Varun Mehndiratta

Hahaha we will have @Mark B and @Bashar Beasha to do all the shoveling now… they should get the feel of FBPlus, m old school - bullying/ragging was legal and not frowned upon 😀… good old times 😂😂

Great so it seems everyone is confirmed for the drive. Since we have a super strong convoy and we have few friends who missed out on last drive as well - I have extended the convoy. @Mark B and @Ahmad Nerat you both are added to the convoy. What this means - more focus, more challenge and ofcourse more fun. See you all this Saturday 😀

Hi Sand Sailors Hope the week is going nice for all. It seems like a long time ago that we had some off days, so already looking forward to the weekend. We still have 4WL drivers, so with less than 48 hours to go for the drive, kindly review your plans and update the rsvp (in case of any change). Based on the final status tomo morning will take a call on how to proceed with final convoy. Thanks for your understanding and looking forward to see you all this Saturday @Benjamin @Sunil Mathew @Bjoern @Gary F @Mike M. @Krishna R @Ishak @Jaro Tuzinsky @Patrick van der Loo @Senthil Kumar @Ahmad Nerat @Rajiv Sam @Felix Obst @Bashar Beasha

Congrats @Pieter Pot

Congrats @Benjamin

Hi Sand Sailors Thanks for RSVPing for the drive and your usual amazing response to the post . As @Frederic aptly described another Gone in 60sec opportunity 😀. @Beide Worku can’t help my friend,. These tiny bits keep me pumped up through my prep. We have a super solid convoy (tried and tested over last weeks) for a super awesome terrain. M all psyched and hope so are you - as it won’t take anything less to get through this place. So get your vehicles checked, ensure you are fully rested and sleep on time this Friday. @Benjamin ensure muscles are pumped and the shovel is sharp & ready and @Jaro Tuzinsky No drive for you without an upgraded phone holder 😀😀 For those on WL, still some time to go so stay put. @Felix Obst @Gary F @Benjamin @Mark B @Ahmad Nerat @Senthil Kumar @Ishak@Bashar Beasha @Patrick van der Loo @Bjoern @Sunil Mathew @Rajiv Sam @Krishna R @Jaro Tuzinsky

@Carnity fyr .. in case something need to be checked technically. Hi @Mark B stay put my friend still some time to go, have been there so can imagine the pain, especially being on wl second week in a row. In general, I have been using one month subscription for last 6-7 month, never had any tech issue, still good to have this feedback for tech team to check. Cheers

DRIVE PLAN Pyramid shaped vertiginous dunes in Area 53 seems unsalable at first sight. However, each of these offer a secret stairway which if treaded right lead to the top of these majestic dunes. Of course this demands approaching them with right plan and momentum. It requires a convoy high on skill and temperament - with sand super soft and steep climbs, there is no way to recover a wrong step. So, this Saturday, lets get set to challenge our climbing skills through this awe-inspiring terrain which has tested the best of off-roaders in UAE. 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 Off-road 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 Plus and above When: 29 April 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 5:45 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin: https://goo.gl/maps/JkhE9hDwve8mkkU99 Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM Type of Car: Any proper 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. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on FRIDAY - 12 PM If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. 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

Thanks all for joining in for the drive. Was an interesting day on sand - a perfect start to this long weekend. Bright sun at 6am greeted us all at starting point and within first 15-20 min multiple refusals as we crossed the initial soft patches were good indication that summers are officially here. As was the plan, the day was about attacking slip face, criss crossing through ridges and challenging our maneuvering capabilities through this tricky area. It surely wasn’t typical my style drive - with climbs, fast pace etc, but then that’s what I wanted to try for my 100th and was pretty satisfying experience, thanks to you all. The whole convoy did amazingly well - ofcourse we had our fair share of winching, tugs and shoveling but that was very much expected through this terrain. @Ishak and @Felix Obst had a tough task of sl at hand and both did superb throughout. I had to make regular adjustments - through soft patches in early phase, crazy ridges during mid and never ending vegetation at end. You both handled the instructions with precision. @DP1011 @Gertjan @Looper and@Beide Worku were perfect platoon leaders ensuring we entered and exited Safe. Thanks for all your support and keeping this long convoy togather. @Benjamin was really good to see you out of your car with your shovel in hand at every refusal and stuck - thanks for the same, I hope I could fulfill my promise of a thorough workout through the drive. 😀 @Bashar Beasha you were amazing for the 1st fbplus drive. It was a challenging route and apart from well expected couple of refusals, you were well in control of your vehicle. As always @Patrick van der Loo TJ had its smooth sail through the drive and though the pace today was never expected to that of a sprinter @Gary F sandrunner had its own fun - sailing through ridges smoothly. Our new Int drivers @KAMALIO and @Ignacio Quindós handled it all very nicely. Ofcourse apart from that phone fiasco @Jaro Tuzinsky new FJ was just sailing through the terrain. Thanks again all, hope everyone is having a nice vacation and looking forward to see you sometime soon.

