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This weekend, a return to the "Newbies" for me, was such a revelation. It was also a run down memory lane to almost a year ago when I too was first learning to calm my nerves as we set off from the first dune in Muquab, or the first time I saw the sun peek over the horizon in Mahafiz. Rising up the ranks, you realize how much of the banter just disappears. As I hit Fewbie+, I would quickly hop out, setup the flag, do some lunges deflating tyres, and apart from the cursory greetings of the morning, just ask around for which frequency we're on. Then come the warnings of not fighting gravity, and the convoy order, and we're off. Somewhere along the way, a wayward gazelle or a clumsy camel will catch our eye, become the butt of jokes for drivers in the back (just like backbenchers in school), and the radio will be silent once again. "Bio breaks" will become moments to air down the tyres once again. If the Newbies are a space of dialogue, the ranks higher up are a place of quiet contemplation. But the truth is, that in rising up to the highest levels, the magic of the desert, the supreme landscape, and our place in it, gets shrouded from view. We rarely take a moment to take stock of where we are, how we got there, and what this all means. In joining @Brette & @Gaurav's drives in the red sands of Sharjah, I found once again, the magic that had pulled me deep into these sands. On the second morning, I arrived fashionably early at the famous tree shade in Mahafiz, aired down, setup my flag, and then just pulled out my camping chair, popped open a store-bought bowl of watermelon, poured myself a steaming cup of coffee, and just leaned back... There, across the horizon, a blue tinge with golden underlines was beginning to put on its daily show. Except today, I was here to look at it with awe & wonder. Calmer and with my bearings now in place, I was ready to drive out. Except, Mahafiz and its lush desert forest had other plans. Shrubs peppered the dunes far and wide. And with every turn, the root balls of these shrubs made their jarring presence in the soft sands felt even more. These shrubs also created unenviable harsh pockets of sand. We could have just as easily taken the flat ground, but the marshal in @Gaurav wanted us to navigate as offroaders do, turning on a dime, to find our path through. As we finally emerged out of the first clearing, and circled in from the right, we saw a wall of slopes emerging. In the early morning light, their slopes shone even brighter against the foreground of the green shrubbery. Behind him, @Senthil Kumar, our second lead for the day, who's not afraid of heights anymore after scaling Liwa with @Frederic, was happy to throw his hat into the ring multiple times. In both the long side slope riding, the straight climb up Al Faya, and the line that he laid for the convoy behind him, he showed just how confident and disciplined a driver he is. There was no showboating. It was crisp, efficient and clean - all the qualities you want in a good driver. Here, on these long side slopes, and the might Al Faya Bowl, @Looper, @imranaasghar81 & @Dodi Syahdar put on a show that I'm in complete awe of. Dodi marked new lines at the highest points of these long slopes, rode the ridges of Al Faya like no car has done before, and conquered every line with elan. It is clear why you are the driver you are. Elsewhere, I saw first hand yesterday what @Looper looks like in "attack mode". From being the first to sail up Al Faya down the middle slope to laying down the gauntlet for everybody else, I want to see more of this side of you. I absolutely love it! Gone was the smooth Wrangler, and in its place, a lean war machine was racing, climbing and flying off the sides. In the FJ with fresh new air intakes sucking in the cool morning air, Imran and his checkered flag called the games to a start. But this isn't an Intermediate drive. And some of our more enthusiastic drivers were not going to be left behind. It was clear that in watching the different cars make their run across the long slope, @george charbel had trained his eyes to find a much cleaner and smoother gradient up the slope. Combined with the right amount of throttle, he sailed up the side. It was such a treat to watch, that I too could not hold myself back from trying the same line. George, it was absolutely sublime. You have a great eye. Behind me, @Yogesh Chaudhary, was equally doing his best to negotiate the gaps and get over soft sand pockets. For the one refusal you had, it was purely a matter of choosing a cleaner line and being more thrifty with your throttle. Your tire pressure was also too high for the softer sands in Sharjah. I would recommend starting with 14 psi in the future on your H/T treads in Sharjah, and 15 psi if you're in Qudra. With deflation done, the same sections immediately became so much more pliable. @takeshi sobue, your daughter is the reason we encourage drivers to bring their kids out to drives. And I'm so glad you did. She's a superstar in the making, and these memories will only go on to become the highlights of her childhood. It was also amazing to see how she wanted to get involved with shoveling. Let this be a lesson to all drivers who don't like shoveling, that if "Loon" (I hope I've spelled that correctly) can do it this well and with this much enthusiasm, you're not excused 😛 For me, the most redeeming part of the drive was to see @Stan Hassett and @Theo09's drives. Theo, you have excellent command on that Fortuner. With your choice on whether to get a Prado or something more meaty, I am certain that you will make it do the same wonders you did with the Fortuner. You were also the most compliant "left-to-right, and back" operator I've seen on a Newbie drive putting those guns to great use . Stan, apart from little hesitation which is totally warranted as you start out on this journey, you were great too. I particularly liked how when you ran out of momentum on crests, you didn't force your way through. Most drivers do this and dig themselves in. You stopped right there, and this made reversing out and trying it all over again so much easier - not to mention quicker. All in all, I understand now even more clearly why @Frederic (in Liwa, on the second morning - I have good memory) and @Gaurav insist that drivers come back and participate in newbie drives. This weekend in Sharjah has given me a renewed interest into what matters even more than the driving - which is to pass the bug on to the others. And I hope we did that, because I hope to see all of you return and continue driving. The seeds of great skill have already been embedded. Let it germinate and flourish, much like the lush forests of Mahafiz See you all out on the sands again soon [ 🐵 ]

