Varun Mehndiratta

Thanks @Frederic for organizing the event. It was fun catching up with you @Gaurav @Srikumar and all. Though clouds and nature played their tricks limiting the sighting other than the dubious ones by Gaurav 😂😂, it was a fun trip with mysterious location (somehow quite a few ppl managed to decode it) and nice bunch. On the way back saw a couple more - shower was more like Dubai rain shower needed some spl eyes to witness them...😂

Oh goodness it's a long thread ..can someone confirm meeting time is 11:50pm today right? 😂😂 Sorry but Too lazy to read the whole thread to ensure that i didn't miss some notes somewhere ....it's extended weekend cant be expected to do so much work...😂

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Gauravfor organizing this drive through a beautiful landscape - was looking for a relaxed outing and calmness of Qudra (off the usual areas) early in the morning offered exactly that.. We started around 6:05am, was good to have a briefing out in open after a long time, reviving back the little humor and interaction during briefings. Overall in our course to explore Water points across Qudra, we drove around 50km in 2.37hr of moving time. This is surely a good pace for newbie. The convoy did really well. We had couple of crests and minor refusals however in general it was a smooth drive by all in convoy. @munkybiznessyou were a perfect SL maintaining right distance to Gaurav and responding nicely to all his instructions. @Joji varghesevery nicely driven. Doubt (in where to go or on ones car's ability) is the most common reason for refusal and stucks . Your refusals and crests had Doubt written all over them. I am sure with more rides you will rock your Fortuner through these dunes. @kiranshinde @Savio Fernandes you guys handled the Patrols very well. Just don't shy from giving some more gas - a bit more gas would have ensured much more smoother sails through those side slopes. @Hilal Sharafudeen and @Damien Ranjit you guys rocked your Patrol and pathfinder with confidence.. very well done. Rest as i could see @Richard Franks @Adam James @Gilbert Khalil@Naim AounAoun you all had almost perfect drive, other than a small refusal with Naim, a case of just letting go a bit early. @topgear thanks for being there and ensuring convoy was always in order. Thanks all for the lovely time, hope to see you all soon.

So was reading right ...was bit late than usual so thought better to confirm. 👍👍

Hi @Ale Vallecchi @Gaurav noted that meeting time is bit later than usual around 5:30am. Hope that's the final time and I didn't miss any notes. Also for clarity this is meeting time or starting time.

Wow the biggest Convoy ever....

I really like the Kevlar tyre stock in Jeep Sahara. With 18 inch it's 255/70 i had two pop-out but both were crazy mistakes from my end - once jumped into a bad pocket and other was horribly crazy counter steering. Other than that been really good.... Nice walls and very smooth on road... Issue i understand is that 18 inch are tough to find in market and also kevlar not available in Dubai....perhaps once I change will move to 265s

Hi @Kailas please take me off the WL as well planning to join Fredric for Lens club the night before so won't be able to join.

Hi @Frederic i confirm.. thanks for accommodating.

Great looking forward ..haven't met @Gaurav since i believe my first or second newbie drive..see.you there.

That's where you missed the point brother...in dangerous sport of offroading it's the momentum that matters ..i am not going to let go that Mass ..😂😂😂

Hahaha @Niki ... I actually like FJ Xtreme has really a nice feel to it, especially lole the way doors open. It's pretty unique and cool....only thing that i have been trying to figure out is where to go once the mystery door opens...😃😃😃 It's a beautiful lamp but no space for poor Genie...😉😉

Hi @Kailas had missed that being extended weekend Thursday is also counted as weekend. Have exited from this drive plz wait-list me for 2nd drive.

Thanks @Gaurav ... @Ale Vallecchi will waitlist myself from other drive...finding water is more imp for sustainable world...😃😃👍

@Ale Vallecchi the drive is on Thursday, not sure if i missed the instruction for this extended weekend - is this drive considered as weekend drive?

