Varun Mehndiratta

@Gary F @Pranjal Varsani1 @Mark B Both 4HAuto as well as 4H part time works perfectly fine. We have many drivers (incl marshals, incl on highest level drives) who drive on 4Auto and many on 4H part time. It’s about getting used to the car and it’s feature. All my NB/FB drives (even some Fb+) I do at 4W Auto, Int and above I usually do it on 4WPart time - just the comfort level. Conceptually 4Auto ECU/Computer switches the vehicle between 4H and 2H (never 4L - it requires personal intervention) and so is surely more fuel efficient - as 4H is only used when needed. 4HPart time ensures you are always in 4H and hence reducing reliance on computer to decide 4W or 2W drive (in due course more fuel and more stress on car). It’s called part time as it’s not recommended to use it for long (like on road etc). Reg Off-road plus, I have personally haven’t used it yet, understand it’s of good use while going for very steep climbs in D mode or situation where you need that one bit extra torque at very high and very low rpm. In general your vehicles are capable of managing all without these additonal features. Ofcourse good to get used to them so as to be able to use when needed. For me the magic of off roading is when the load on car is the least and motion fluid.

Spot on @Gary F goes for both lwb and swb - going low means one needs to counter steer (which we all know is against the basics). Reach the ridge at point where you land parallel to the ridge with wheels on both sides. 👍👍👍 Yeah @Gary F that’s an interlock we all hate. Understand with some OBDs and kill switch you can bypass the need of switching traction control on/off repeatedly. However I haven’t met many who have had smooth experience with OBDs @Pranjal Varsani1 @KAMALIO can comment. Plus understand with OBD issue is killing the warranty - so I haven’t tried (and not planning too - a few more sec after a refusal is okay).

Dear Sand Sailors Thanks for joining in for the drive today. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and your company made it for an Epic drive. I have been planning this route for a long time and as it was supposed to be, needed some really courageous drivers to make it through. Thanks a lot for your energy and patience that kept me going. All (other than @Sayed Bilal) were there at the meeting point well before time and by 7am we were already set to roll. As it turned out, conservation area had built a nest around our planned route and it had eggs so we diverted our track. and after a quick briefing were rolling towards our planned destination. First half of the drive was pure bliss with almost silent radio and whole convoy elegantly tip toeing through vegetation, smoothly sailing through the side slopes and enjoying themselves on long beautiful ridges. Passing by Emperor’s lake and crescent lake, within 1hr 45 min we crossed the mid point with min refusals and believe only stoppage being need to reinflate@Juzer Gandhi Pajero. Very nicely driven Juzer, just a bit more responsive on radio and do get your Tyres checked (and plz spare tyre of same size is mandatory requirement at this level). It was thereon that the real fun started. In endeavor to avoid some vegetation as we entered the tech patch we had our first long stoppage - and out comes @Ahmad Nerat smiling ear to ear, celebrating his first pop out - loved your attitude throughout the drive my friend, you brought in amazing energy to the drive. Thanks to all, we fixed it in no time just to realize that upset from being relinquished from SL position, @Frans M car was up for some revenge time. And what followed next was a continous battle between a few good men and this machine. Ofcourse the battle cry from LC angered other cars as well and we had flurry of stucks and refusals that continued till the end. Ofcourse the courage of Frans couldnt have been shaken and @Karthik Raptor was redefining the term patience at every step. All refusals were handled smoothly and all stucks self recovered using at most shovels. Very well done and thanks for your support Karthik and thanks to @Tharun Kumar V as well for extending his support whenever required. Finally, just 5 min late (than planned), we managed to find our way out Victorious and being the only FB convoy to have completed this route (at least to best of my knowledge over last year or so). Though the terrain appeared easy, the vegetation, soft sand, continous mix of tech and long range ensured it was a test of patience, determination and skill set of each driver - and you all did really well. Ofcourse I didn’t make it any easy by shuffling the convoy order continuously - which again you all handled it really well - minor stucks and refusals are expected with these changes. @Ishak and @Frans M thanks for nicely executing the SL position. @Pranjal Varsani1 @Mark B you both had perfect drives, very well done. @Gary F it was a real Gladiator performance 👍 @Rajat Verma - seems the experience of handling NCR ROADS during your break, kept you in sync with bumpy dunes. Very well driven. @rohit kumar you have come a long way in your handling of this machine since we first met. Really good job. It was surely a thrilling drive - true to the theme, the Cheap part of the title I leave it you all to decide 😀😀. Thanks again for joining in for the drive, hope to see you all sometime soon.