Dear Sailors Please find the details for our drive. Radio Channel : 4 Meeting Point : https://goo.gl/maps/3zBbCKDhDnE3Hygd6 Meeting Time : 6am Convoy Order : It’s a super long convoy however with all the experience and riders we have here, it will be fun and loud in Qudra tomo. We will follow platoon concept and if permits will be experimenting with regular order switch. Details shall be shared during briefing. Hope we don’t have any last min drop outs. 1. Varun in Maroon Wrangler 2. @Ishak in dolphin Pajero will be SL 3. @Bashar Beasha on his Safari will be exploring his 1st FBPlus drive. 4. @Gertjan in his FJC will be 1st Platoon leader 5. @Patrick van der Loo will be rocking on his TJ 6. @Jaro Tuzinsky in his shiny brand new FJC. 7. @Looper in his yellow wrangler will be 2nd platoon leader and CF. 8. . @Felix Obst in his white wrangler 9. @Gary F in his Sandrunner 10. @Benjamin in his silver wrangler 11. . @DP1011 will be our 3rd platoon leader in his Grey rubicon. 12. @KAMALIO in his silver wrangler celebrating his recent promotion as Int driver 👍 13. @Ignacio Quindós was looking for his 1st int drive this weekend, so presenting to your Green Sahara the fun of being in nicely churned up sand. 14. @Beide Worku on his F150 will be our 4th platoon leader and sweep. Looking forward to see you all tomo. .

Dear Sand Sailors Since we have a good mix of experience in the list, I have extended the convoy to accommodate two drivers, any more won’t do justice to the terrain. We still have 5 drivers on wl. So in case of any change in your plans, please update the rsvp at the earliest to avoid losing out on slot while others are on waiting. @KAMALIO @Ishak @Gary F @Beide Worku @Gertjan @Patrick van der Loo @Jaro Tuzinsky @Ignacio Quindós @Felix Obst @Bashar Beasha @Benjamin@DP1011 WL (No in any order) @Bjoern @Mark B @Paolo Pellegrini @Krishna R @Joji varghese

Wow so happy that as a lead, I don’t have to plan for this 7pm rush… would have surely missed this one. Logged in at 7:01 and it was already full. Thanks all for wonderful response. We have 5 WL, however still two days to go… so let’s assess it on Wednesday and will plan accordingly. In due course, please ensure cars are fully fit and ready to go. Based on recent experience some aspects to check before the drive. - Check the coolant and filters. With temp rising, overheating has started to be issue with some vehicles. - Check your bash plate as if we will be able to execute what we plan to, some under body protection will be good (ofcourse I m sure till now you know about your vehicles, so plan accordingly - it’s nothing extra ordinary but better to check). - Please check your spare tires. Recently on couple of drives, we had issues with lack of spare tyre with some riders, when needed. - Rest, have a nice week ahead, stay hydrated, stay healthy. See you all on Thursday.

Congrats @Mark B

Drive Plan - We plan to start with the first ray of sunlight, from the track at the end of the Al Qudra - Solar Park Road. Heading North-east, facing the sun, we will criss - cross our way through the beautiful long range dunes of Qudra. Maneuvering the slip face and sharp ridges of these dunes, we will move towards Lisaili. Based on where we will be, we will exit at around 9:30am. This drive is going to be technically demanding, both mentally for the drivers and mechanically for the cars. We will crossing multiple long ridges, criss-crossing through some of the longest dunes there are in Qudra and will be approaching the area from slip side. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step. So make sure you come well rested, fully hydrated, and that you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you. DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie Plus and above When: 20, April'23 Thursday Meeting time: 6:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/3zBbCKDhDnE3Hygd6 Approximate finish time: 9:30AM Type of Car: Any proper 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. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. 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 LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. 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

Thanks All for joining in for the drive and making it a fun morning on sand. It started off as a very beautiful morning with amazing weather, oryx lined up to welcome us in Faqa, all riders on time and ended up with a smile on face having successfully traversed through a beautiful terrain that offered some amazing views while regularly challenging our driving skills. The pleasant morning start, followed by hot and soft sand provided us with a good idea of what lies ahead in coming months. Thanks @Looper for this lovely route planning. Very well executed drive, it literally had it all - some steep climbs, a beautiful over landing experience through bushes and for me the most amazing part was the last one hour with all the criss crossing. 👏👏👏 Every one did really well throughout the drive. Apart from a 45 min stoppage due to tyre issue at beginning of drive, we had minor refusals and minor stucks, which were either self recovered or at most sorted with help of little shoveling. This meant that we had ample time to even practice on 1 on 1 basis - criss crossing - hope came in handy for all. Thanks @Mehmet Volga and @Looper for executing some demos on it. @Sunil Mathew day didn’t roll out positive for you, hope all went fine on your way back home after that early exit. Do share feedback on that tyre with whole convoy - always good to know what went wrong. Overall a wonderful day, thanks all for joining and looking forward to see you all sometime soon. @Juan R @premindra rajaram @george charbel @Sebb

