with diligence. Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for having us in the drive today, thanks to @GauravSoni for his support as CF, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe for the first part as sweep, and to @Rob H for his help with Rawad's car. It was a pleasure driving today with all of you, have a nice week ahead.

Thanks @Shaaz Sha for the report. Yes, it was an eventful and long day in the desert. About 90 minutes into the drive, it was unfortunate what happened with @Raman_Dbxbut glad he is fine and only minor damage to the vehicle. Take care buddy and hope to see you soon in the sand again. After making sure Raman was exited safely, we had about an hour left so we took and easier route hoping to make it to Faya so we could have some play time there but had multiple stucks, refusals and pop outs along the way. Although we were not able to make it, we managed to reach the nice big dunes just before Faya. Everyone did really well here making it to the top but unfortunately on the way down, @Joji varghese got himself stuck in a pocket and by the time he was recovered it was time to exit. It was during Joji's recovery, that someone noticed two guys a few dunes away waving out for help, after recovering Joji, Shaaz and myself went to check on them and saw they had a bad pop out in a tricky spot and had absolutely no gear to fix it. It took it close to 40 minutes to get that sorted before we made our way to the tarmac. Thank you to everyone for waiting patiently and I apologise for the delay in getting out. @Enrico Biscaro thanks again for being a perfect second lead. It was a bit of a frustrating day for you with a few refusals and pop outs but am sure it was a good learning experience. Having been with you on one of your first drives, I can see a huge improvement. Well done. @Joji varghese its good to see you getting more in sync with your fortuner and am sure with a few more drives, you will also figure out its limitations being a 2.7. The key here is to find that sweet spot and then work your way around the other short falls that come with not having that additional power on tap. @Rsjiv Samuel you did pretty well with just a few refusals. Driving a a capable vehicle is a blessing but try and not only depend on the vehicle to get you out of sticky situations. Sometimes being gentle on the gas is better than all the power the vehicle has to offer. With time you will figure that out yourself and that will make you a more capable offroader. @Daniel Rodas you did really well. Hardly heard you through the drive which is a good thing. When we did stop and I got to see you attempt the sideys, you were totally in control. Well done. @Ashy thanks for your support in the CF position. A few stucks and refusals and each time reminded me of myself trying to figure out the JGC. It has a mind of its own and a small error in your line can end up with a stuck or refusal. This is something you need to pay special attention too and work your way around it. Would be happy to help anytime you have any questions. @salah2u Was good to see you back and you definitely looked more confident than the last time after the few mods to the front end of your Y62. It is a powerful beast but like they say, with more power comes more responsibility. A few times on approaching a criss cross, I saw the vehicle fishtail, NEVER try and use power to push the vehicle in the opposite direction when that happens. Always steer in the direction of the fishtail to straighten the vehicle and make a safe exit. Better to have a refusal and reattempt than end up being sorry. Other than that, was really impressed with the way you managed the entire drive. @Raman_Dbx its was unfortunate what happened and hope to see you back soon. @Nafiz and @Mohammed Mansoor I did not get to see too much of you'll as you guys were at the end of the convoy but I was impressed with the little I got to see on some of the climbs we did one at a time. Well done. @Shaaz Sha You were a blessing. We needed a lot of pulls, tugs, shovelling and the pop outs. You were all over the place and I can't thank you enough. Thanks buddy. Overall everyone did really well and hope to see you all soon.

Thank you @Asif Hussain for digging this modified FJC climbing out that bowl. Hope this video gives better dimensions of what is really needed to get out. Mod FJC climb.mp4

And limiting seats on the popcorn-terrace he has us scrambling to instal winches just to qualify as support. Google searches for winches + Dubai just topped daily stats!

I’m trying, I’m trying!!!

Correct - Faya from center or right side Hey @Mario Cornejo your 2 door Patrol weighs 1925 Kg so with 280 hp = 145 hp/ton and not bad to try IMHO. ONLY. If you have tested this power + your skills to climb Faya - from center - every time.

