Leaderboard

Welcome "Team Strong Hook" from Strong Hook Workshop to the Desert Champions Trophy - 2023! We are thrilled to welcome your team to this year's challenge, and we look forward to an exciting and spirited event. Team Lead: Wissam Torbay @Wissam Participants: Farhat Sahetdurdyyev Cesar Chacon @Cesar Chacon Alberto @Albertorres Miguel Gallego @Miguel Gallego

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for great experience. Really appreciate the trail you have chosen, it was brilliant and quite educative as well. Grazie mille Alessio. (baci e abbracci da Jana) Thank to @Ishak for second lead, @JERINE_B for great middle man and to @Theo09 for no man left behind. Guys @Ishak, @Lea Degner, @SUMEDH KRISHNA WAGHMARE, @Soufiane, @Soufiane, @Mahesh_, @Arravind, @JERINE_B, @Usman Basit, @frederic demolder, @AnasArif, @Theo09 please feel free to download pictures my copilot Jana took https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/rqfmdhg7obzwj25po4r0j/h?rlkey=x43u5mhd0st79857flgddj0a3&dl=0

Thanks you for leading us through a nice and interesting Newbie drive @Vanessa8580....and that too without any stucks or major refusals.. Being my debut "official" support drive , i could get away without any shovel time/rope time/jack time etc thanks to the route chosen, the compact sand due to recent rains and off course, exceptional driving by the whole convoy, especially the newbies !!! Driving at the centre, i could see everyone doing a great job, handling their cars starting with @Nathan doing great at 2L , giving timely terrain warnings to everyone👍 @Mahmut SARILI - looks like your offroad experience in Oman is evident and you were not having any issue following the convoy 👍..please get a radio for the next drive, which is really important @Robkalso had an uneventful drive with his gladiator 👍 followed by @Abdulla Alkhemeiri in his Tundra handling it very well in most places, with occasional minor fishtailing on some of those side slopes, which should be easily ironed out with more practise 👍 Two drivers , i could see very clearly were @Osama M in his QX80 - you handled the car beautifully today and had good control on straight crossings. One concern, as we discussed is very low clearance between your rear wheel and wheel arch. I initially thought you were carrying some kind of heavy overlanding gear, but turns out its the hydraulic suspension. It leaves very little suspension travel , and for higher level drives it is a cause of concern, especially when driving through cross tracks, i am sure you will hit your bump stops continuously . You might want to give it a thought when you sign up for higher level/faster drives. 👍 @Mostafa Nasef did great for most part of the drive, but needs a bit of polishing in your straight crossing skills. As we discussed, you let go of the gas too soon and tend to end up right on the top of the dune crest , almost bellied. I can see its only your 4th drive, and perfectly understandable. That feeling when you climb up and see only the sky when you reach the top - we have all gone through it, so take your time, drive more, get accustomed to it and find the right amount of gas just to get you through it and not fly off or end up crested. 👍 @lucas amat driving right behind me , had me amazed for most part of the drive, having absolutely no problem in driving through those churned, caked sand with his Jeep liberty. At many places, i really expected a refusal announcement from you . Dont forget to get your flag sorted before the next drive Everyone behind Lucas - i could not see much of you but being the fewbie lot in a newbie drive, you were driving at the tail end on all the churned sand , and having a couple of refusals is part of the game. Good to meet you all - @Mahesh_ @Martin M @Jeevan Koshy @SamBha - came in a little late and exited early due to his fuel guage issue(hope it gets sorted soon) , @Faraz94 - at the risk of sounding cliched - you've got a really interesting/unusual car bro !! @Ben Williams closing the convoy was our truck marshal - @Islam Soliman - good to see you back after a while, and looks like your car is up for the game now...i am sure our fewbies and newbies learnt a thing or too from all your guidances and instructions!! See you all soon in our next sand visit !! A few photos in the gallery https://carnity.com/gallery/category/1866-newbie-lisaili-dubai-28-oct-2023/

