Ale Vallecchi

Dear @GeorgeFJ, of course you are welcome to sign up for any drive you wish. Carnity's spirit is to train any desert lover, with any car (only 4x4 🤓of course), and not leave anyone behind. Just practice building your own relationships with your car, as if it was your horse to ride and command! You have a very strong ride.

Camel Trophy - Lisaili Drift: Drive Report "Run from what's comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live" - Rumi One thing perhaps members didn't know when they joined this outing was that I usually like to scale my drives up a notch, based on the convoy's performance. The fact that I made the above quote from Rumi's my own and ran from what could have been a comfortable drive, should be a testament to the convoy's behavior during the first part of the drive. In fact, after a slightly longer briefing, designed to bring the Absolute Newbies up to speed with the required skills and safety elements (and as a reminder to the Newbie members), the first hour or so of the drive went very smoothly, with minimal issues, all quickly solved by the support team of @Simon D and @Patrick van der Loo. Streight crossing of dunes, side sloping, and convoy discipline were excellent, which inspired me to push to convoy to practice ridge riding, and eventually criss-crossing. Both skills were applied at first to very low and humpy dunes, of which Lisaili is well endowed, especially in the area between the pylons and the tight technical stretch heading toward the Solar Tower plant. Clearly, a few refusals and stucks occurred, but nothing that couldn't be used as a learning exercise by the whole convoy. The only moment of apprehension was when a refusal on a ridge very close to the exit was tackled a bit hastily by @Siby, who reversed down the somewhat steep slope at too fast a speed. Surely the mistake was due to the impression the driver had of being deeply stuck (which was not the case), and the lesson learned by the whole convoy was that 1) one exits the car to evaluate the situation, before attempting a self-recovery, and 2) backing down a slope should be done with minimal throttle, and carefully moving perpendicularly, and/or always toward gravity. With this in mind, I congratulate the Absolute Newbies @Misha Puskar, @GeorgeFJ, @Siby for completing an overall well executed first Carnity drive. My only suggestion, in particular to the FJer's (including @Georges Kazan), understandably shy with engine power, would be to familiarize themselves with the car, which is a powerful and relatively light vehicle, capable of sudden accelerations that will be very useful to tackle climbs, exit soft bowls, and sustaining side sloping and ridge riding, provided the right amount of throttle, and the right choice of gears are practiced, to become second nature with your driving style. All drivers, including @Klaus Pedersen, @Sajan.S, @Rashid Alseeni, @Ron.P and @rohit kumar, did great, navigating the total of 50.6 Km driven, in 2:11 hours of moving time, at a 23 Km/h average moving speed (in 4:13 total hours and 12 Km/h overall average speed). Hoping to see you soon again on the sand, I wish you all a great week.

Hi @Simon D. I will. you will take Center duties. Thanks a lot.

Dear Desertnauts, some points of interest, in preparation for tomorrow's drive. For those drivers ( @Misha Puskar, @GeorgeFJ and @Siby) who will do their first drive with Carnity, once again, please review all the videos linked at the top of the post, as well as the Absolute Newbie Briefing, attached to a couple of posts just above). Secondly, the meeting point is located on the road between Qudra and Solar Park. To reach it based on Google Maps directions, you do NOT have to go to Solar Park and then get back to the meeting point. It'll be enough to turn around at the roundabout located just past the meeting point (to head back toward Qudra) and reach it through the gaps in the guard rail that are visible just next to the pylons. You should find my car already waiting there. Please, try to reach the meeting point a bit earlier than 7:30 AM, so that you may already start deflating for the drive. I will give a technical briefing before, or immediately after, the start of the drive. This is intended to bring the "newest" Newbies up to speed with the necessary skills required for the drive, and as a reminder to the more experienced drivers of some of the convoy formalities we'll have to follow. The drive will take us into Lisaili's area, from the proximity with Solar Park hopefully to the actual Lisaili village. We'll navigate mostly long-range dunes, crossing a couple of technical areas (with closer, lower but tighter dunes). If all goes well, we may escalate the drive to a bit more difficult level, but in general we plan to enjoy our Camel Trophy day, looking for camel tracks and camel trains, until we reach the camel racing tracks close to Lisaili. The convoy order at the moment is the following: @Sinol in Second Lead @GeorgeFJ at #3 @Siby #4 @Misha Puskar at #5 @Klaus Pedersen at #6 @Sajan.S #7 @Quresh. will Center the convoy @Georges Kazan at #9 @Rashid Alseeni at #10 @Ron.P #11 @rohit kumar at #12, and @Patrick van der Loo will Sweep the group. We'll be communicating through Carnity radio channel #3 (446.056). Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning.

