Leaderboard

Trip Report - Finally after a long delay. A day started with drizzling had a good indication that it's going to be the best day for many of us. Following recent culture of being on time, everyone showed up at meeting point before I showed up. With little distant greetings, we started SHARP at 8:00 AM and head over to the deflation point. As I had all the intermediate and advance drivers so I wanted to up the challenge little bit by starting the drive without the deflation. Off course without deflation, we wouldn't be able to make it very far, but the actual idea was to show the importance of deflation and also how you can manage your vehicle if you have to step in sand without deflation. With proper instructions, precise control and careful approach we all did good dunes, side sloping, crossing the crest at 35 PSI for first 15-20 minutes. After the deflation, I gave up the lead to our new leaders and @Shamil was the first one to get in line to test his leading skills. He started bit on a shy note, but picked up very well and reached the pylon track within 30-40 minutes. Shamil had a pretty commendable and confident pace to lead and he knew where he is heading. He had a good sand reading and judgment of dunes to enter and exit safely. He need to work on keeping a close eye on the convoy behind and also time management skills. Overall @Shamil scored 7 out of 10. Next comes the "under cover" Raptor - @Xaf. He got the instruction to take all of us back to the starting point from pylon track, which will be facing the slip face on most of the dunes (tough battle for a new lead). But he was super cautious, well planned in using steps/stairs technique without me explaining or teaching anything on that. After a little while he was given a green signal from my side to boost the level the best he can and then lower down accordingly if any of us get stuck or refusal. After this instruction we all have seen new Velociraptor in making. Amazing sideys, ridge riding and tall climbs he plan and manage to sneak the whole convoy safely under his wings. He needed a very little fine touch to tweak the lead or alternate path by using the second lead effectively and hone his leading skills even better. He needs to practice this more with a free mindset and learn to make interesting spaghetti routes through the dunes. Overall @Xaf scored 8 out of 10. Then we have given the chance to lead to our "Youngest Off-roader" - @Jeepie (as per he experience). Initially she thought of giving it up - may be she genuinely wanted or prepping our mind for her first lead - genuine first lead, unlike Shamil and Xaf who have done the lead before. So we got to start with Matrix example that no one has made in the first attempt. Luckily she could see the Fossil rock on a clear day and she was instructed to take the convoy there. As a first time lead, she decided to stick to the tracks and did couple of sideys and chosen the very safe and doable path for all the cars behind. Her leadership skills is far too great than she actually realizes it. As a good leader she is open for evaluating all the suggestions and then decide her path. Unfortunately she has beaten the Matrix example - to made through the whole stretch without any stucks or refusal. She need to believe on herself and try more leading drives to get accustom to the idea that she can find her own path. Overall @Jeepie scored 6 out 10. Last but not least comes @Ale Vallecchi with his trusted FJC, that is waiting to be pushed to the next level. He has got the most difficult patch to lead from pylon track to the top of the fossil rock. His navigational skills are quiet good and he manage to circle the convoy to right side for an exploratory purpose. We recovered couple of locals there and find our way to the top of Fossil Rock, of course with an hour of delay due to extra recoveries. Ale needs to work hard on connecting the dots on what he sees on the navigational screen and where he drives. He also need to realize that his FJC holds lot more potential than what he is realizing it currently. Overall @Ale Vallecchi scored 7 out of 10. All four new leaders did amazing job and exceeded all my expectations that I had in the morning. They all need to hone their skills and practice the lead more often under supervision. They all need to get involve and start leading all recoveries and have their first say on the technical recoveries. They have learned the importance of angles, precision, physics and weight than just speed and full throttle tug. Hope they continue to learn and advance further to master this amazing art of off-roading and help others to learn more from their knowledge and experience.

Really nicely done guys and gal. Well done on the trip report @Gaurav bhai. Feeling more confident that we gave leaders in the making @Shamil, @Jeepie, @Xaf and @Ale Vallecchi. More challenges ahead to further develop their skills. @Wrangeld your chance coming soon #notjealous.

@Gaurav this is really instructive and helpful as a learning piece, so thanks for the explanation and tips for us all to read. Looking forward to the next opportnity as I unfortunately missed this drive #notevenonetinyteenylittleitsybitsyenvious 😷

Welldone guys..

Amazing class and proud of everyone ! Well done guys and gal !

Unlike every other drive we have done, this one was quite special as it was an educational drive whereby our skills were honed under the tutelage of @Gaurav Bhai. I really appreciate the time and efforts you have taken to teach us the lessons we needed to learn for the ultimate skill that every off-roader could develop - leading. Leading can seem nerve racking at first to say the least but once you understand the dynamics behind it, it is the ultimate adrenaline booster, yet you also need to be responsible and keep a keen eye on the convoy behind. Once again thank you for the amazing opportunity @Gaurav Bhai and looking forward to more educational drives like this.