@Looper Completely agree with you. Following @Ale Vallecchi as the 2nd lead is no easy task. He keeps on driving on and on. We don't even get a second to take our eyes of him. If you do he is gone. The pace was excellent. Please understand I got to keep an eye on the convoy behind me also and make sure everybody is following us. @Sunil Mathew did a good job of following me and everybody likewise. Lost count of how many kilometers we have driven altogether. Didn't even get to take out my camera for a moment. I love these drives by @Ale Vallecchi. Brings out the best in everybody. After getting home and hitting the bed I could open my eyes only now. My passenger is amazed by the drive we had. Seem like Carnity is getting a new member soon. He agreed to my perception of the drives. Once we are in the desert we forget everything of the regular life. Even though it was an IM drive and all drivers were experienced and the best it was amazing everybody passed the drive track @Ale Vallecchi had charted for us without much trouble - to be precise no trouble except for a couple of occasions. @Humayun Ghias who missed the drive due to alarm issue ought to be cursing his luck. As you mentioned @JeromeFJ has really learned the art of desert driving very well in his FJ. I remember his newbie drives when he used to get refusals and stucks. He has really matured into a desert driver. Proud of his determination and grit. Great going buddy. I can't comment about the tail end of the convoy as I couldn't see that far in my rear view mirror but the radio silence meant all were enjoying and doing good at the back. Looking forward to see all of you soon in the sands for another drive. Hope you could resolve the recovery issue soon. Didn't have the heart to leave you at the tarmac. Wishing a speedy recovery to your car and my get well soon wishes to your Y 62.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for a marathon drive this morning, in terms of duration this was the longest I have personally done, with full concentration required throughout! Some really interesting terrain and plenty of soft sand and technical areas to keep us all focused.. Hope your car is fixed easily and quickly @Rawad. Thanks to those who supported and see you all soon 🌵

As anticipated by the awesome @Rob H, the sensor was damaged. Changed it at the same garage that forgot to tighten its bracket bolt, and returned the gear motor to its original position, and all systems are now operating normally Thank you all for your patience today. I really enjoyed the short period I spent in that area until we meet again🤙🤙

Is this the same bowl?

I know you joking Niki, but some people misinterpret my advices, so better to clear it up. Hall of fame: guy buying FJC on my suggestion got upset as we didnt promote him to IM, expecting his FJ has a magic autopilot formula. Second person bought wrangler rubicon and expect we should change rules and structure to fit their needs. 10 more examples, I can share.

I love how you threw the bait @Gaurav and got all the big fish on the hook.. and now popcorn prices are sky rocketing 🤣🤣

You have no idea how much I was looking forward to the drive. I've been told off in my house; that missing a drive is not their fault 🤣🤣🤣

A few pictures posted in the gallery..

Thank you everyone for such an amazing response of 24 people interested in less than a day. Few things to consider and realize by yourself before signing up for this drive (whenever we open). THIS IS NOT A REGULAR DRIVE, rather there is NO DRIVE but just a place to test your 4X4 (max power) + your off-roading skills. It will be strictly for Intermediate and above level - without any exception (for safety reasons). If with your present car capabilities and your off-roading skills you have scaled - Faya from center or from the right side - MULTIPLE TIMES + EVERY TIME then only you sign up for this drive. If you have sometimes scaled and sometimes failed, then there is clearly no point for you to sign up with such a high-risk attempt (explained below). IT IS NOT A FUN DRIVE, but a super cruel day out where you will witness some extreme action but expect to pitch in with A LOT OF PHYSICAL TAXING ACTIVITY for a whole day than sitting in 22 degrees aircon. Just for the reference in such extreme activity, your car power to weight ratio is SUPER PRIME, no matter what you believe and what your friends or car manufacturers BRAGGGGGGGGED. Keep it real for your safety. My car has/had 225 hp on 1.8-ton weight = 125 hp/ton and still, I failed miserably after consecutive attempts by using every trick I know in off-roading with over a decade of experience. Bottom line no one can fool the power-to-weight ratio whether you like reading this or not, that's a fact. With 125 hp/ton I still used a 50-meter uphill pull means that anything above 150 hp/ton (check your stats) should be a worthy contender to test this extreme side. RISK INVOLVED: We definitely need an equal number of the winch as per the total number of participants. Each winch uphill pull will take 1-2 hours easily, draining a lot of battery and winch pulling power eventually. After consecutive use, the winch fuse and switch do fail as they are rated for certain amperage. We have not tested stock tow points to take that level of load uphill, as in my car, winch has been installed on 4X thicker cross-member than chassis that dragged me uphill. If your stock tow point or all the winch fails, you might have to leave your car in that bowl. Calling AAA to recover will cost in excess of 3000 - 5000 dhs, as it's really far from Dubai. Keeping excitement and thrill aside, I just want to show you the realistic side that you should be aware of and be prepared off before signing up for this. Ref to point 3 above for quick self-check.

I really wonder how you guys will arrange camping in January 2021 ?

YALLAAAAAAAAAAAA

Yes @Ruan van den Heever, it was definitely a scary moment. These guys were falling from the top of the dune like rolling stones. I don't think there was any mistake form any side. We had no gap in the convoy, and we were going one by one negotiating this delicate criss crossing on top of a steep climb, and you have started just after @Werno cleared the way. They suddenly passed the ridge way above us, from the side, and I don't think they could have seen us either. However, the same way we had spotted them 2-3 min before, they should have spotted us also, and taken this steep slope with care. You had the good reaction, aborting the climb and going down safely, but they did not show much consideration, and the rest of the convoy was continuing coming down at the same speed. I don't think the cars came as close as 2m, but this is the closest collision risk I have seen in the desert. For the rest, the drive was beautiful, thank you @Mehmet Volga and @marks for the lead, and the perfect choice of dunes. The convoy was really performing well, and we all enjoyed the continuous pace, and the nice lines on the sand. It was a pleasure to drive behind the 2 Jeeps @Ruan van den Heever ans @Werno, always perfectly in line despite the churned tracks. @Mus_hus78 was one more time demonstrating his skills at taking the Pajero on the top of the highest dunes, and giving helpful support when needed. @Zed, @Archibald Jurdi, @Anoop Nair See you all very soon !

