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The Ultimate Off-Road Challenge Carnity Desert Champions Trophy Prepare to be awestruck as we push the boundaries of off-road prowess, recovery expertise, and teamwork to new heights. The Carnity Desert Champions Trophy promises an adrenaline-fueled adventure that will ignite your passion for off-roading like never before. In the heart of the most rugged terrains, where grit meets glory, off-roaders will unite, relying on every ounce of their skills to secure the prestigious title of Carnity Desert Champions. It's a test that will demand nothing less than perfection from each team member, pushing you to your limits and beyond. WHAT'S EXCITING: Open for all off-roaders to raise the bar. WHEN: 9 November 2024, Saturday WHERE: Somewhere in the Desert At Carnity, we live by the belief that off-roading knows no boundaries. Whether you're driving a stock or modified vehicle, a new or vintage model, a powerhouse, or an underdog, you are welcome to participate in the Carnity Desert Champions Trophy. It's an exclusive once-in-a-year opportunity, for truly capable off-roaders in the UAE. Get ready to conquer the untamed, unite with fellow enthusiasts, and embrace the spirit of adventure. The Carnity Desert Champions Trophy is your chance to etch your name in off-road history, and we invite you to be a part of this exhilarating journey. Join us, to write a new chapter in off-roading excellence together. "To elevate the anticipation and ensure an exciting experience, the Carnity Desert Champions Trophy is meticulously designed to strike a perfect balance between various key elements, ensuring excitement, mental and physical challenge, and fairness at every turn." Terrain Diversity: Our competition thrives on the dynamic range of terrains that test your skills. From daunting dunes to treacherous super-soft sand, we've handpicked diverse landscapes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Vehicle Equality: In the spirit of fairness, we celebrate the inclusivity of off-roading. No matter if your vehicle is a beast of power or a humble underdog, every participant has an equal opportunity to shine. Your vehicle is your ally in this exhilarating journey, stock or modified, old or new. Technical Challenges: Brace yourself for a series of technical challenges that will demand precision and strategy. We've curated a series of obstacles that will push your off-road skills to the limit, ensuring that only the most skilled teams emerge victorious. Teamwork Emphasis: The Carnity Desert Champions Trophy places a premium on teamwork. In this rugged arena, every team member's contribution is vital. You'll need to synchronize your efforts, communicate seamlessly, and rely on each other's expertise to conquer the challenges that lie ahead as a team. Safety Measures: Safety is paramount in this challenge. Rigorous safety measures and guidelines are in place to ensure that all participants can indulge in the thrill of off-roading with complete peace of mind. Fair Judging: Our judging panel consists of experienced off-roaders who will objectively assess each team's performance. We've taken every measure to ensure that scoring is transparent and equitable, guaranteeing that the most deserving team emerges victorious. At Carnity Desert Champions Trophy, we've meticulously crafted an off-road spectacle that promises to be the highlight of your off-roading journey. Get ready to embrace the thrill, face the unknown, and forge unforgettable memories as you navigate through this extraordinary terrain and challenge. VEHICLE, GEARS & COMMUNICATION You don't need any special vehicle to participate, your stock or modified 4X4 should be in desert drive-worthy, top-notch and reliable condition. Any 4X4 with Low range gear with a minimum of 9-10 inches of ground clearance. Front and rear tow hooks/eyelets/bolt-on hooks. Off-road gear as per Carnity off-road Structure. Same-size spare tire in working condition. Bash plate and AT tires (Recommended). Winch (good to have, but not mandatory). Cars with standard fuel tanks of 60 liters, will need to carry extra 40 liters of fuel. All Jerry cans should be secured safely with ratchet straps. Etisalat sim are preferred, if you don’t have one, download the offline maps. Everyone should have the ability to record tracks & waypoints. If you use an in-built GPS, you can install Gaia on your phone to record and share. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE Carnity Team Lead – Expert, Marshal and Crew. No participation fees apply. Other Club / Independent Lead – 20+ drive-leading experience is required. No participation fees apply. Team Participation – Carnity Fewbie, Fewbie Plus, Intermediate, Support and Above level are entitled to participate. Standard participation fees apply. Other Club members – Can participate based on self-declaration of their existing off-road experience. Standard participation fees apply. 6 – 15 off-road drive experience = Fewbie 16 – 25 off-road drive experience = Fewbie Plus 26 – 35 off-road drive experience = Intermediate 35 and above off-road drive experience = Support TEAM FORMATION 1 Team Lead + 4 Participants (at any level above Newbie) is a must for all teams. All Team leads are entitled to pick and select their team participants, “mutually”. Carnity Team Lead: They can invite any Carnity or non-Carnity members based on their drive experience and capabilities. Or they can create a post on Carnity to invite interest. Other Club / Independent Lead: They can bring their own team from their existing club or friends and drive with their club/team name/flag. Or they can create a post on Carnity to invite interest after they fill out the registration form below. All Participants: Are free to choose and agree mutually with the Team Lead they are comfortable driving, trusting, and following through with this rigorous