Uglier than a half grown bat 😂 - and ours was flourescent green: so we NEVER lost it in the car park. Funny moment in that car was being caught for speding on the way to Paris. Why funny - the Policeman told me I had been clocked at 174kph. I could not stop laughing because the car was supposed to max out at 170. I was going downhill so maybe ... I appealed the decision based on the quoted speed of the specification on the car (and that they could not prove corect callibration of the gun that morning) and that they were only stopping Dutch registered cars. It only took a year and half, but the fine got reveresed, even though I had told them I was prepared to admit to speeding at 160!

Unusual stuff while home isolation?? Well home isolation is not for me 😃 as I continue to work and provide my services for emergency cases as a Orthopedic surgeon specialising in Hand and Microsurgery @ a hospital in Dubai. At work the most unusual for me has been - to wear almost cover all with two to three layer apron and a N95 or N99 mask. This type is protection is good against the bugs but it literally suffocates you , even simple walking makes you feel breathless leave alone doing surgeries. But I am getting used to. - we are paractising social distancing among the staff , undergo tests as we come in high risk areas and we are always in for some changes happening almost every hour. - coming back home to undergo a complete disinfection before entering home and asking kid to wait who comes running to hug me , is quite a sad situation. With time even he is understanding the importance of it. - I am asked to be available on standby if need arises to help in this tough situation where some of the departments in our hospital are overwhelmed. I am a bit scared but I am willing to go , bring it on !! The same principle of desert drives and leap of faith working here too. If my colleagues are doing it , I will be able to do it too. There will be some stucks and refusals , but Hope and God being our marshals to pull out. Stay safe all of you

Leading a desert drive is the most amazing experience to have, where you can combine the fun, freedom, creativity, strategic thinking and survival skills all at once. Leaders lead is the drive where all participant of that drive will lead for a certain period of time. Backed with the right techniques, experience and supervision so that you can learn the art of leading with a peace of mind without any fear or pressure. Due to the basic experience required to read the sand and have basic navigational sense, this drive is only suited to the Intermediate and above level off-roaders. You will be learning the basics of leading the convoy in the desert in three different steps: Advance sand reading, plan your lead, plan your exits. Use of navigational software for selecting the right course of path. How to systematically scale the lead for all the cars in the convoy. Level: Intermediate and Above. (NO NEWBIES/FEWBIES ALLOWED) When: 21 March 2020, Saturday Meeting time: 8:00 AM, (Sharp, without any exceptions) Meeting Point : ADNOC Service Station https://goo.gl/maps/KBHywynNjpXg99rZ6 Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. Approximate finish time: 12:00 PM Please RSVP on the below calendar:

Hi @asifk, I have a LWB as well, for the first drives just the rear bumper fix as @Frederic mentioned in the above thread will do the trick. I've just done a lift, bumper trim & bashplate in the front (see pics) to give it a bit more approach & departure angle on the trickier rides. Started out with the un-painted bashplate but in the end had that one painted black as well to make it look nicer!

Montero GC

🤮

Apart from regular clean up, organizing and tidy up your house, car, PC, phone, camera, what unusual stuff you have done during this stay at home period, which "you have never done before"? I dance with my 5 YO son and wife like I have never danced before. Started with kiddo's dance - as usual Then he picked up our moves and we dance on regular music for an hour with good volume and bass. Surprisingly we never think/expect that kid at such an age will like / adapt to our music or moves but when given been a chance they really surprise us beyond our expectations.

Make a best guess on what this new Mitsubishi GC concept will turn into? Let's name this Concept GC-PHEV plugin hybrid as: New Pajero....? Pajero Hybrid...? Pajero Sport Hybrid...? Outlander PHEV....? Something else....? And then talk about how good, bad, ugly this looks like to beat or live with the ongoing competition.

Is it a Landcruiser 70-series or a G-Class? Gotta watch till the end... GClass4.mp4

https://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=crude-oil&currency=aed&commodity=gasoline

All I can tell you is those intl crude prices is for barrel = 159 liter = USD 22/159 = USD 0.14/liter = AED 0.5/liter Rest all for processing, refining, storage, logistic, retail etc, which in this new COVID era might be very expensive. We are really lucky to have essential supplies including food, water and fuel at regular prices at this time. Even the most advance countries aren't able to control the price hike and availability of such essentials.

The more of us that treat it like a curfew, the higher the likelhood that we will stop passing this virus on to one another.

While less extreme, working in the pharma business, I have been and remain in the office working probably longer hours than usual and working 7 day weeks. Luckily, I do not have the added concerns of medical professionals because we are socially distancing in the office very successfully. Of 150 people, there are a total of 10 in the office (5 in my team) and we are all doing what we can to limit contact outside the office so we do not infect each other - possibly a bigger responsibility than if it was just me and my wife: At home, the unusual thing we did is to cheer every night at 8pm for the public service workers and health workers who are taking real risks to keep the country moving and functioning. Last night I took my drum outside to bang on the drum because where we are supporting the public servants. That felt strange because it was not really a big thing where we are, and frankly so many of the apartments are clearly vacant. We could hear a few people in the disntance joining in ... feels quite wierd and ... isolating.

Yeah of course anything that is not Land Rover is 🤮 . lolololol. TBH this design/styling (curvy, bloated, boxy shape) isn't too far from new defender forced futuristic looks off course this looks far better. My vote is "Pajero Hybrid" with little modifications like below rendering.

