Frederic

Congrats @E.C. TAN !! Well deserved !

Congrats @Jose Martin well done !

Well deserved @Gregory Perkin ! See you soon in the sands !

Fantastic news ! and totally agree that your weekly enthusiasm for the sport has resulted in becoming a fantastic lead ! Gefeliciteerd Marjan !!

Not mentioned but not forgotten is @Rajeevan Vickneswaran who managed very well and always keeps a positive spirit !

DRIVE REPORT Another lovely drive with the Carnity crew ! All arrived on time, and I noticed a new face amongst the crowd: @syed salman raza joined us with a nice little TJ. The first time in the desert for Syed, but definitely not for the TJ that felt at home and willingly did what had to be done. Throughout the drive you managed very well and drove with confidence and momentum. Well done ! Because the deflation point was a bit further down in Al Qudra, I decided to keep heading south towards the solar park, which offered us a bit more technical dunes, knowing well that our convoy was strong and could manage. At one point @Yousef Alimadadi came over a small dune and slid into a small ditch, with as result his one wheel was lifted in the air and the car was tilted quite a lot. We decided to pull the car slightly back upwards towards the dune with my rope to get the car level again, and then attached Brette his car to tow it slightly forward. Excellent support again from @Brette as always, and calm and well communicated approach from @Yousef Alimadadi that dealt with a little pop out too a bit later. Once we reached the more technical area, more and more people started to get some stucks and refusals , and the soft sand and heat did not offer any relief. After deflating some cars again we eventually got out without too many issues. This terrain can be harsh sometimes and normally more reserved for Fewbie level but all did so well. @Janarthan joined us with an Xterra, which is slowly becoming the number one off-road 4x4 in our club and with good reason. Congrats buddy ! Our Spanish buddies @Jose Martin and @Nacho drove also very good today. No stress no struggle. @Gregory Perkin was my second lead and patiently waited when I was out for recoveries, and brilliantly kept his distance and slightly rerouted where needed. Well done ! @Anish S is a regular attendee to our drives and I see him growing steadily week after week. Saw you even proactively giving instructions over the radio to help out another member. Brilliant work ! @Mikhail Lukichev drove the Prado like you hit the sand every day, which is either the case and if not, then it’s even more impressive. @Chaitanya D had to deal with technical terrain today which is not an easy thing with a big Patrol. But you went through without any issues which is very impressive ! Halfway through my drive my odometer hit 300k and I was happy to have this happening in the desert where my little blue feels home, and not somewhere on the E11 😜 on the next 300k. See you guys soon back in the sand !!

Sorry, i added your name buddy. My apologies.

DRIVE RSVP IS NOW CLOSED: This is the convoy list for tomorrow: Please make sure your radio is set to channel 1: 446.00625 Mhz and switched on when you arrive at deflation point. Also make sure the other Carnity channels are programmed into your radio so we can switch to another channel when needed. Members who have not clicked "totally agree" on the BAN post, will not be allowed to join the drive, as we want to have formal acknowledgement that you have understood our rules and precautions. Please take note we are not meeting at the old meeting point in Al Qudra. This new meeting point is a few kilometers further down the road, where you have a sand track that leads into the desert. Double check the Google Maps coordinates. Keep your distance when deflating and do not "gather" upon arrival. Deflate your vehicle and step back in the car so we can convey the briefing over the radio. Whenever you need help to deflate, announce on the radio and a senior or marshal will come to assist. Make sure you have a deflator, flag, and your radio. See you tomorrow !

@Yousef Alimadadi @Mikhail Lukichev @Jose Martin @Nacho Please click on the "totally agree" icon in the drive post and also in the Carnity BAN thread to formally acknowledge you have understood and agreed with the COVID-19 precautions.

@Mikhail Lukichev a spot has come available, and i added you to the RSVP since you requested on Monday. Please confirm if you can make it or not.

@syed salman raza Due to the exceptional amount of fewbies and good support on tomorrow's drive, i have added your name to this drive. I will be posting the convoy list later today. Please make sure your radio is properly configured: Send frequency is being entered on parameter 02, Receive frequency is being set on parameter 04. as seen in video from 1:10 onwards.

@andy_macdxb @syed salman raza The drive is currently already full. As soon as someone's signs out or cancels, the free spot can be taken by any of you.

All drivers, please make sure to have read thoroughly the information above about complying with Covid regulations. Please, formally agree by clicking the Totally Agree emoticon. Without this acknowledgment drivers will not be allowed to participate. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. @Nacho @Jose Martin @Anish S @Gregory Perkin @Yousef Alimadadi @Incognitoes

Hi @Janarthan i am not an expert in Xterra. Probably @Shamil @Chaitanya D @Kalahari @Desert Dweller @Emmanuel or somebody else from the Xterra Crew can assist in this ?

Agree with this. in Belgium we have a Volvo factory nearby, lots of dealerships and independent workshops, and is the go-to brand for reliable company cars that will last a very long time. I had a V40 that i literally drove into the ground and it never died on me. They focus on safety and comfort and have a very good name in Western Europe. Unfortunately UAE is a different story, where only the stealership will be the option. My friend here drove a S90 R-Design in Polestar Blue. Magnificent machine, but one has to know that Volvo is now owned by Geely, so i have no idea what the future will bring. He sold the car 6 months back when he moved to USA and lost A LOT of money on it because resale value in UAE is very poor on these cars.

Don't forget your flag on the next drive @Nizam Deen. Any proper solution will do. We even have guys putting a fishing rod with a suction cup. As long as you can be spotted, otherwise we cannot accept you for the next drives.

Your definition of mild offroading "camping trips in desert or going into wadis/mountains for hiking/camping (I imagine mild unpaved roads but not chassis bending rock crawling)" should not be an issue for an XC90, and given the great deal of that vehicle you might be getting it makes total sense to go for that one. The Disco is not a do-it-all car. As soon as you go offroad you'll find that the bumpers are very sensitive. If you are commuting from RAK to AD, it will seriously rack up lots of miles in a short period of time. For a 2L twin turbo engine on the Volvo i am not sure if this is ideal. With an AWD you will be able to drive onto sand tracks if you deflate to around 15-18psi without problem. Going into the dunes is a totally other thing of course.

Hi @Janarthan sorry for the calendar delay, I’ve added you to the drive. Hi @syed salman raza The RSVP is already full. Keep an eye on all drives the coming days. If someone drops out you can take that spot.

Congrats @Desert Dweller ! Well deserved !!

Congrats @RohanH !

Congrats @Nizam Deen !

@Javier M your technical and off-road skills, desire and passion for performance, and your amazing iceman-coolness in which you scale the highest dunes without breaking a sweat has always amazed me. You’re the kind of guy that will always find a way out of any extreme scenario and that is a blessing to have for our club. If anyone ever wonders who that cool guy with Bono glasses and a Black Wrangler is, we can now proudly say that he’s a Carnity expert ! 😜 Congrats buddy, I’m really looking forward at following your fantastic leads soon.