Leaderboard

It was a real pleasure to lead this first full drive this morning, and I was supported by a very strong convoy. Thank you @Chaitanya D for the support and guidance during the preparation, and during the drive itself. We started from Murqab with the rising sun in the mixed terrain just behind the town. Not so tall dunes, some shrub and vegetation, but also some soft pockets and a few crests, challenging for the long cars. It required everyone to be fully awake to follow the track, and we had the first tugs of the day. We ended this portion with a small stretch of real technical dunes that the first half of the convoy crossed with great control. Then a car was stuck from the middle, and as it happens in these areas, once the momentum is lost… it becomes difficult. With the support of @Rob S, @Imteeaz, @Chaitanya D, the cars were regrouped together on a sabkha were we enjoyed a small break. The second portion was a sort of link to the next area, using the natural routes of the desert. Wide open dunes, flat sabkha, and a track crossing this very difficult area between Lisaili and Solar Park. As expected we crossed also desert inhabitants : one convoy of cars, and 2 convoys of camels. We left the track to take north through the dunes, and crossed a beautiful portion of virgin sands. I enjoyed really drawing lines from one dune to the other, crossing the ridges, driving on the crests when they were suitable. Still the progression against the slip faces required concentration to keep the lines, especially at the end of the convoy when the track was becoming churned. A nasty stuck with a steep angle required a combination of shovelling with a delicate tug perfectly executed by @Looper. Finally we reached one of these high long dunes of Lisaili, in perfect condition for a long side sloping. Two runs were barely enough to push the engines and release the tension accumulated in the technical dunes, but it was already time to exit the sand. Crossing a last small technical portion we reached the pylons track, and reached the tarmac close to Lisaili town. @Daniel Rodas you were a great 2nd lead, @Rob S @Imteeaz @Chaitanya D, amazing support, @Looper, great addition to the support, but don’t steel the slot of your wife anymore ( @Sita Sharma, we missed you) @BHANU PRAKASH VISHWANATH @Suresh K @Paolo Morresi @Peter Hager @Jose Thomas @Abdul Basit Khan @Nathan, great driving and company, with an excellent team spirit. See you soon, and enjoy the rest of the weekend !

@JeromeFJ @Looper @Chaitanya D @Rob S thanks guys for arranging another exciting drive today. got some refusals and stucks which is the part of the game. happy to see everyone followed the instructions well by the leader. see you soon guys

Fantastic morning in the sands, and I can already see the gallery full of photos! @Daniel Rodas some absolutely amazing snaps! Thanks @JeromeFJ for leading us through a good mix of terrains! thanks to @Chaitanya D for ensuring the convoy remained as one from the back and @Looper for support. Well done to @Daniel Rodas for your first SL! Few crestings for a few in the convoy, especially in the soft sands, key here is learning what level of power and momentum is required for your vehicle but its all part of the learning. Also a few loops by some of the convoy, but its always better to steer down, loop round and reattempt than getting stuck at what could be awkward angles. I also think some of your cars just wanted to show that they too, can be @Loopers haha! @Jose Thomas don't forget to get your front tow hook checked and maybe considering some additional as advised by @Chaitanya Dwho has good experience of Xterra towpoints! I didn't managed to get videos of everyone on the final sidesloping but have videos of @Imteeaz, @BHANU PRAKASH VISHWANATH, @Suresh Kand @Daniel Rodas you can whatsapp me on 50 318 0363 and I will send across to you. see you all again soon!

Dear @Ranjan Das @munkybizness @JamesThorn @Waqas Parvez @Rajiv Sam @Ashok chaturvedi @Gilbert Khalil @Daniel Yang @Vaibhav @Matt.T @Mohamad Anwer Pre-drive details below: 1- Please be on time and bring all your passion for off-roading and pull as much as you can of yourself out of bed.. trust me you will need all of it. 2- Be at the meeting point by 5:30am (or before) and be ready to move max by 5:45am max (deflated, flag erected, 4H on, radio on and set, airbags/traction/abs all set....) 3- Please ensure your programable radio is on, fully charged and set to Channel 3 (446,056) 4- Briefing will be done on on the sand before we start moving 5- Please be prepared for a demanding drive which you will require your undivided attention. Bringing passengers is ok provided they will not be a cause for distraction and don't have known motion sickness or fear of heights. 6- Please ensure everything in the car is tied down and no moving objects 7- Please check all car fluids, tow hooks, and ensure no hanging parts below the chassis. 8- please ensure you come with a full tank (as much as possible) in addition to all necessary gear for this drive level specially your safety flag and radio (NO FLAG or RADIO = NO DRIVE) 9- Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/cMqhdDHzH1xp78Hh9 10. Convoy Order:

Hi @JeromeFJ! Thanks for the nice ride. And thanks to @Rob S @Chaitanya D for supporting the middle and for closing. I really like the technical dunes! Hope to see you all in the next drive!

Hi @JeromeFJ! It was great to be part of your 1st full lead drive (which was my first 2nd lead btw). I'm anxious to repeat it soon. @Rob S @Chaitanya D and @Looper, it was a privilege to be part of this senior group and always a pleasure to drive along side you guys. This convoy was great, some refusals and stucks, difficult technical terrain for the LWB folks. I got crested myself, and with the help I had I felt like the king of the hill 🤣. Well done everyone! I could see a lot of you learning new tricks today, and making them second nature to you. The sideys at the end were great! It was the gran finale. I will be off the sand for a while due to some long business trips. Drive safe and have fun! Cheers!