I've heard same thing about the Multipla from other ex-owners. Ugly as a halfgrown bat, but very practical and comfortable.

I have always loved driving. It was the thing i most wanted to do from an early age, sitting behind my dad in the car pretending. I got my driving licence within 5 weeks of my 17th birthday (the age a licence was allowed in the UK) but had been driving for years before that. On motrobikes, or 'borrowing' my parents' cars when they left them at home. Perhaps I was the original inspiration for Ferris Bueller? Take a look at my car history, you'll see that I have had a lot of vehicles, normally just one at a time but sometimes as many as 4. None of these was new, some were classics in the making, some I knew were already classics, but all of them had character. A day driving through the Negev desert with friends got me hooked on the possibilities of offroading. We spent a day in a few jeeps just crossing the empty desert. Nothing extreme, just a day of cruising through wadis and valleys and crossing otherwise unreachable places (if you were there with another sort of vehicle). It took me another few years until I was able to convert my wish into a vehicle. I had made sure my (then) wife had a wonderful car for our growing family, I had a TR6 that was my first passion and business was good. One day I was invited to a corporate fun day which involved a number of 4x4 treats, including blind jeep driving. There was also a 4x4 course at the end the day. That was the clincher and within a month I treated myself to a 2nd hand diesel SWB Nissan Patrol. It was officially a work car, so was kitted out with Leather seats and all mod cons. My wife organized for me to go on a full day 4x4 driving course, which was brilliant and exciting and massive fun in SJ413s and Land Rovers and that was it. I was determined to get off road. I also joined the 4x4 club and as a result spent one day every weekend after that for around a year taking my car and some giggling girls strapped into their child seats through muddy tracks and water filled paths mud plugging - as it's called in the UK. My Patrol was cleaned meticulously after every trip. It was all part of the fun, seeing the mud drain away leaving my jeep clean on the street each week. Life has a strange way of teaching us lessons, because just as I bought my next 'toy' (my Yamaha GS1A motorcycle) I got offered a job in the Netherlands. The toys did not come with. From having pretty much my dream garage (the family car was a V6 Citroen XM with all the Bells and Whistles), all the cars were sold and I ended up living in the Netherlands with a Honda Motorbike and a Fiat Multipla (please, please stop laughing, it's a great car). Roll on 20 years, a divorce and two global financial meltdowns and a redundancy later which drained the bank account, I end up in Dubai with my wonderful new wife. Off roading was high on my list of things that I wanted to do again in coming here. Problem was that this was new to my new wife. When we spoke about a car for her here in Dubai, she was talking about a small city runaround, maybe a nice sedan. We went to see quite a few cars, exotic or otherwise, but none of them fit the bill. Then one day, our TJ was advertised. With some trepidation I took my darling wife out and let her know on the way that our outing was to test drive a Jeep [that I have to admit, I had test driven a few days earlier to check it was everything promised]. Within 10 minutes of sitting behind the wheel, she was hooked on the car. Next challenge was to identify an opportunity for off roading and after a bit of research it was clear that an organization called Carnity was offering the easiest way to try out desert driving. The rest, as they say is history. I knew I would love it, but was a little worried that my passion might not be shared. I should not have worried. Not only is this now my weekly fix to clear my head from the stresses of my working week, it's a shared hobby so there's never a question of having to choose between our being together and my hobby on my day off. Now the biggest challenge is getting behind the wheel as much as I want. A very small price to pay for having found my way back into my natural environment - high up, behind the wheel of a 4x4. See you soon in the sand.

Back in Belgium I’ve always been a bit of an outdoors person. Grew up in a small town so we only had few friends and spent days fixing our bikes and playing in the woods. I’ve always had this dream of exploring the wild but only after arriving in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and seeing the magnificent deserted areas I became more hungry to explore more and find unspoiled places, seeing farms and meeting locals, but my 4x2 FJ Cruiser forced me to stay on the hard farmer tracks. I’ve left Saudi and went back to Belgium for a while and was happy to be able to get a job in Dubai. I bought a 3 series beemer but after meeting few new friends in the community that went camping often, I realized the fun in Dubai only started off-road so tried to find a 4x4 commuter car which was big enough to take the kids to school but small enough to enjoy in the dunes. Fell in love with my little blue Pajero and found Carnity from searching info about my car and that’s how I ended up here. Wifey later sold our Beemer and bought a LWB Pajero as family / adventure car. And now both addicted off-roaders 🤣

It is not a curfew but unnecessary movements outside not allowed . Please all to cooperate

Sorry for the delay, but I have finally put any useful drone footage into a video with the help of my daughter.

A 2wd 4x4 is like a casterated man. You look, act and behave like a man but when it comes down to do it. You just can't get the job done

@Gaurav Thank you very much for your trust... Definitely, i will join the next week drive.

We will have these more often, so join when you are ready to really have a meaningful takeaway.

I wish if i can join this drive.😣

Same for @Michael sammy please sign out as it's an Intermediate level drive.

@Yousef Alimadadi this is an Intermediate drive. So please sign out. Thanks