As a JL driver and someone who liked Pajero but didn't buy one due to cabin noise some years back...i would say JL is not the quietest one in market however far ahead of Pajero in terms of overall cabin experience. So if budget allows i won't even compare Pajero or Xterra with JL. Haven't tried FJ ever so can't comment. Prado and Patrol are surely more comfi but limited flexibility on mods and somehow the overall feel/look don't fit into my liking JK and earlier versions perhaps are a diff topic as they lacked the latest features. Though even JK i would rate better than Pajero or Xterra. It's not fast but onroad if i have to drive at 100_120kmph i prefer my JL over my sedan a Volvo S90. The whole feel is just awesome. And offroading capability wise it's undoubtedly far ahead of most you mentioned. I drive a stock Sahara, would have loved a Rubicon however most.ppl advised against it - suggesting that it's not as comfi as Sahara onroad. If i have to buy today would any day go for Rubicon - as once you drive a wrangler - road comfort and drive fun relation have diff definitions. I have no plans for mods, i love the clean stock look. However good part is if one day i will change my mind options are extensive - unlike in any other vehicle. Reg rear cabin - my dad as well as my 9yo both at any given day prefers wrangler over my sedan on a long drive (again not for fast drives but at relaxed one). Not my mom so much due to ht of entry point due to her knee issues. 😃 Reg AC - mine is new and till this time I haven't felt any issue even when in middle.of desert in middle of the day. Sure it's not as good as my Sedan or other high end SUVs - Toureg, XC90, X5 etc. Surely better than Pajero.. Last but a very important one the fact you can literally rip it apart - take the doors off, roof off, fold the front wind screen is something truly exciting. Already waiting for winters to come as now have all i need to take the roof off 😃 And forgot to mention - i am every weekend in desert with Carnity with stock wheels on Sahara. They are high profile AT, while i know @Ilya believes differently, we have had multiple discussion on topic 🙂 but I don't see the need to change and have no plans.

Hi @Frederic seems like a long waitlist still if a possibility can you add me to the list.

True @Lorenzo Candelpergher ..let's learn and move on... btw guys if not for @Shehab Alawadhi you guys would have left me alone in desert while I was trying to grow some plants there.....will think 10 times before the next bio break request....😭😭😭😭 Thanks @Shehab Alawadhi you are my saviour....👍👍👍🙂

@Francois Germishuys just noted that it's your last drive...if the reason is something like what happened on the drive --- seriously dude,.you kidding us? Such thing happens in all team sport.. If something else, wish you all the best and surely will miss you at the end of convoys - I guess all drives we did together you have always been at the end with your lovely ride..looking after us all. Hope to see you sometime on sand, cheers..

@Lorenzo Candelpergher being in middle of that chaos I agree with what @Francois Germishuys mentioned... In the maze of tech dune was actually impractical for Sweep to see through the whole convoy ..The whole chaos happened when convoy started to move while I was on an informed break (First mistake). Me and all driver behind me were a couple of min late however i could see tracks and followed and actually through the dunes could see you and couple of cars (not always feasible to see the immediate next car if distance is more in tech dunes, but gave assurance we are on right line). While following you and others, at the fag end I took a wrong track and detoured a bit (second error) which I missed to note but @Shehab Alawadhi corrected and we all were back with convoy. Somehow two left out cars perhaps had a refusal or something and informed a bit late leading to the third error. Perhaps their refusal happened around the same point we detoured so we didn't see them and crossed from other side. Same thing was repeated again when while realigning after a refusal of someone in front I had a minor refusal (informed over radio and acknowledged by convoy as I am not sure who but someone guided me about no hurdles behind me while I reversed), cars in front of me continued, leading to the increased gap you mentioned. A bit verbose however I think needed to be clarified. If I couldn't see the car in front of me, I am sure wasn't practical for Sweep to note at all about what has happened. Anyways an important lesson for all - don't miss the basics learnt on Absolute Newbie drive - look out for car in front as well as behind oneself. Plus wait for those on break...😃 In middle.of all this, few min of lead experience that I had added to confidence more than the whole drive (not that drive was any less experience)...😃😃

Is it a proper wadi drive or just end to end kucha road? Would like to try Wadi drive someday however not without having side rails and some nice skid plates..

Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher for fun drive..lovely terrain and comvoy. Was my first long awaited visit to Faya dune so a good way to start the day and put a tick to another beautiful location.. Thanks all for the nice morning drive .See you all soon.

Great to see all support..just to add @Danish Mohammad surely A/T vis-a-vis H/T will be better and going down to 17 from 18 will make it even better..however my personal experience over last 6-7 months has proven repeatedly that these machines in as is form have a lot to offer..much beyond we are using them at our present level. Me and @Lorenzo Candelpergher both drive JLU, while going down to 11/10 psi makes me cautious he regularly drives at 9/10 psi, perhaps even lower at times I wonder... And does it with elan (surely Rubicon at 17 has adv but it's more to.do with driving skills than anything). So don't get bogged down with refusals and tech issues from vehicle, learn from each drive ... We have many here who handle Pajeros, grand Cherokees and even Montero's at much tougher terrains and in much smoother way. . so let the learning as a driver continue and be the focus. See you tomo...and let's ensure we make our next refusal better than the last one..😃😃

Waning moon and red sand...sounds like a vampire night out...I will stay indoors 😱😱😱 Have fun

Thanks @Gaurav @Srikumar looking forward to the same . really appreciate the dynamic way in which structure and process is improved and instilled at @Carnity.. Extreme drives are challenging and with safety as priority can well understand the thought process that goes into rolling out these processes. Thanks