Dear Sand Sailors Thanks for joining for the drive. It was a pleasant outing in sand - what happened once we got back to materialistic world of traffic rules is another story. It was a nice terrain with pleasant breeze to support us and some awesome wildlife to cheer us as our ships sailed through beautiful dunes of Faqa. The whole convoy did awesomely well and handled all the challenges very nicely. I started off with a plan to do some side slopes, explore some criss-crossing and hopefully have fun at a good pace. However, the way convoy responded enticed me continue taking it notch higher through the drive and we were all overall the place - crossing through some sharp edged high dunes, ridge riding through the awesome dunes Faqa had to offer and trying some nice climbs. Overall we travelled around 75Km at an exhilarating average moving speed of 27.5Km. Ofcourse the long sabka to exit where we literally cruised through at >70kmph helped, However, this is a really an amazing feat for a FB convoy with some very new FB in it, @Jona - Thanks for your support as SL. You were truly awesome. Everytime i looked in my rear view mirror the confidently moving FJ assured me that we still have possibility to take it further a notch higher @Sam K was a perfect first FB outing for you. The way you handled your FJ surely reflected well your past experience. @Sergio Big Dawg A few more drives like these and you will be rocking on the ridge with your Safari @Paolo Pellegrini Apart from couple of refusals and that crest at the end of the drive you were really good with your Pajero. Overheating on a Pajero is like a bio break on a drive - its going to happen every once in a while..:) @Federico Galbieri believe the only time you struggled was during ridge ride. Give it some more till then just make sure - " No counter steering and no forcing FJ through the ridge" @Pieter Potgieter Fortunately no flat soft patches this time Very nicely done. @Mahmoud Taha you were awesome throughout and literally sailed through those ridges and crossing. Just go a bit easy on the gas while on the ridge. @Beide Worku Nicely done, looking forward to see your F150 roar sometime soon again. Thanks @Wrangeld for squeezing out time out of your busy schedule at work these days. Meant a lot to me personally. Thanks @Ashok chaturvedi for your awesome support throughout. Thanks all for a fun outing, looking forward to see you all sometime soon. Cheers.

Here's the idea 😅🤘

Well done @Mike M.. Started on the same day & promoted on the same day! 💪

Congratulations @takeshi sobue!

Well done, fellow Patroler @Jonny90! Vee-Tee-Cee, Super Eazee

And the legend of the White Rhino gets emboldened... congratulations @Mike M. 😎

Congrats ! @Mike M.

@Mike M. congrats. Enjoy the new level.

Enjoyed the drive yesterday as always @Hisham Masaad... Thanks to @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler, @Rob S and @Mohamad Anwer for the support and guidance. As mentioned, great scenery and a nice bunch of people! @Tareq Al Turq hope your son fully recovered. Hats off to @Michel Van Woudenberg in your unique FJ40 - you showed a lot of skill and discipline (not using the A/C to preserve every horsepower 👍) during the drive. Good week everyone..

Second everything @Mark D and @Rob S have written. Thanks again @Hisham Masaad. Was a fun morning out.

