Ale Vallecchi

Hi @Joseph Raju. I can show you tomorrow. See you soon.

Dear @Algin Varghese, if you have never driven with Carnity (or at all) this drive is for you. Please, check this thread to see (and answer) if you have the necessary equipment. If yes, you are welcome to join, as indicated in the post's announcement, at 6:00 AM, at the agreed meeting point. Thanks a lot.

Solar Orbit - Intermediate Drive Report Limp along until your legs are spent, and you fall flat and your energy is drained. Then the grace of the Divine will lift you" - Rumi As expected, perhaps even as planned, we did drive long, we did drive hard (not only, occasionally, with speed, but also with determination and endurance), and we did drive steadfastly. Sir Winston Churchill would have been proud of us. The tribulations mentioned in the drive's brief, actually materialized only in the form of a pop-out (quickly fixed), a broken bumper (promptly removed), and a rear shock's spring ... springing out of the car (needing a lengthy temporary repair and early exit). Other than that, the drive was perfectly executed by the whole convoy., including all the new Intermediates, who managed just as well as the veterans. The circumnavigation of Solar Park started, with the blessing of a spectacular sunrise, in the direction of the south-western dunes of Lisaili, across its sabkhas, to Murqab's bushy tall dunes. The time needed to reach Lisaili first and Murqab second was a stunningly fast 1:20 hr, with virtually no stops, and a lot of concentrated radio silence, as we crossed the mostly technical dunes which skirt the innermost parts of Lisaili, and the western reaches of Murqab. The first stop brought with it a small lapse in concentration (I noticed this often happens, if the break lasts too long), which led to the pop-out (thankfully, a quickly solved one), and to the accidental detachment (and removal) of a rear bumper. Both incidents were solved with total 19 minutes of work. The last, and less common, predicament was that of a spring coming literally off the right back shock of @Amir Amiri's truck, probably due to an excessive torsion while criss-crossing the last dunes before reaching Faqa's sabkha. @Rob H, with the assistance of @GauravSoni, came through with a brilliant repair, which allowed the big truck to get back in action within the next half hour, and then reach the tarmac bordering the sabkha, for its safe exit. The drive proceeded to cross, again uneventfully and in just 1:10 hour, a stretch of closed, soft dunes, nested between Faqa's sabkha to the south, and "The Chimney" to the north (actually a solar tower, in the latest development of Solar Park). Having completed the southernmost side of the orbit in good time, we moved north, through that set of tall, long, and quite bushy dunes, better known as "The Middle Earth", from which we managed to exit, tired but unscathed, just next to Solar Park's glass spire. With a total of 104 Km covered, in 4:18 hrs of driving time (with just 1 hour of additional mechanical breaks), at an average moving speed of 24 km/h, the convoy, assisted by @Ranjan Das in Second Lead, @GauravSoni as Anchor, and @Rob H in Sweep, and composed of @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Chinthaka Ruwan and @Humayun Ghias (all 3 debuting at Intermediate), as well as @Looper, @Matt.T, @Russ and @Amir Amiri (BTW, how is yiur truck doing?), earned their wings as Long Range Desert Group troopers. Looking forward to seeing you all again in another sandy adventure. Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Dear @Afraz Ahamed. Both tow points are necessary, but Prados should have them both, front and back. As Gaurav suggested, take a better look. Alternatively, if still unsure, you can come tomorrow, and we'll check together. If both available you'll have no issues driving tomorrow, if not, you'll have to return home (unfortunately). I leave it up to you (but please double check). Thanks

@Muhammad Omair it looks good. See you tomorrow. Thanks

Hi @Siddick Sait. Thanks a lot for joining. See you tomorrow morning.

Dear @Muhammad Omair, @Manish Kashyap, @Mohammed Mansoor ,@Arijit Bhattacharyya, @Joseph Raju, @Goh Peng and @Afraz Ahamed. Welcome to tomorrow's Absolute Newbie Drive. Those who have not yet replied regarding your cars' minimum requirements, please do so ASAP. One more question for all is: who has radios? Those who do, please bring it with you. They can be purchased at great prices at Dragon Mart. Those who do not have radios, please advise, so we can organize accordingly. Regarding the area of the drive, we will access the desert from a less used entry point, along the road going from Qudra Parking (where you can use the ADNOC gas station to fill up your tank), toward the Bab al Shams Resort. Follow carefully the Google Maps directions: once you turn off the tarmac road (after circling a roundabout next to a mosque), you will cross through the bike track, and an opening between roadworks being done along the bike track. Once arrived at the meeting point, we'll conduct a final inspection of your cars (sufficient clearance and accessible tow points are a must, without which you'll be turned back). Following a detailed technical briefing, we'll be ready to enter the dunes, and start your off-roading adventure. This area is rarely used by other clubs, and the sand is much cleaner ad smoother, so this is an ideal ground to move your first steps in the desert. Myself and @Anish S are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, at 6:00 AM SHARP (and if you arrive a little earlier we can move out more promptly). Enjoy the end of the week

Dear @Joseph Raju you are welcome to join. Just to be sure, please double check if you have the necessary clearance from the ground. If you wish to send photos of the front and back of the car, I can confirm. Thanks a lot.