Doc, thanks for your guidance and encouragement 👍thanks mate see you soon

Thanks @Vanessa8580 for showing us such a fantastic place today, it was a really fun driving on those dunes, I was smiling quite a lot this week😄! Sweihan is really beautiful, I can't wait to go back! Thanks also to the team of @Amr Aydin, @Islam Soliman & @Naveen Raj. I really appreciated how you handled all of the events of the drive, it was really interesting to see how to handle the new challenges posed by what was a totally new terrain for me. Really nice to meet you @Anthony Tan & @Jaro Tuzinsky. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Congratulations @Rob SSee you soon on the next levels mate 😃

@Naveen Raj @Tom B @Warren Flay @Gregory @Mus_hus78 @ShereenMK @Simon Dawood @ASAD. @Karthikeyan Govindarajan WOW, that's now a strong FB+ convoy. With plenty of big dunes and bowls we are definitely going to be spoiled for choices. The scene is set for another fast paced roller coaster ride. See you boys in Sweihan !! Convoy Numbering 1. Srikumar - XJ 2. Warren Flay - Pajero SWB 3. Simon Dawood - Pajero LWB 4. Asad - Prado 5. Naveen - Pajero 6. Shereen MK - LC 7. Karthikeyan - LC 8. Gregory - Pajero 9. Tom B - LC 10. Mustafa - Pajero

Huge applause 👏 to a well deserved promotion! hope to join more of your drives soon @GauravSoni

A short convoy tomorrow, but this guarantees some extra fun 1) Frederic - Isuzu Trooper @Frederic 2) Amr Aydin - Jeep Wrangler @Amr Aydin 3) Pascal - Toyota 4Runner @Pascal 4) Mahmoud Taha - Xterra @Mahmoud Taha 5) GauravSoni - Pajero Grey @Gaurav Soni Let's use channel 2: 446.03125 Mhz Please be on time: 6AM, earlier is always better. See you tomorrow !

Congratulations @Rob S !!

Congrats @topgearwell deserved!

CONGRATULATIONS @GauravSoni. Will drive with u soon under your lead. Renewed my membership only for this purpose. Have driven with you so many times. Knew one day you will lead a drive in the club seeing your passion.

Likewise. Hopefully more opportunities to drive together in the future

That was indeed very memorable for me and my family. I literally threw them into the deep end.

Congratulations @GauravSoniwell deserved.

Congratulations @Rob S well deserved 👍 well done 👏

Amazing! Congrats Expert @Gaurav Soni!

Congratulations @GauravSoni for reaching the Expert Level with Carnity Offroad Club. Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. EXPERT - Carnity Exclusivity The expert level will offer you continuous improvement in your overall development by alternating between the lead and supporting the drive every week. This way, you will still learn and advance your knowledge by supporting other trip leads in different terrain to understand the complexity and challenges involved and practicing independent lead and convoy management. Carnity Benefits Off-road Certification with rank and skills achieved. Full access to Carnity without any paid subscription. Join any drive in the “Manage” tab. Carnity Contribution Committed to driving with Carnity off-road club only. Lead/Support: Minimum of 3 drives per month. Forum contribution to earn Carnity points. What you'll learn Navigating with or without GPS on the fly. Trip planning, safety exits, and recce skills. Response to vehicle breakdown and accidents. Skills required A resilient, calculative, and rational thinker. Self-reliance, positive attitude, and forward-thinking. Kind, selfless, and considerate of others’ concerns. Car Worthiness Capable 4x4 vehicle with a low range gearing. Suitable approach and departure angle. High profile tires. Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS, Floor jack and jack board, tire repair kit, toolbox, tie-down straps, fluids. Drive teamwork Lead Fewbie, Fewbie Plus, Intermediate, or Extreme drives. Inspect the vehicle for safety before the off-road drive. Support all other level drives, proactively. Drive Joining All Levels. Forum participation Active participation in the forum. Share drive experience + feedback. Share drive pictures in the gallery. Post trip report after the drive.

@JeromeFJ wonderful lead , never looked a first. It was my pleasure being with you and all others on your memorable first independent lead which was perfect. You were in total control at all situations . Have to acknowledge @Looper for managing a stuck situation in a tricky spot , which was perfectly coordinated

Many Congratulations @Gaurav Soni

Thank you @Vanessa8580 for the fantastic lead and fun drive in Sweihan this morning and for the superb support from @Islam Soliman Lucky us to have you in our convoy and thx @Naveen Raj for the sweep and support when needed. Amazing driving for @all , and well done for you @Jaro Tuzinsky for managing the challenges today on your first drive with the club. See you all soon.

Congratulations @JDub well done 👍

Thanks everyone for your well wishes. It is my honor to learn from all the seniors and better drivers like you guys.

Congrats @Rob S! Very much deserved! It's always great fun to drive with you.

Congrats @GauravSoni well deserved

Good Going @GauravSoni... Marshaldom is not far from where you are now ...Congrats...!!! Keep up the banter you bring to drives, See you soon on one of your drives.👍👍 And dont confuse me with @Anoop Nair like you always do... 😂😅

Congratulations @Gaurav Soni this is a great story. I recall when you applied for promotion to support and were turned down. Instead of bitchin n moanin you took it on the chin and asked yourself why did you not get approval straight away. You went off to drive in other clubs and no doubt learned a lot. You also clearly looked inside a little and came back stronger, more committed and ... now you're at the pinnacle. You've been a great example to other drivers and now have the chance to lead those for whom off roading is as important in their lives as for you.