Ahoy Sand Sailors Been a crazy week with back to back events at work. Need a NICE fast paced detox drive - hope you are all ready to roll? Final plan and convoy order for the drive is as below. Meeting Time: With sun starting to riser earlier, I have moved meeting time to 6:45am - don’t want to lose a minute. So please be on time. Channel:2 Convoy Order: 1. Varun - Rubicon 2. @Frans M - Swb LC 3. @Sayed Bilal - Safari 4. @Rajat Verma - White wrangler 5. @rohit kumar f150 6. @Juzer Gandhi black pajero 7. @Tharun Kumar V pajero 8. @Ishak white pajero 9. @Ahmad Nerat Land Cruiser 10. @Gary F - sandrunner 11. @Pranjal Varsani1 Rubicon 12. @Mark B Gladiator 13. @Karthik Raptor Raptor See you all tomo.

That’s great @Yaseen87 njoi the ride and new level 👍👍 Hi @Frans M since it’s your only ride I will extend the convoy to add you to the same. Please confirm your availability.

Hi @Yaseen87 noted you are still on WL (2nd in queue) in this as well as @Hisham Masaad drive. While ofcourse we still have a day to go and possibility that you may find a slot, would like to share that there are few slots still open on another FBplus drive with @JeromeFJ. Though I know starting point is around 20min further away, planned end point is expected to be closer to home vis-a-vis atleast my FB drive. So in case interested check it out. One can never go wrong with a drive starting at Nahel. I will surely be happy to have you in my convoy, just don’t want you to miss out a chance due to WL (especially since it can be your first FBPlus drive 😀👍).

You are bold my friend … 😀 have a nice time looking forward to see you soon.

As I had said 😀

Dear Sand Sailors Almost half way through the week and we have had quite a few changes to the convoy. Thanks to all for updating your RSVP status in time so as to provide others time to plan. Since we have @Karthik Raptor as well supporting the drive, thanks Karthik, I have extended the convoy size and now we will have 11+2 (incl Karthik and me). Considering the terrain and route we plan to cover, this is perfect number of vehicles to have - so no further increase being planned for convoy size. We still have 4 drivers on WL, so in case you have any change of plans, please update in time. Thanks and looking forward to see you on Saturday. @Ahmad Nerat @Gary F @Pranjal Varsani1 @Mark B @Rajat Verma @Glenn W @rohit kumar @Sayed Bilal @Ishak @Tharun Kumar V @Andrei S WL (not in any order) @Juzer Gandhi @Frans M @Yaseen87 @Ahmed Wagdy

@Ahmad Nerat and @Mark B you are added to the drive. Please confirm your availability. Regards

@Juan R you are added to drive. Please confirm your availability.

@Bashar Beasha you are added to drive. @Karthik Raptor have added you to manage tab, please confirm your availability for the drive.

Sabr Habibi .. still 5 days to go. 😀

Wow this went really fast,I last checked at 7:02 and it was already full …I thought I am rare one at @Carnity seems we have too many like minded cheap drivers 😀😀 Thanks all for RSVPing for the drive. I have been covering the planned route in pieces over many drives - one stretch go through complete route will be attempted for first time (atleast be me). On top of it, we have a really good mix of convoy - not all black and white 😀😀, m sure those in last drive will understand. So I am very excited and looking forward for this drive. Whether we reach to planned destination or not, one thing I can assure is that it’s going to be super fun - all fast paced long range dunes and ridges. So get your racing shoes, shovels and ropes ready. We have a long list of WL Drivers, so please ensure you update RSVP at the earliest - I.e in case of any change in your plans. Have a nice week ahead, see you all over the weekend. Will update further details in due course. @Karthik Raptor @Pranjal Varsani1 @rohit kumar @Andrei @Tharun Kumar V @Ishak @Sayed Bilal @Glenn W @Rajat Verma @Joseph Sebastian WL (not in any specific order) @Juan R @Mark B @Bashar Beasha @Ahmad Nerat @Frans M @Juzer Gandhi @Yaseen87 @Ahmed Wagdy @Gary F

Hi @Georges Kazan calendar will be live at 7pm.

Congrats @Yaseen87

Congrats @Krishna R

Drive Plan Last few weeks, with Liwa Crossing, awesome Sweihan trips and amazing tour tracking Tropic of Cancer, we have had some great times. It also means, many of us are running short of Home Ministry patience points as well as Cafu Dollars. 😀 Ofcourse the innate need to be out on sand and have some thrilling time still needs to satiated. This drive is specifically designed to address these elements. Through this drive, we will transverse through some of the most awesome long range dunes and ridges in Qudra in a fast paced drive, ensuring we have some fun time. And ofcourse being in Qudra means we get back home in time for that family lunch and earn some additional brownie points. 😀 Sure, Spicy Village is no CZN Burak, but then, it has its own cheap thrills, so let’s catch up to enjoy this drive through Qudra togather. 🔥🔥🤪 General Overview We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities Drive Details Level: Fewbie & Above When: 25th Feb'23, Saturday. Meeting time: 6:45AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions). Meeting Point: Ofcourse it has to be Spicy Village, Qudra. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fcb5A5FkxFUGS95Y8 Type of Car: Any 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:30AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE UNLESS YOU HAVE A COMPRESSOR. ANYONE ARRIVING AT THE DRIVE WITHOUT A COMPRESSOR, FLAG, PROPER SHOVEL AND DEFLATION KIT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. ALL TOW POINTS WILL BE CHECKED BEFORE DEPARTURE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars only. Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. Please RSVP on below calendar

