Leaderboard

Thanks all for joining in for the drive. Was an interesting day on sand - a perfect start to this long weekend. Bright sun at 6am greeted us all at starting point and within first 15-20 min multiple refusals as we crossed the initial soft patches were good indication that summers are officially here. As was the plan, the day was about attacking slip face, criss crossing through ridges and challenging our maneuvering capabilities through this tricky area. It surely wasn’t typical my style drive - with climbs, fast pace etc, but then that’s what I wanted to try for my 100th and was pretty satisfying experience, thanks to you all. The whole convoy did amazingly well - ofcourse we had our fair share of winching, tugs and shoveling but that was very much expected through this terrain. @Ishak and @Felix Obst had a tough task of sl at hand and both did superb throughout. I had to make regular adjustments - through soft patches in early phase, crazy ridges during mid and never ending vegetation at end. You both handled the instructions with precision. @DP1011 @Gertjan @Looper and@Beide Worku were perfect platoon leaders ensuring we entered and exited Safe. Thanks for all your support and keeping this long convoy togather. @Benjamin was really good to see you out of your car with your shovel in hand at every refusal and stuck - thanks for the same, I hope I could fulfill my promise of a thorough workout through the drive. 😀 @Bashar Beasha you were amazing for the 1st fbplus drive. It was a challenging route and apart from well expected couple of refusals, you were well in control of your vehicle. As always @Patrick van der Loo TJ had its smooth sail through the drive and though the pace today was never expected to that of a sprinter @Gary F sandrunner had its own fun - sailing through ridges smoothly. Our new Int drivers @KAMALIO and @Ignacio Quindós handled it all very nicely. Ofcourse apart from that phone fiasco @Jaro Tuzinsky new FJ was just sailing through the terrain. Thanks again all, hope everyone is having a nice vacation and looking forward to see you sometime soon.

Tawi Nazwa is a popular spot for both off-road enthusiasts and casual drivers looking for some fun in the desert. It is the backyard of tradesmen who take their guests for a quick half hour drive in the desert in the name of dune bashing. It's no surprise that every sand dune is going to be churned up by the end of the day, as visitors push themselves and their vehicles to their limits. Just like Gaurav, it has been a while since I was here on a drive. The last time I was here was in June of 2022 with Dr @Chaitanya D, and it was a magnificent drive. In that drive I was quite surprised how untouched these dunes were and on this Saturday afternoon drive, exactly what I wanted. However, it seems that even this relatively secluded part of the Tawi Nazwa hasn't been immune to the influence of tradesmen and their guests. This afternoon was a bit warm and to be frank I was not used to it for some time now. After a quick briefing we ventured into the dunes. From the get-go we encountered churned up tracks, and the objective was to get a smooth driving tack while avoiding those bumpy cross-tracks. As we kept driving in the desert, we kept increasing the pace of the drive and when we reached one of the first tall dunes, we were driving quite fast and smoothly. From there we went to conquer Big Red. We did reach more than three fourths up there as well. But there was an issue with the engine of @Thejas so we all came back to the ground, and we could exit him safely. There after we practiced few sideeds before we called it a day. The track here at Tawi Nazwa can be intimidating and can be fast paced. We had very few refusals and all of you did an excellent job keeping up with the pace. I hope you enjoyed the drive as much as I did at the helm leading a remarkable convoy. @Mohit Gurnani: You did quite well on your first Fewbie drive. You quickly lost your uneasiness and rose to the challenges of a Fewbie Drive. @Parliament: You are ever excited to do more all the time. Your enthusiasm can be infectious. Just keep driving and you will have many, many chances. @Thejas Uthran: You drove your Trailblazer very well. However, in the end it faced some issues. Please keep us posted on how you manage after you exited the drive. @Misha Puskar: Few refusals here and there but they are part of the game. You were fantastic in your handling of your car and drove very well. @Senthil Kumar: You were the anchor in the middle, and I was extremely impressed with your handling of the refusals. You gave very clear instructions as to how to manage refusals. I was quite relieved at the front knowing you were handling the convoy at the back. @Juan R: Four of four, you have been my constant companion on all my leads. Sometimes knowingly but most of the time unknowingly you have driven with me in the lead on all last 4 of your drives. You drove as usual very well and I hardly ever hear from you. @Rk ram: This was our second drive, and you had an impressive drive as far as I am concerned. You could manage the refusal on top of Big Red quite well and drove well throughout the drive. @george charbel: Back-to-back third drive together. You are ready for the next level when the time comes. @premindra rajaram: Glad to see you back as well and you did an excellent job at the back. @Bashar Beasha: Thanks for being the back managing the responsibilities of the Sweep, which is as Gaurav mentioned earlier is an especially significant role intimating the lead on the movement of the convoy and managing the refusals behind the center-forward. @Gaurav: Thanks for being the 2nd lead and more importantly being the guide in my journey from being an absolute newbie till now leading drive. It gave me immense sense of confidence you being there in this drive. Finally some stats of the day:

Well done @Looper. No doubt in what you have achieved , leading drives now. Commendable dedication to come again and again , week after week. Now is the time to nurture that special experience- every time you lead you will learn something new . best wishes all the way to the top 👍🏼

Good morning everyone,had a nice drive yesterday until my car’s engine malfunction light went on.After my exit I inflated the tyres and called my RSA insurance for roadside assistance and they sent me a tow truck within forty minutes and took my car to my mechanic in Sharjah.It was all hassle free and smooth.I have driven in this area four or five times earlier but this is the first time my car had a problem,hope it’s not a major problem.Anyway looking forward to drive in the same area again after my car gets fixed.Special thanks to Gaurav and Gautam@looper for assistance and guidance.

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 Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Intermediate and above When: 29 April 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 6:15 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/ZPJvvCKqYmfuxvqN9 Approximate finish time: 9:30 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

It was a really fun drive @Looper. Really enjoyed it. Thank-you ! Looking forward to being there again with you for your 5th drive as lead. @premindra rajaram @george charbel@Rk ram it was nice seeing you and driving with you again. Also good to meet some new faces. Thank-you @Senthil Kumar, you made it very comfortable following you. Thank-you for the sweep @Bashar Beasha and thank @Gauravfor the support. Hope to see you soon again

thank you for the lovely drive.... @Looper@Gaurav. looking forward for more fun and learning ....