Dear @Siby, since I've noticed this would be your very first drive with Carnity, I'd like to ask if you have had other previous experiences in desert driving in particular, or off-roading in general. Also, make sure your car has proper tow points both front and back, to allow any potential recovery to take place in a safe manner. Finally, kindly make sure you are carrying a flag and a radio. In preparation for Saturday's outing, please make sure to watch the 5 videos linked at the top of the drive's post, and review the following link: Let me know of any questions you may have regarding the drive and/or your car, etc. I'll be giving a technical briefing prior to our departure on Saturday, so that everyone in the convoy will be up to speed with the necessary skills and safety procedure that will ensure a successful drive. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Dear @GeorgeFJ, since I've noticed this would be your first full drive with Carnity (after the New Year's celebration), I'd like to ask if you have also had other previous experiences in desert driving. Kindly make sure you are carrying a flag and a radio. In preparation for Saturday's outing, please make sure to watch the 5 videos linked at the top of the drive's post, and review the following link: Let me know of any questions you may have regarding the drive and/or your car, etc. I'll be giving a technical briefing prior to our departure on Saturday, so that everyone in the convoy will be up to speed with the necessary skills and safety procedure that will ensure a successful drive. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks @Misha Puskar. Will be nice to have you join. Also, please viee this link: See you in Saturday.

Dear @Misha Puskar, as I've noticed this would be your first drive with Carnity, I'd like to ask if you have any previous experience in desert driving in particular, or off-roading in general. Also, kindly make sure your car is equipped with sturdy tow point or eyelets, and that you are carrying a flag (a radio is also recommended). In preparation for Saturday's outing, please make sure to watch the 5 videos linked at the top of the drive's post. Let me know of any questions you may have regarding the drive and/or your car, etc. I'll be giving a technical briefing prior to our departure on Saturday, so that everyone in the convoy will be up to speed with the necessary skills and safety procedure that will ensure a successful drive. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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: Newbie and above When: 21 January 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/3QWYGUMdyn6WG2Lz8 Action Plan: Lisaili is the home of Dubai's race camel farms, as well as the place where they train, on the circuit track, or the straight track. All along most of the Lisaili's plateau one can easily find camel tracks or run into herds or trains of these lanky animals. Inspired by a famous off-road race (The Camel Trophy), we'll exploit this wonderful area of camel farming and training to do our own training and racing across the dunes. As camels do, we'll move along, up, and over the yellow/white dunes of Lisaili, steadily and patiently overcoming all obstacles, until we'll be satisfied that we've had our fair share of "pasture". After two previous "Trophy" editions, with higher ranks, this session will be dedicated to challenging Newbies with exploring the deeper reaches of Lisaili. Approximate finish time: 11:30 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. Recommended off-road gears: Walkie-talkie radio and off-road flag (MANDATORY), plus 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 12 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 THE CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts let's prepare for Saturday's orbit in our Solar Park "system" of dunes, sabkhas and mixed terrain. We will leave from the outskirts of Solar Park's Innovation Center (the iconic glass spire visible from a most parts of Qudra and Lisaili), launching the convoy in a southern direction, across the so-called "Middle Earth", spinning off at Little Sweihan, slinging eastward toward Lisaili. Once there, upon reaching the furthest point from the "sun", we'll revert our course, heading first north to the boundary between Murqab and Lisaili, and finally, racing through Lisaili itself, we'll travel southward, all the way back to the Solar Park tarmac road. The drive will maintain a relatively fast pace, all things considered, but since the goal is to complete the relatively long counter revolution, and not to beat any speed record, we may reduce the speed, to insure a safer and smoother progress along our orbit. The convoy has been built keeping in mind the power of each driver's car, together with their current rank and previous experience, and will line up as follows: @Chris Wing in Second Lead @Paolo Pellegrini at #3 @Mike M. at #4 @Jaro Tuzinsky will be #5 @Jona #6 @Mehmet Volga will Center the convoy @Daniel Rodas at #8 @Gerrit Bus #9 @Ashutosh Garg will take #10 @Charbel #11, and @Mohamad Anwer will Sweep the convoy. The radio channel has not yet been decided and will be confirmed upon reaching the meeting point. Come ready for a lengthy drive, bringing along your love for the desert. See you all on Saturday morning.