challenge. All teams can brand their vehicle or clothing with their club/team/sponsor name. Once teams are formed, the team lead has to submit the Team Name within 2 days. THE REAL CHALLENGE This is no ordinary race, and it certainly isn't a race against the clock. We're not here to see who can wreck their car the fastest – that's not our style. What you're about to experience is the ultimate team sport, a test that will push your off-road skills, recovery prowess, and teamwork to the next level. Forget about speed, because in this challenge, faster doesn't always mean better. Racing ahead might just land you in a world of trouble, stuck in the unforgiving terrain. Instead, we encourage you to slow down, tap into your creativity, and break free from the constraints of conventional thinking. Navigate the maze of dunes with your team, all while having the time of your lives. We welcome you to a one-of-a-kind tactical desert challenge, where every participant is put to the test. It's a showdown of true off-road capabilities, a showcase of your skills, grit, and unwavering perseverance. Above all, it's a celebration of teamwork, where together, you'll conquer the untamed desert and emerge as true desert champions. Area Covered: 300+ km² All single-use waypoints will be scattered in 300+ km² area and all teams need to bring home the maximum points within 6 hours to win the challenge. Weightage: Green Waypoints (5 points), Yellow Waypoints (10 points), Red Waypoints (15 points). Green: Easiest to reach waypoint but scattered among outer perimeter or near sabhka, making it difficult to cover all green waypoints before the end of the challenge. Yellow: Moderate difficulty waypoint, scatter randomly at mid-perimeter level or at moderate-size dunes surrounded with super-soft sand patches. Red: The most difficult-to-reach waypoints, placed on top of the tallest dunes surrounded by tall dunes. In some waypoints, you have to climb on foot to reach. Tactical Approach: Based on your team capability (Car + Fuel + Physical Strength) you should plot your route wisely factoring in the end time to gather maximum points with the least distance covered within 6 hours. If you aim for Yellow Waypoints, make sure you and your team are ready to traverse through super-soft sand and know how to use fuel efficiently. Tip: Deflate at 7-8 PSI to move through super-soft sand patches without hard steering to avoid tire pop-out. If you aim for Red Waypoints, make sure you have at least one fittest person to climb a tall dune on foot with the whole team's GPS device to mark it. Most Red Waypoints are on top of tall dunes, without much scope to scale with cars due to the limited area available below to gain momentum. WINNING CRITERIA Any team that returns to the starting point within 6 hours with maximum points covered through their whole team GPS track will have the honor to lift the Trophy with the most distinguished title of The Desert Champions for the next full year. In case of a tie, the team with the least kilometer clocked will win. The average of whole team kilometers clocked per odometer reading will be used. US spec car miles will be converted to Kilometers. 1 mile = 1.609 km. All teams will start with 3 or 5 minute intervals to avoid crowding near the first few waypoints. The same duration will be adjusted from their total track time in the end. RULES AND REGULATIONS All team leaders will receive the waypoints in advance. Each waypoint weightage will be counted once. Each team member must store those waypoints before the start line. All team members should use a GPS app/device to record track and waypoints. One person per car - no passengers allowed. Everything in your car should be securely fastened. Strictly no drones are allowed. CONDITIONS APPLY Any tampering with GPS recording and data will disqualify the whole team. Any tampering with the Odometer will disqualify the whole team. Any accident requiring a police report will disqualify the whole team. So don’t break your car. And don’t let your teammate break their car. Any minor to moderate damage will cause 20 points penalty. Missing a waypoint by more than 15 meter variance, will not be counted. Any vehicle breakdown will require immediate reporting to the control team. Once the support team arrives on the site, based on their fair evaluation you can leave the broken-down car and driver to be taken care of by the support team. You can continue with 1 less car. As the support team may arrive within 30 min - 1 hour, you will lose that time without any consideration of the vehicle breakdown. Tire pop-out, use of spare tire, and minor bumper damage will not be counted as part of the vehicle breakdown. TIMINGS Registration opens: 22 September 2024, Sunday (follow link below at the end of this post). Registration closing: Till slots available...! EVENT TIMINGS Event Date: 9 Nov 2024, Saturday. Meet-up & Line-up: 9:00 AM First Team Dispatch: 10:00 AM Last Team Dispatch: 11:00 AM First Team last cut-off time: 4 PM Last Team last cut-off time: 5 PM Teams Track Submission: 5 PM - 6 PM Teams Feedback: 6 PM - 7 PM Snacks & Dinner (Veg & Non-Veg): 6 - 8 PM Winner Announcement: 8 PM PARTICIPATION CHARGES As Convoy Member: 1,000 AED per person. As Convoy Lead: No participation charges apply. WINNING TEAM PRIZES Carnity Desert Champions Trophy - Pride for life. 10,000 AED Cash Prize for the winning team. Carnity's Winning Certificate for each team member. Part of the "Desert Champions" User group on the site with a trophy icon. Be part of the Carnity Desert Champions Trophy today with your name in the winner's circle! Unleash your inner off-road champion now by filling out this Registration form (Mandatory for all). Team Lead Registration Form Participant Registration Form Payment link: Please use and follow the Desert Champions Trophy forum For all Announcements, Rules, Planning, Prizes and Discussions.