Thank you all for the full attendance. I was extremely satisfied with the pace we were able to keep. I could keep on increase the pace and the convoy had no trouble catching up. Thanks to the all-stars support team @Joji varghese @Looper @Anish S @Charbel @Rajiv Sam @GauravSonifor guiding the FB's. And well done to @Andrei S @Rajat Verma @Waqar Sarwar @Jessica Lambert @Andrew McCarthy @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler @AlexM for handling the fast paced drive so well. Couple of refusals sorted out quickly and a pop-out fixed in 10 minutes We had completed the main planned drive 30 minutes before finish time which gave idea to extend the drive to those who wanted to stay back. The next part was led by @GauravSoni. Well done & congrats on your first night drive lead. We drove for another 1.5 hrs and ended the drive at Qudra area. Thumbs up to all!! see you all soon.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Intermediate and above Meeting time: 3:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: 24°33'02.8"N 55°34'32.0"E https://goo.gl/maps/yJ1wqhSgQ8PKY1vs5 Action Plan: The Rush Hour saga has a sequel: "Il Sorpasso" means "to pass another car" in Italian, and is the title of a movie released in 1962, in which the protagonist drives a Lancia Aurelia Cabriolet, oblivious to traffic, cops, people and other cars, passing them with gusto...honking and making gestures 🤘... And so will we (sort of....), except off-road. From Al Ain District, more precisely Al Hayer to Faqa, to Lisaili (Inshallah). We'll drive longer than the Rush Hour series, adding an extra hour, and hopefully an extra 30 Km, to cover, if all goes well, 90 Kms in 3 hours. Departure is scheduled exactly at 3:30 PM (meeting time will be from 3:00 PM onward, so that we'll be all ready to start precisely at 3:30PM). The drive will end, wherever we'll be (with exit points planned nearby our route), at exactly 6:30 PM, or upon covering 30+30+30 Km, whichever comes first. The goal is to drive at a minimum average moving speed of 30Km/h. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:00 PM (including the possibility of a 30 minute extension to reach the exit) P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Monday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

General Info This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus and Above When: 11 June 2022, Saturday. Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/hAb5LoTSvzZgxAHE9 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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 09:00 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR-ONLY DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 drivers. RSVP will close on Thursday - 5 PM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Congratulations @Amr Aydin for reaching the Fewbie Plus Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE PLUS Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 10 Fewbie drives are required within last 6 months for Fewbie Plus promotion. What you'll learn Advance dune and sand reading Advance recovery techniques Rocking and crawling to make path Learn to flatten/compact soft sand patch Self recovery from crest Advance side sloping and long hill climb Advance ridge riding and criss crossing Advance control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving FULLY control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Extremely attentive and focused while driving Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Bash plate and skid plate protected Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie, Fewbie and Fewbie Plus drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congratulations @Mike M. for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Self-recovery techniques Shoveling at right place Crawling out of difficult situations Blip Blip - Coordinate steering and gas control Basic side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Ability to manage stuck/refusals with radio Learn to control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Congrats @Mike M.. Well done. You have come a long way. Still remember how nervous you were on the AN drive and been a pleasure watching you gain confidence on every single drive. You ask the right questions after every drive and having been on every drive of yours so far, I have noticed you put it all into practice every week. Again, well done and look forward to see you keep growing. Enjoy the new level..

Congratulations on the promotion @Mike M.

Awesome news @takeshi sobue! Look forward to driving with you again soon! 🇯🇵

Well done @takeshi sobue !

congratulations @Mike M.

congratulations @takeshi sobue 👏

Congratulations @Joseph Sebastian! So glad to see out on drives again. Love that beautiful green TJ 😍

Congratulations 👏🎉 @Jonny90

Well done @Jonny90 !

Well deserved @Joseph Sebastian !

Thanks @Hisham Masaadfor the great drive, and many thanks for @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler@Rob Sand @Mohammad Anwar for Supporting the Convoy, it was a nice technical driving yesterday and full of enthusiasm, great company and encouraging. Thanks @GregoryMy son fully recovered after we park on the main Street 😄 The greatest thing in this drive was the Pajero's was the Heroes 👌

I think the weekend drives for one drive will be Saturday & Sunday.

Hope this is not going to be included in weekend drives, with the one drive limit 🤞🤞🙏

@Ale Vallecchii wish to join the drive

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Intermediate and above Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/SUAWQdGUkqrAnybQ7 Action Plan: "Seven Sisters" was a common term for the seven transnational oil companies of the "Consortium for Iran" oligopoly or cartel, which dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s. The oligopoly lasted until the 1970s when OPEC and national oil companies gained control over the key governing arrangements for oil production.The companies used interlocking ownership of oil fields to maintain collusion and restrict oil supply, so that the companies would reap greater profits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(oil_companies) This is going to be an exploratory drive to find new routes around the Large dunes in Badayer. We will start from the shop areas and make our way around in a loop ending at the shops. We intend to cover 7 large dune formations ( except super bowl - iftaar bowl) and find best tracks for fewbies. The area has been recently occupied by O&G activities and hence be prepared for reroutes and difficult maneuvers. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 9 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Monday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

Congratulations @takeshi sobue 👏👏👏

Congratulations on the promotion @takeshi sobue

A little different than the signature @Hisham Masaad “yalla push” drive today, but fantastic scenery, changing terrain and some very soft patches to challenge us all! Thanks @Hisham Masaad! great job to @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler in SL and @Mohamad Anwer looking after everyone from the back! Limited number of few refusals and very good self recovery, especially from @salah2u. The perfect balance and combination of throttle and steering. as everyone said over the radio at the end, fantastic morning with a really great group of people! week off for me next week, so hope to see you all in a couple of weeks time!