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 Plus and above When: 14 January 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/NLCdQFT3mfmmC21HA Action Plan: Orbiting Solar Park returns on our drives' menu, bringing with it two new factors: it will be the first attempt at this route with a Fewbie Plus convoy, and will proceed in a counterclockwise direction, compared to previous 2 editions (both Intermediate and clockwise drives). We'll start at the "perihelion", or the closest point to our "sun" (which is Solar Park's Innovation Center), and we'll reach our "aphelion", or furthest point to the "sun" at the entry to Faqa's Plateau, close to E44, on AD's border. This means that we'll cross all areas within the Dubai emirate's desert, including Little Sweihan, Faqa, Murqab and Lisaili, crossing the dunes' slip-faces on our way back to SP. Luckily, we are not expecting the day to become too hot, as we progress closer and closer to our planned exit, at the Three Trees area. Regardless of the challenges we'll face, we are planning a smooth, rhythmic drive, with a meditative feel to what will be my first drive of 2023. Approximate finish time: 11:30 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 Thursday - 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 THE CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts, on my way back to the UAE, I am looking forward to this weekday drive, to keep myself in shape with my desert driving, and to celebrate together a nice end to quite an intense year. As the drive's name suggests, it aims to be an Express drive, from Lisaili to Ganthoot. We will cut an almost straight line through the dunes, keeping the pylon track almost constantly in our sight, off to the right of the planned track. We'll cross a tarmac road once, upon reaching the outskirts of Solar Park, before continuing south to our final destination, chasing the Southern Star. We may encounter some unusual wet weather, but we'll not be deterred by it, and will adapt to any possible rainy spells by managing our convoy distances and speed. I actually have found my few drives in the middle of rainstorms to be truly exhilarating. Also, I am confident that we'll find a nice sunset at the end of our drive. The convoy will line up as follows: @Gertjan in Second Lead @Gregory at #3 @Senthil Kumar at #4 @Gerrit Bus #5 @Mohamad Anwer at the Center position @KAMALIO at #7 @Archibald Jurdi #8 @topgear at #9, and @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler will be Sweeping. We'll pick a suitable radio channel at the starting point. In the meantime, I wish you all a very nice evening and a pleasant Wednesday. See you on Thursday, in time for a speedy 2PM departure.

Dear @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler I will move you to manage the drive, and let @Gertjanin as part of the convoy (in consideration that Gertjan had signed up before the official publication of the drive, due to my mistake of forgetting to hide the post). Thanks to all.

The Southern Cross (or Crux constellation) was an important symbol for the Egyptians, as it represented the place where Horus, the Sun-goddess, was crucified, marking the passage of winter. European voyagers in the late 15th century took the Southern Star as a divine blessing for their conquests. What better omens for the approaching new-year, riding on the Southern Star Express......