Thanks for the fun drive. A new path for fayah for me.. loved the smooth flowing lines that you picked @Asif Hussain. The epic battle of man vs machine played out on @Shaun J tyre puncture, with us taking quite a while to find the right tool for the job. @Zed left half of his bumper as on the sand as an offering to the desert,.. which unfortunately wasn't enough to stop the desert djins claiming a micro popout on @Andrew John Melvill and a big popouts for @DP1011. Saw some nice black camels on white sand. Once I get some videos off the camera I'll drop a link here Great driving by everyone on dl very soft sand, thanks for the fun day!

Thank you @Asif Hussain @DP1011 and rest of the convoy for a great drive, it was enjoyable and fun. I manage to take couple of pictures during pop out fix 😈

Marek Master photographer. Great shots 🤩

@Asif Hussain, your drives are different! Thank you for the opportunity. And I'm glad I didn't end up at the back of the queue: respect to the guys who were behind me! Task for the next week... get the spare checked (especially the spare mount and unlock mechanism). @Zed 's Punisher looks awesome without the bumper cover! @Luke K P, awesome spectacles, sir! @Alexanderrr thank you for the shot @Andrew John Melvill, I managed to capture you in the middle of this lovely approach! Pajero Power! @DP1011, sweet and dramatic ridge riding: @Aser, one more for your collection: @Brett Eicher, one for you too:

Another really fun drive - thank you, @Frederic Just as you said, the sand looked relatively pristine out there too…a less travelled road! Good work from @Ishak, @Gary F and @Jeandre Bezuidenhout keeping us all together…thank you!

Just wanted to update. Went for a short drive today and implemented the suggestions that are given in this thread - Apart from the regular checklist (4H Part Time, 12 psi, Traction off, ESC off), as advised, I drove in Offroad Mode 95% of the time (let the auto do the job which was fantastic) and modulated the throttle instead of keeping it firmly pressed during the last drive. There was a world of difference and the experience was much better + I never hit the rev limiter. Thanks again for the advice.