Are you clearing or creating more confusion? 🤔

Every wincher will have a chance to try (if they like) as winch are mounted on center cross-member and no risk of failure. Secondly wincher can coordinate the gas pedal and winch pull better to minimize the load on winch. P.S. Please not we are still not promoting any winch brand or installer

Please share your contact here, when you do start that business, will open colosseum.

Oh no! Seems I missed a lot if action, hope your Patrol is okay.

@Anish S Thanks for the amazing drive today. It was a very smooth and fast paced driving. The lines were amazing, we had good technical dunes, slide slopes some ridge riding and little bit of criss crossing. @Gregory Thanks for your amazing second lead and ofcoz for the radio 😊. Thanks to the support team and lastly, the whole convey were heros today. Hope to see you all in the next drive....

I will definitely join! Ready to jump in, get winched or winch, whatever it will be..

It was a lenghty drive almost 5 hours in the desert, a lot of new things to learn today. @Brette thank you for your exceptional support and lead for this drive. This was a learning curve, we had few refusals including myself and tyre pop out which was something new for me to learn to put it back to its bead.@Shaaz Sha thank you for your support you are an excellent sweep . @Ashyas always been amazing CF. Rest of the convoy had done amazing and keeped up with the heat. @Raman_Dbx hope all is sorted, wish to see you back in the desert soon.

Another signature drive by @Ale Vallecchi this morning. Personally, I love it ! A great variety of terrains, beautiful scenery, wildlife, and a real desert route that you can see on a map, with a starting point and a destination. And all these long range drives put together start building our own UAE desert map. Even if not that difficult, there were some tricky parts, and keeping the concentration and focus during the length of the drive, navigating through the vegetation or on top of the ridges required our full attention. I did not take my camera out ! Thank you @Thomas Varghese for the 2nd lead, very efficient, @Gaurav Soni for the support, and @Mario Cornejofor the sweep, @Rob H for the assistance, @Russ, @Looper, @Sunil Mathew for the company. Always a pleasure to drive with all of you. @Rawad, I hope the troubles will be solved with not too much issues.

Actually I wa into frustrated. Pop out happens and now I know how to deal with them. Will buy a jack The second pop out was totally unexpected and my mistake as I pushed the car too much. Learn another limit, great. Refusal are also good as this time my transmission did not overheat and I did not have to shovel. In all beside the couple of hitches I feel I managed quite well a couple of situation where a few drives ago I'd be stuck stuck so I feel I am improving and getting to know the car better Thanks!

@Gaurav the car power has been tested in Faya, but it has been long since the last time I tried. Also, if memory does not fail, climbing became a bit harder after changing wheels and tires (same specs, but heavier compared to stock). Anyway, shall give a try at Faya and will comment later!

@Anish S Thanks for a fantastic drive really enjoyed my first fewbie experience. Was great to meet a lot of new faces @Gregory great second lead was a pleasure to follow you @Mohammed Mansoor @Daniel Yang @Pierre de Maigret @Danish Mohammad @Bernard Kalaani @topgear @Pacific @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ great to meet you guys and look forward to more assume adventures in the sand pit hope you are feeling better @Daniel Yang

Every wo/man for themselves! BRING IT! 😈😝

Thanks for a great drive team! It was brilliant fun. I think the most important thing I learnt was how to use the gas and auto gearbox at the right time. I was accelerating too much at the beginning but felt so much confident as we went round the technical dunes at the end. The Raptor did well! looking forward to seeing you all again on the next drive once I have got a flag mount for the truck cheers!

Very much looking forward to it....Dec/Jan both okay...

Even my brother in law got so excited he booked a ticket from Lebanon to join me in the drive😂😂

OMG - how can I say no to such a set up!!!? I’ve been asking for a long time to do more in the sand, so of course I’m in! I still haven’t installed any winch on my FJ though…Is it decided for 26/11 for sure…?

Fitness freak + adrenaline junkies …. This is the absolute opposite of me!!!! I am desperate to visit this area as you know @Gaurav…. If I haven’t developed a 6pack or courage by this date can I come to document the events on video!… though after one drive with @Srikumar- he called me boring and threatened to push me down ‘Pajero bowls’ … renaming it FJ bowl to force me to play! @Frederic you realize there is a bortle class 2 site near there (I thought I had found even a class 1) …. The purest and darkest skies!! … bonus Astro night is calling! Speed junkie @Alex Raptor this is made for you!