It was great seeing you again @JeromeFJ and it seemed indeed that the hidden gems we went looking for did not reveal themselves so easily to us. @Rk ramwoke us up with a nice stuck inside a dip, where @JeromeFJ was able to redirect him a bit, but eventually he was able to drive himself out wonderfully. It gave us the first taste of what would follow.. About 20mins later into the drive, @JeromeFJ announced he had a popout from sliding off a dune, and while i circled back towards him, @FERNANDO SYRIOannounced he also had a popout. I went to check on Jerome, and after seeing he was ok, i went back to go and help out Fernando, and got myself into a pickle when i slid off a dune myself and encountered a popout myself (so 3 popouts in less than 5 minutes apart). @Chacame to my rescue and pulled me out of that ditch and we fixed my popout together. By the time we were finished, Jerome managed to help out Fernando so we were all "popped in" again and good to go. I decided to exit that area as it was giving off the wrong vibes, and decided to take a bit of sabkha and head in a bit further. The next time we entered we found some nice rolling dunes, but as i started to pick up the pace, i came over what looked like an innocent dune and found a massive bush right in front of me. After some digging we managed to get the patrol redirected and able to drive out. My second lead @Gary Falso decided to take a break from the offroading game and parked his sandrunner on a nice looking crest Again we headed out and went back in a bit further and again i got myself in a pickle when i had a nasty nose dive in a hidden depression. A fantastic pull from Gary got it back out, and after some other small refusals and stucks, we exited again. By that time, we were running close to exit time and i felt that this morning somewhat was not in our favor and the best thing to do was get the hell out of there. I picked up the pace and we drove towards the exit in Baja style. I thank you all for joining and for bearing with the refusals, stucks, and shoveling. My signature smooth style drives today turned into a challenging one, but alas we had some good fun and learnings and we got out unharmed. Great support from @Cha, fantastic second lead @Gary Fand a very strong undeterred convoy consisting of @Deepak Eswar, @Mohit Gurnani, @Cristian, @FERNANDO SYRIO, @Zulfikhar Naiyar, @Rk ram, and @JeromeFJwho got back into the game and probably wished for something better Hope too see you all in the sand soon again and we can have a "smoother" drive next time !

Big Thanks @Ale Vallecchifor the the splendid drive.. 🙏with many refusals and stucks, you had a busy day🫣 personally the Halloween theme and the drive description gave a nice motivation for the drive 😊 I was bit low on confidence initially as this was my 1st drive after a gap of 1 year (due to back pain ).but the eagerness to get back on sand was more than the pain which is still bothering me 😬 Much appreciate the teamwork and the enthusiasm shown by all..it was an awesome experience 🖐️🖐️

Hello Ale, I wanted to extend my heartfelt appreciation for your exceptional leadership during our today’s desert drive. The experience was not only educational but also thrilling, and it's all thanks to your guidance and expertise in navigating challenging terrains. The Halloween drive made even more memorable, not just by the demanding landscape but also by the incredible team spirit fostered by the other drivers. Special thanks to each of them for adding an extra element of fun and excitement to the journey. The creative Halloween-themed decorations and costumes brought a festive atmosphere, making our adventure uniquely enjoyable. Once again, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your exceptional leadership and to the entire team for making this experience a remarkable and unforgettable one. I look forward to more adventures with this fantastic group.

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for organizing this amazing drive. The drive was fun, enjoyable, challenging and scary 👹 👾 👽 😄 Well done @SUMEDH KRISHNA WAGHMARE, @Soufiane, @Mahesh_, @Martin M for the Newbie Plus ridge riding lesson drive 👍. And all the rest of the convoy drove very nice @Theo09, @frederic demolder, @JERINE_B @Usman Basit. We have 3 or 4 morning radio channel struggling this morning, so just a reminder for those who haven't set their radio channels to 10 Carnity radio channels, please take the time to do it to make your drive easier in the future. Here is the link for common radio models.

