Leaderboard

Good afternoon Desert Explorers, First and foremost, thank you to all of you for showing up on time, deflated and ready for briefing. We had a very unexpected surprise with our SL having slept in. Having consulted leadership we decided to proceed with the drive with certain adjustments to the drive plan and supports nearby if needed. Everyone drove really well through super technical dune patches, mixed patches and some cleaner and fun dunes to play around on. We had very few refusals and reattempts with only one stuck which was quickly resolved. As my first independent drive, you all are permanently locked into my memory of this challenging drive that required skill and focused concentration throughout. Well done! Thank you for our Second Lead @Michael asir and @Mahesh_ for a strong Sweep and Support. You made this an easier day for me. Thank you. I'll post the drive stats later. Though as a teaser... we covered an amazing 52 kms.

Please find the convoy numbering below. We will use Radio Channel 8: 446.181'25 @JC_E @Kashx2 @Suneedh Wrangler @J-P L @Zahid Sharif @Andreas Riis @Andrei S @Michael asir Gaurav Silver Pajero Andrei S Grey FJ 2015 Suneedh Mitsubishi Pajero - 3 Door - White J-P L 2021 Suzuki Jimny 3 Door Grey Zahid Sharif 2024 - Prado 250 White Andreas Riis 2020 Jeep Wrangler - 2 door - yellow Michael asir Silver SWB 3.8 V6 PAJERO JC_E Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250

Thanks @GauravSoni, as mentioned elsewhere, this was a brilliantly simple drive plan executed extremely well. There was a continuous run of interesting technical dunes which all required slightly different combinations of momentum, gas and steering. This was definitely a good one to revisit basic skills and gain practice. I also enjoyed seeing what the highest gear/least RPM I could get away with was! From my position in the convoy I could watch @Abhishek Chikara and @Sam Selim - I was very impressed with you both, good approaches and you adapted your lines well as you discovered where the traction was. You also made a very good call Abhishek with the turn down, loop and re-attempt - on an IM drive that’s the difference between keeping the convoy flowing and having to stop and re-start. All under the watchful eye of the solar furnace 😂

Great drive today — awesome to see everyone handled it so well. Have a great weekend, and see you soon back on the sand!

Thanks to you @Emanuel! It was a great drive, all round challenges from technical dunes, to super soft ridges! I enjoyed every second of it!!! And also big thanks to the support guys! The silent heros, always there and ready to assist! @Michael asir @Mahesh_

Dear Desertnauts a short briefing before tomorrow's technical drive. We'll meet under the pylons, on the road from Qudra's Last Exit toward Solar Park's Innovation Center. We should deflate a bit more than the usual rate (maybe 1 or 2 PSI's), based on your type of tires, due to the likely softer sand surface we are sure to find with these high temperatures. Usually, a lower deflation rate generates concerns with the risk of pop-outs, which can be avoided, or minimized, by paying greater attention to avoiding sliding down from slopes and reaching the bottom of a descent as perpendicular as possible to the slope. Also make sure that heavy cars, such as Prados or Land Cruisers don't take turns too sharply, but with a wider, gentler, angle. Having made these recommendations, prepare yourselves for a drive where the use of steering will be very important, as well as being able to accelerate from low speeds with short bursts of engine power, to make short climbs out of low bowls, and reach the next dune's ridge. We plan to move along almost straight lines from the Three Trees (our entry point) to the Solar Tower, and back. The convoy order will be the following: @Andrew John Melvill in Second Lead @essam ibrahim at #3 @Shary at #4 @Warbs at #5 and @J-P L in Sweep. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy your Saturday evening.

It was a great drive indeed. My first of this kind, with a lot of learning moments and excelent to pratice the right approach and control of throtle. Thank you @GauravSoni, @J-P L, @ChrisW and @anoop, and the rest of the team. See you soon in the sand!

Trip report: We kicked off the drive with a delay from my side — I appreciate everyone’s patience at the meeting point and want to thank the team for holding back without a fuss. Much appreciated, truly. Once we rolled out, the convoy made its way toward the technical dunes, looping around a farm to align ourselves to the 24.8°N latitude. From there, the plan was simple: stay as straight as possible along the line leading us to the solar park roundabout. The terrain had its share of challenges — plenty of bushes, and some slip-face dunes that called for head-on climbs. Everyone handled these sections with solid control. A special shout-out to @J-P L who was exceptional in second lead — following my tracks with precision and handling his little Jimny like a champ. His driving gave the whole convoy great rhythm. @ChrisWheld the center line steady with calm consistency, and @anoopbrought up the rear with confidence, making sure everything stayed tight and in sync. The team formation was spot-on throughout. We had a minor pop-out incident from Sandeep, likely from a sharp steer on descent. Nothing major — it was quickly sorted with Chris stepping in to assist. Great teamwork. From there, we kept pushing forward, mostly in a straight line — cresting dunes, weaving through the brush, and keeping momentum without straying from the path. Some parts needed sharp focus and careful throttle work, and the team delivered. All in all, a great run. Solid performance across the board, and a pleasure driving with all of you. @Jose Luis Campos @Sam Selim @Abhishek Chikara @Zulfikhar Naiyar @GertjanLooking forward to catching up on the sand again soon.

What I read is that you need to export to another software like GPS track editor, combine them and then import to Gaia gps again. But I've never done it.

Drive stats for today. Total drive was 55 kms in 3 hours and 47 minutes, which is pretty darn impressive gentlemen! I haven't quite figured out how to combine two tracks and have some sort of combined stats. The stats I was getting for a the two tracks in a folder was giving me double the distance and time for some reason. If you know the fix please let me know. For now, I'll post below both drive tracks. I've found sometimes Gaia GPS stops recording when I switch to another app, in this case Whatsapp to give Gaurav an update, and when I come back to Gaia the track stopped recording.

Thanks for the lovely drive @Emanuel (adding your souvenir here) we covered quite the distance today have a great weekend everyone!

Please find the convoy numbering below. We will used Radio Channel 4: 446.081. @Diego @Danie @Arvindraj @JC_E @Michael asir @nithish468 @Mahesh_ Lead Emanuel The White Rhino SL Michael asir Silver SWB 3.8 V6 PAJERO 3 Diego 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor - 4 door - Blue 4 Danie 2024 Jeep Wrangler - 2door - Grey 5 Arvindraj 2023, Nissan super safari, LwB, brown 6 JC_E Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 7 nithish468 2011 Toyota fj cruiser - 2 door - white SW Mahesh_ 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - 4 door - Green

The RSVP is now closed. @J-P L @Jose Luis Campos @Gertjan @Sam Selim @Abhishek Chikara @ChrisW @Sandeep N @Faraz94 @Zulfikhar Naiyar @Anoop Nair Please find the Meeting Point for tomorrows drive: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HaiLWCEhMTqjWYK59 Meeting Time : 5:15 AM Please ensure that you are carrying the necessary gear as per your level. We will require you to get your rope and shackles out in case of any recovery needed for the car in front of you. The convoy order is below:

@GauravSoni unfortunately I had something come up and I have to drop. Have a great ride!