Dear Sand Sailors Thanks for joining in for the drive today. Very nice weather, some nice long range dunes and an awesomely capable convoy - made it for a perfect day out on sand. Ofcourse the stylish black and peaceful white was the theme of the day 😂, phew keeping track of order was a bit of task despite repeated reminders from @Abdul Basit Khan that his is Blue 😀🙏 Overall we travelled around 65Km in less than 3 hours of moving time at a rocking speed of around 23Kmph. Usual Murquab drive ends at Lisali, good ones at Love Lake, we crossed it all to reach Solar Park with 5 min to spare. 🏎️🏎️💨💨💨Really an awesome outcome for a FB drive and a testament of the skill set of the convoy. Each one of you did really well, apart from some minor refusal (expected in a long convoy), all of you maintained a very good pace. However, in line with the theme of our drive, we had three stars that shone brighter than rest in their pursuit for inner peace. 😀 In 3rd position we have - @Pranjal Varsani1 Beautiful crest perfectly parallel to the ridge. Honestly in your rpm there was no inner peace 😀 still being the first to be crested and the perfect alignment to ridge gets you the 3rd position. 2nd position ofcourse goes to @Krishna R through a perfect drive, a momentary lapse and we found RED Xterra crested on the ridge - again a nice parralel position to ridge and very calm shoveling and self recovery to secure 2nd position. Undoubtedly the champion of champions for day is @Glenn W that Montero in Yoga pose looked amazingly 🔥🔥🔥 Perfect self recovery through that crest. Very well done, was a super soft spot and you managed it very well. @Zubair - Glenn’s crest on same spot with special yoga pose managed to beat yours hands down. 😀😀 In general brilliant work by you and @Ishak as SL. In addition, we have some one who managed to offer some Peace time to whole convoy. So a special award goes to @Mark B for that cutest of pop out- was almost fixed the moment we brought the car to flat and was more of a PIP out but ensured we had all our tools out today. 😀😀 Again thanks all for joining in and very well done throughout. @Mike M. and @Tharun Kumar V thanks for your support as CF and sweep. @Yaseen87 @Juzer Gandhi @Gary F

Dear Sand Sailors Hope all had a nice week and are all geared up to have a rejuvenating drive on sand. With less than 10 hours for the drive, I am now closing the rsvp. Will miss @Andrei @Rashid Alseeni and @Sayed Bilal sorry guys but extending convoy further isnt feasible. See you on the next one, till then gear up those fingers for the fastest one wins at 7pm on mondays. 😀 Here are the key details of our drive tomo. Meeting time: 7am sharp (without any exceptions). Radio Channel : 3 Convoy Order: It’s my first time driving with most of you, so wasn’t an easy task defining the convoy order. We will keep it dynamic with changes through the drive. Convoy order to start with is below. 1. Varun in Rubicon 2. @Zubair will be our SL in his FJ 3. @Glenn W on his Montero 4. @Yaseen87 on Pajero 5. @Juzer Gandhi on Pajero 6. @Ishak another Pajero 7. @Mike M. On white rhino will be our CF 8. @Gary F with His sand runner. 9. @Pranjal Varsani1 Rubicon 10. @Krishna R in his Xterra 11. @Mark B the gladiator 12. @Abdul Basit Khan on his blue Xterra 13. @Tharun Kumar V completing our collection of Pajeros, will be our sweep. Looking forward to see you all tomo. Make sure your radios are fully charged and shoulders ready to shovel. In case of any issues, feel free to call/message me on 050 4430 882.

@Abdul Basit Khan you have been added to the drive. Please confirm your availability.

Dear All, thanks for your feedback, as you may have noticed, have extended the convoy size to 12. @Yaseen87 and @Juzer Gandhi you have been added to the drive. We won’t be able to extend the convoy size further. We still have few riders on WL, so in case anyone’s plan changes please update the rsvp at the earliest - let’s not lose slots while we have ppl waiting. Thanks for your understanding.

Hi @Ishak @Rajat Verma @Glenn W haven’t received any feedback from you, please confirm your availability for the drive?