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 Plus and above When: 29 December 2022, Thursday Meeting time: 2:00 PM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/JMKPesNGTsyERSa66 Action Plan: Two segments of 2 hours each, from Lisaili to Solar Park, and from Solar Park to Ghantoot, will allow us to move, almost in a straight line, from North to South. Complex and diverse terrains should nonetheless give us the possibility to keep a high average speed and allow us to cover as close to 100 Km as possible within the allocated time (considering that darkness will descend around 6PM). A nice and fast drive to end this exciting year of desert wandering and exploration, searching for the first stars to appear on the southern horizon. Approximate finish time: 6:00 PM 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 8 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 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 THE CALENDAR

Dear @MikeSpillane. The grading structure (I assume you refer to Newbie / Fewbie, etc.) is the same (barred some different nomenclature) than any other club. It serves the purpose of matching similarly skilled drivers in drives and itineraries that are designed to accommodate their skills set. It would be unsafe to post open drives, where Newbies would find it impossible to follow Intermediates. Regarding this drive, it has been cancelled due to illness, first of Hisham, and this morning of myself. Although unforeseeable, it has happened. Certainly, this is an exceptional circumstance, but perhaps you can see the goodwill on Carnity's part to find a substitute leader (in this case it was me) to confirm the drive after Hisham fell ill. Once again, it is certainly a unique circumstance, when 2 leaders fall ill at the same time. Neither Hisham nor I are enjoying this. Having said this, there will be, as there have always been, plenty of Newbie drives in the weeks to come, usually a couple each weekend, which you may surely join, without any issues.

Dear Desertnauts @Naim Aoun @MohamedSherif @Juan R @Theo09 @Mahmoud Taha @LKP @essam ibrahim @MikeSpillane @fayez @Ahmad Nerat@munkybizness @Beide Worku @Usman Basit and @Tareq Al Turq, unfortunately, when it rains it pours. After @Hisham Masaad coming down with a virus, I woke up this morning with a fever and runny nose, courtesy of Emirates' Antarctic temperatures on board of my return flight. We have consulted with all other Carnity Leaders, but due to the day of the week and time of the drive, we have not been able to find an alternative Leader. HENCE, UNFOTUNATELY, THE DRIVE IS CANCELLED. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDEGE HERE, TO AVOID REACHING THE MEETING POINT USELESSLY. Sorry for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you soon at the earliest opportunity. @Kolin please note that the drive HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Sorry to disappoint.

@Naim Aoun Sorry to hear that. @Usman Basit you are next in line: will you join? Please confirm. Thanks

Sorry to hear that @Ignacio Quindós. @Beide Worku welcome to the drive (please confirm you'll be joining). Thanks

Dear Desertnauts while I was preparing to enjoy a nice and relaxing Newbie drive tomorrow afternoon, following @Hisham Masaad's lead, I have been informed that Hisham is not feeling well and has had to withdraw from this drive. Therefore, I have been moved from a Sweeping to a Leading position, and will take care of the drive, with the support of a fine bunch of experienced drivers, such as @munkybizness, @Naim Aoun, @Mahmoud Taha and @Ignacio Quindós. Wishing Hisham a speedy recovery, I will do my best to take the convoy on an interesting drive, on what should be a relatively "empty" area (as I would expect on a Friday afternoon), perhaps marked by a few tracks from previous weekends' drives, but generally very enjoyable. We will enter from Tawi Nazwa's farms, dive deep into the dunes further away from Pink Rock, moving closer to this landmark, before heading toward "the big dune before Big Red" (as it's called, for lack of better names) and Big Red itself. We should exit after attempting some climbs of Big Red's easier slopes, in time to enjoy the sunset from the dune opposite Badayer, where so many tourist companies take their guests at this time of the day. The convoy will line up with three Newbies behind each of the higher rank drivers, as follows: @Naim Aoun in Second Lead @MohamedSherif at #3 @Juan R at #4 @Theo09 #5 @Mahmoud Taha at the first Central position @LKP at #7 @essam ibrahim at #8 @MikeSpillane at #9 @Ignacio Quindós at the second Central position @fayez at #11 @Bashar Beasha #12 @Ahmad Neratat #13, and @munkybizness in the Sweep position. Before the start of the drive, there will be a briefing for the whole convoy, with particular attention to the Absolute Newbies that have chosen to join the drive. Make sure you all have a charged radio. We will take Carnity channel #4 (446.081). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, to start the weekend together.

Sorry to hear that @Daniel Rodas. Just to be sure, at this stage @Sam K, @Ashutosh Garg and @Yusuf Esaf, you are conareming your presence? Thanks for updating me.