Thanks @Frederic for a great time in second lead. Despite the many pop outs and recoveries , including my own it was a great fresh morning in the desert. This drive reminded me of this Van Morrison song. I was starting to feel a little left out with refusals so the crest was the best opportunity for another break. Speaking of breaks this crest felt different than past crests with the Sandrunner much deeper in the sand, it felt like the ridge collapsed as we went over the top. As winter comes and recent rains, it’s time to learn all over again. At times it felt solid as road others that was just a trick to tempt you until it sucked you right in. Good to see you back @JeromeFJ Looking forward to our next drive @Cha ( and knowing your radio supplier 😄) @Deepak Eswar got a great photo of your lovely SWB Wrangler will post to the gallery. until next time @christian @Mohit Gurnani @FERNANDO SYRIO @Zulfikhar Naiyar @Rk ram

Dear Desert wanderers, @Emanuel, @Rafey Hashmi, @essam ibrahim, @Ali-M, @Gautam Banka, @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad, @Issam Atra, @Xavi Moyano, @Shahid Mehmood and @Mahmoud Taha firstly thank you for an amazing Sunday morning Fb Drive I had a fantastic time leading you all through the beautiful Tawi NIzwa Desert to pink and then red rock. Furthermore, your patience today was outstanding, and I commend each and every one of you for smiling the whole way round. You guys all drove extremely well with only the one stuck that I can remember, although we did have quite a few refusals which were handled expertly by @Mahmoud Taha who played a blinder in the sweep position keeping me informed all the way until the end of the drive. My S/L @Emanuel drove a next to perfect S/L following my instructions to jink left a little or right a little and patiently waiting whilst I went back to assist with some refusals and re-routes. A Special shout out to the Tea bearer @Ali-M for providing a well deserved and enjoyable cup of tea, thankyou my friend that made my day. I hope all of your passengers enjoyed their time in the desert and that you all have a great rest of your weekend, and i hope to see you all on one of my drives in the future, it really was a pleasure driving with you all today. Some drive stats

@Davie Chase It was a wonderful experience. Sharing a a short video clip . will upload full video soon https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy_jC3hN1zE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Thanks @Davie Chase for the drive. and my regards to everyone i met.

Good ride with nice weather 😀👍

@Davie Chase Many thanks to you for the amazing drive today, looking to drive with you again soon. extended thanks to the support team @Mahmoud Taha and S/L @Emanuel. We had a very nice morning

Thank you @Davie Chasefor the wonderful, amazing drive today, we all enjoyed. Lovely morning. 👍👍👍

@Ale Vallecchi thank you very much for this amazing drive 👍 it was quite technical (newbie plus 😂😂😂)but one more time I learnt a lot thanks to you😉 see you next time 😉 PS I am looking forward to seeing pictures of our professional photographer in the team 😉👌

Thank you @Davie Chase for the amazing ride. A lovely morning for a great Sunday ahead!

https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B06XHQ4N6T?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details My attire for the evening... MN

Hi @Martin M thank you for the great photos. You can also upload them on Carnity drive galery here https://carnity.com/gallery/ Carnity may repost them on Carnity Social Media (IG, FB)

TAWI NAZWA -FB- 29102023

Now we are talking !!

@Sunil MathewThanks for the guidance through the drive. Straight crossing is a bit intimidating for me, but I am sure i will get the hang of it with time.

It’s taken a while to finish this project, my number plate mount got lost in shipment for a few weeks Before questioning my sanity with the wiring after, still need to sort out the reverse sensors. Had to make a loom with plugs for the camera and number plate light so I can get the tyre off easy.

Thank you @Martin M and your co pilot Jana for the amazing pics🙏🙏

Hello @Ale Vallecchi Sorry but please count me out for today's drive. I got up with a sore throat, not feeling too well. Will join next time. Thank you

@Abhilash Kottakkal @Arun Menon @Haneef Thayyil @Jessica Lambert Thank you for confirmation guys below is the convoy order for tomorrow morning, will share more details about the drive in drive brief. see you all tomorrow morning.

@Davie Chase. Sorry, I have to withdraw myself for tomorrow drive. Enjoy your drive. Will see you on next.

TJ Music by @Looper

What a drive today. It’s true @Looper, at the beginning I had my doubts but after you announced it on the radio that we need to change the way we drive it turned into a really enjoyable challenge. Excellent effort from everyone, especially at the back, navigating through beat up tracks.

Thank you for the drive this morning @Frederic. It was great to be out in the sand since a long time. To be honest, I was expecting more time "over" the sand, smoothly scrolling through the dunes inside the car enjoying AC. It was one of these days where we were a bit more literally "in" the sand. Thanks everyone for the team spirit, a recovery session is always good to take !