Frederic

Well deserved promotion @Ahmed Farghaly !

Congrats @muzamil hussain ! Now the fun really starts !

@Lisa Pemberton it is all since you started practicing with the Tiptronic Just kidding, well deserved !

Congrats @Nabil Bishara Well deserved promotion and ready for the thrills now !

I think he drives the 3.8 which has plenty power once you build the momentum with it.

DRIVE REPORT Some days I wonder why I would wake up at 03:00AM to go and goof around in the desert. Luckily that feeling only lasts a few minutes until I had my first coffee and the rumble of my little Pajero tells me it's going to be another lovely day in the sand with fellow adventurers. By the time we were deflated, the sun was slowly starting to rise, and the first 15 mins in Mahafiz are done on a desert track without too much challenges. My plan was to cover some play areas and makes some loops in those areas and just enjoy the beautiful scenery. Once we started crossing the dunes we had our first challenging recovery of the day. When I heard someone had a stuck further back in the convoy, my instincts kicked in and I quickly rushed from my lead position back towards the back of the convoy, but either forgot / or the broadcast did not arrive, our mighty FJ Cruiser @topgear decided to follow as he was assuming this was part of the drive. (my mistake as I should have waited for his OK:COPY THAT) before setting off. Anyways it was a bit of a challenging recovery that took some time and 3 different approach angles after the sand got too churned up every time. No harm done and @topgear kept a cool head and we set off again. On the play areas, I am delighted to see the progress you all have made in just a few drives: @Sinol you are still a gentle cautious driver, but every drive i see you gaining confidence ! Well done ! @SureshVNair it was very nice meeting you for the first time, and you drove very well in your convoy position. Excellent work ! @Sajit Modiyil your Xterra has plenty power, but you'll need to find that momentum and use it. You have good control on the sideslopes. Well done ! @Ashy your confidence grows drive after drive, and I see you gaining more control every time of the vehicle which is good ! @Lisa Pemberton drives with a very steady control, always coolheaded, and brings the black Pajero around every dune effortlessly. Very impressed ! @Nivin was my trusty helper today. A big THANK YOU for that. I really like your approach to our newbies, helping them out and being the calm gently helper when they need it the most, and that's a wonderful quality ! @Nabil Bishara moves through the terrain effortlessly. I am very impressed with your progress so far and look forward to see you growing in our club. @Kailas really found his way in the beautiful red Wrangler. Your steering control, momentum, and your co-pilot sitting next to you are all part of the great progress you've made ! @Onlyjunaid I love that yellow Wrangler, and you didn't break a sweat throughout the drive. The same for @Ahmed Azmy and @muzamil hussain you guys were all at the back of the convoy but your driving skills were noticeable and very commendable. Please keep joining us, as your cars all bring different colours and flavors The ever so calm and mature @marks was at the back and had a eagle-eye view on the entire convoy. I love your attitude and will-to-help and look forward to many more drives together ! See you guys soon back in the sand !

@Probir Mukherjee you are booked into the morning drive. This is the drive topic for the evening drive where I don’t see your name on the RSVP.

Very nice solution ! Jawaher cannot be leashed ...

I highly advise you to first learn the off-roading basics for a couple of months. A lift kit changes the center of gravity of your vehicle significantly and brings more risk in off-roading if you don’t learn the basics first.

Yes I’ve spoken to him and he will do Pink Rock drive.

@SureshVNair you have also signed up for the Pink Rock drive it seems. Please let us know which drive you will be attending.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZgS2Gqam9PcsxWR48

RSVP IS NOW CLOSED @muzamil hussain @SureshVNair i have added you to the drive to fully occupy the list of 15 members. @Mukundan Nair i have removed you from the RSVP on your request, and added @Tero Vallas in your place. We are having a nice mix of Newbies and Fewbies, so if all goes well i might bump the level up to Newbie+ in the lovely Mahafiz dunes. The plan is to drive towards Fossil Rock and use the play areas on the way there to practice some small side-sloping. @topgear will be my second lead, and will help me in trying to find the cleanest track for the rest of the convoy, and will slightly divert upon my instructions. @Nivin will be our center forward, and will help others with basic instructions when they have a refusal, and will relay essential information to me when needed. @marks will be our sweep, keeping the convoy moving and also help out the newbies where needed. Please arrive well on time and start deflating as soon as you arrive. After deflation, please stay inside the vehicles so i can do the convoy setup and radio check. We will be using Carnity Channel 2 (446.03125 Mhz). (12-13 PSI should be fine for all cars in our convoy). We have made a COVID19 precautions post below, where we need you to formally agree upon. You can do this by clicking on the below post, reading it thoroughly, and then clicking on the "Totally Agree" in that post (not here in the drive post). MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions See you guys tomorrow !

From Fewbie level onwards, we generally slightly bump up the level and start to bring in the practicing of all these techniques. We have identified in most areas certain "play areas" where you have dunes which are perfect for practicing side-sloping for example and we do take our turns each to practice and guide each-other. Rest assured that by joining on a weekly basis your progress will be faster than you could have imagined. See you soon in the sand !

Hi @Biju Abdul. Dune bashing is just a general name for a dynamic driving style in the dunes, in which ridge riding and criss-crossing is a part of. I never liked the description "bashing" as it would mean that we try to destroy the dune, which is the complete opposite of what we should be doing. The real art of offroading exists in "riding" the dunes like a surfer would "ride" the waves. Hence, using the slopes to gain momentum and make it to the next dune by carrying that momentum. If you drive in a convoy, you need to be aware that there are drivers coming behind you that also want to enjoy the same dune, so churning up the sand and fishtailing all over the place is not the way to do it, as you are completely destroying the tracks. The spinning while taking fast turns and rounds is called making "donuts". That is being done in 2WD and serves NO purpose other than showing off.

Updated Waitlist: 1. Muzamil Hussain: 9th August 8:13PM 2. SureshVNair: 9th August 9:12PM 3. Tero Vallas: 9th August 10:22PM 4. Miguel Ibarbia: 9th August 11:38PM 5. Dagdag Sofiane: 10th August 12:30PM

Hi @Sinol I have added your name to the RSVP as @Kieran McKeown had to cancel.