Ahoy Sailors Hope all of you have had a nice week and are looking forward to start the weekend with a early morning drive in dunes of Faqa. Key info for our drive tomo. Channel : 4 Meeting Time : 6am Convoy Order : Varun on Maroon Wrangler. @Looper will be SL @Sebb On white safari @Juan R on white wrangler @Mehmet Volga will be Cf @premindra rajaram on his Xterra @george charbel @Sunil Mathew Will be sweeping the convoy. I believe most of you have been to Faqa and know the terrain. Still for those not been there - located on other side of Solar Park (opp of Qudra) and border of Dubai/Abu Dhabi, Faqa offers some of the most beautiful long range dunes in Dubai with never ending avenues to enjoy some nice climbs and criss crossing through those sharp ridges. Explored mainly by experienced off roaders, it’s one place with clean and cross track free dunes - that’s becoming a luxury in Dubai desert. There are multiple watering holes and farms around the place - so rendezvous with some nice wild life is surely always on cards in this area. It’s undoubtedly my fav place to visit in Dubai, whenever looking for that shot of adrenaline rush. See you all on Saturday.

Just a crazy thought - what’s the price of 392. I believe it already comes with most of these additions, might be an option to explore. Around 4K for 2 years, 4 service from TE.

Oh we have some additional stakeholders as well ofcourse story couldn’t have been complete without @Mehmet Volga and @Looper - I don’t want to say who is who 🤪🤪

Welcome onboard @Daniel Rodas Fellowship is now complete.

Reg. points from @Benjamin and @Vaibhav on Rubicon vs sports vs Sahara, heres my input based on 2 years of riding Sahara and 5 months back having upgraded to Rubicon. a.) Price delta between all models is beautifully designed, so buying one and trying to transform it to other is not worthy exercise - you will end up spending more without reaching anywhere. Yeah i did the exercise of checking up that if i buy Sports and transform it to Sahara - numbers just didnt add. So, went with Sahara itself (that too limited edition with all black trim). b.) Aesthetically, though a personal choice, i always liked Rubicon those vents on the bonnet, silver rims, aggresive tyres, high fenders, red piano dash all just give it a beautiful edge. Sports was never on cards for me as needed leather seats and good slick interiors (its my daily ride, needed something comfortable for my suited ass as well as with weekend pyjamas ) c.) So, price and aesthetics aside - all three trims are superb for Off-roading. I had Sahara stock and not even once over 2 years of offroading felt any limitations - i drove it on Intermediate and Extreme drives, led some drives as well, with no challenge from vehicle perspective. d.) Sahara over Rubicon - On-road Sahara is super smooth. 18inch rims with Wrangler Tyres, never felt i am riding a jeep. I had limited edition, which had adaptive cruise, forward collision warning - so was comfi heading for long drive. Had that fiber glass rear wheel cover, giving it a G Wagon look and then all black trim looked super slick (again personal choice). My first week onroad with Rubicon made me think if i made the right decision upgrading to Rubicon . Its bumpier and lacks those special features like forward collision warning etc. So genuine reason to go Sahara if more On-road use then off-road. e.) Rubicon over Sahara - Off-road its a beast. Has all that Sahara has plus --- Dana 44 axle is super solid - As Vaibhav already mentioned doesnt need reinforcement - though i never did it for Sahara as well, but if you will add lift (especially 2.5 inch), surely would be better to get it reinforced for Sahara. ---- 18 inch rims of Sahara means if going for bigger tyres, you will have limited options. Few companies have above size 285 in R18. ---- Ofcourse the diff locks, Sahara doesnt have them. Though in last 4 months, i havent used them in Rubicon as well. Perhaps as i am not used to having them, so i tend to forget that i have that feature ---- Fenders are a inch higher - this is big plus, as with Sahara going for 295 would have needed me to get atleast 1/1.5 inch lift, just to avoid rubbing. ---- Aux Switch inbuilt - so ease of adding aux lights etc. ---- Metal front bumpers - If would have retained Sahara, would have surely got it changed to Rubicon bumper. Apart from durability, also it has inbuilt arrangement to fix Winch, if planning to. So, depending on your usage you can decide. On Road Sahara is by far much better, Off-road - yes Rubicon has its edge that justifies the price gap. Plus Rubicon is ready to try wadis (in case you plan to explore that part sometime).

Welcome onboard @premindra rajaram long time we drove together, good to have you on drive. See you on Saturday, Now only Boromir is missing from the fellowship but then wasn’t he the one who tried to take the ring… no place for greed on this adventure, plus it’s My Precious 🤑🤑

Congrats @Andrei S