Great morning for fun in the sun... thank you for organising this drive @Asif Hussain

Great drive indeed, and a very nice way to start the season, for a few of us (incl me) who had a long summer break. Nahel was a perfect place to restart, with a nice variety of terrains, medium size open dunes to start, bigger bowls and long climbs to push a bit those powerful engines, and a few technical portions in-between. In addition, beautiful desert views, that are always rewarding. Excellent drive from all of you, and the few obvious mistakes that happened were a good opportunity to illustrate situations that can become risky... and to practice recoveries. @Emanuel was fully experiencing his supporting new role, which he did with dedication and efficiency. @Luke K P, good to have you back, thank you for the 2nd lead, nicely executed. @Jon L you made a beautiful use of that mighty truck, following the smooth lines of @Luke K P, well done for your 2nd FB drive. Still both of you scared me a bit on that ridge, do not overestimate the capabilities of your vehicles. @Michael asir, congratulations for your first FB drive. You showed great control in the climbs and the bowls. reasonable in your expectations to climb, and taking action to steer down at the time needed. Well done. @Tharun Kumar V well driven, with your experience, you know also the capabilities of your car, and adjust your lines accordingly. @Rk ram ... what to say... even IM drivers have their moments... you have the experience, you have a powerful car, you need to keep the focus even if the drive may look "simple". Being stuck with a steep angle at the top of a high bowl, you gave the opportunity to practice a tricky recovery. @Deepak Eswar, all good, continue working on your controls, you had sometimes excessive speed or steering @Aser, excellent driving, accurate and always in control. The summer had no effect on you ! @Emanuel, thanks again for the support, very much needed today @Gaurav Soni, @Mehmet Volga, it was a pleasure to have you in the drive, thank you for joining. You can post your feedback here, and your pictures in the gallery. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you soon !

Thanks @Frederic for a great drive today and thanks for the support team for a great job! Special thanks to @Gary F for playing the CF role with above and beyond capabilities !

THANK FOR THE LOVELY DRIVE @JeromeFJ and the team....AND THANK @JeromeFJ @Emanuel @Aser @Gaurav Soni FOR PULLING ME OUT FROM A STICKY SITUATION-- COULD LEARN FROM THE MISTAKE AND WILL FOLLOW AS ADVISED ... I HAVE A GREAT LIKING FOR THIS PART OF THE DUNES ... WHICH ARE SUPERB TO DRIVE THROUGH.... ENJOYED EVERY BIT OF IT WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD FOR MORE DRIVES IN THE COMMING WEEKS ..

A few quick videos… Driving out… Brief change in plans for Zubail’s Explorer… Climbing

@Frederic amazing drive! Many tricky areas with soft sand, vegetation, u-turns for long wheels.. at least tried and experiment some features, got twice pulled, 1 self recovery! Amazing day! @Gary F thanks a lot for support! Was happy to see you all!

Team Desert Hawk will come back stronger 😅🤣

@Gary F way back home was with Pink Floyd 🎶

Here is @JeromeFJ jumping https://photos.app.goo.gl/PzGLb2W8MVazsNCh9

@Shaun J added you. @Zed took your place today, so we are sending him back from meeting point.

Much learning and experience on my first Support drive. This will be a very memorable induction indeed. Used both shovels and my kinetic rope today. Thanks @JeromeFJ for leading the drive and for your assistance. @Gaurav Soni, @Mehmet Volga for supporting and @Luke K P in S/L. You have a great memory @Gaurav Soni. That hat-trick in the same pocket a year or two back on @Davie Chase's drive still makes me shake my head. Today I was able to laugh about it. Have a great weekend everyone and see you next time!

Dear Desert Drivers @Luke K P @Jon L @Gaurav Soni @MICHAEL PAJERO single door @Tharun Kumar V @Ahmed Farouk @Emanuel @Rk ram @Deepak Eswar @Aser @Mehmet Volga Thank you for signing up for the FB drive tomorrow in Nahel. It will be a "back to the desert" drive for some of us. It is good to see old friends and new joiners on the list. Please ensure that your car is in good condition to go off-road, and remove unnecessary items from the trunk and passenger areas. I will issue the convoy order by the end of the afternoon, let me know before that if you have changed your plans.

Not gonna make it unfortunately. Have a good drive everyone