Well done @Santoso Marjuki. Hope to have soon in one of my next drives. Enjoy!!

Very well done @Joji varghese. Looking forward to seeing you soon with your new stripes.

Congratulations @JeromeFJ. Enjoy the new rank, and the challenges that come with it. See you soon.

Dear @Muhammad Omair, you are perfectly equipped, and ready to go. Looking forward to seeing you on Friday. Have a nice week.

Dear soon to be Desertnauts. @Muhammad Omair, @Manish Kashyap, @Mohammed Mansoor and @Arijit Bhattacharyya, Welcome to Carnity! As you are aware of, this is a drive strictly for who has never been off road with Carnity. In preparation for it, it is important that you inform us if: you have any prior off-road experience; your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets; if your car has the required ground clearance of min. 8 inches (21 cm) between the ground and its bumpers/undercar. Before joining the drive on Friday morning, you will need to have viewed the introductory videos (links above). Please also make sure you are equipped with a tire deflator and a tire pressure gauge (sometimes they are all in one tool). You will need these. If you have an off-road flag as well that would he great. In case you do not have a flag mount on your car, you may look for a flag with suction cups, which can be easily placed on one of the rear windows. Even if the drive should end near a gas station, where they have an air compressor, if you have your own please bring it along, as it may be quicker than waiting in line. So, to recap, useful tools to carry would be: tire deflator (must) tire pressure gauge (must) off-road flag air compressor All these items should be available at any ACE or Speedex store, as well as at Dragon Mart. Regarding the area of the drive, we will access the desert from an entry point along the road going from Qudra Parking (where you can use the ADNOC gas station to fill up your tank), toward the Bab al Shams Resort. Follow carefully the Google Maps directions: once you turn off the tarmac road (after circling a roundabout next to a mosque), you will cross through the bike track, and an opening between roadworks being done along the bike track. Once arrived at the meeting point, we'll conduct a final inspection of your cars (sufficient clearance and accessible tow points are a must, without which you'll be turned back). Following a detailed technical briefing, we'll be ready to enter the dunes, and start your off-roading adventure. This area is rarely used by other clubs, and the sand is much cleaner ad smoother, so this is an ideal ground to move your first steps in the desert. Any new member who's planning to join this introductory drive, please contact me on this thread for any preparatory question. In the meantime have a great rest of the week.

@PaoloMaraziti, I and @Emmanuel are also running on normal tarmac tires. I tried once to change with AT tires and went back to highway Michelin tires the following week. My reasons? Atrocious road consumption, and most of all lack of "floating" ability on sand (all that thread was getting too much grip for the way I had become accustomed to driving). My opinion is that on sand you don't need any special tires (which you'd definitely need on rocks or very mixed terrain). This is my choice while in the UAE; if I were to make a choice for most other desert areas, I would reconsider, as sand is only present in 12% of the world's deserts, which are actually mostly made of gravel, rocks and mountains, where traction prevails over floating, and risks of punctures and tears are too high.

Join us to explore Al Qudra Desert to find what's beyond Qudra lakes And learn the art of offroading in a versatile playground for your first off-road adventure. You will learn to self-drive your vehicle from experts having decades of off-roading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridges to practice your off-road skills slowly but surely. Drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicles having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and (MANDATORY) Front and rear tow hooks (MANDATORY) What you'll learn: Introduction to off-roading. Desert driving basics and etiquette. Desert driving tips, techniques, myth and best practices. Off-road and safety gear familiarization and recovery procedures. Vehicle orientation, risk analysis, deflation and outdoor safety advice. First time with Carnity Off-road Club: Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Why should I join? We will teach you how to self-drive off-road safely and learn the best offroad driving and recovery techniques. If you have already driven in sand before then you can learn more from experts having decades of offroading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridge to test your off-road control. Can my vehicle do this ? This drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicle having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and front and rear tow hooks. If in doubt please first announce your questions on the drive thread so we can advise you further. Any stock 4x4/4WD are most welcome, you don't need any vehicle modifications. Can I bring passengers ? Yes of course, but if you are absolute new to offroading it is better to drive alone first to avoid any distractions. Learn More About: Carnity Off-road Club STRICTLY: For ABSOLUTE NEWBIE who are driving for the first time with Carnity. MUST READ AND CLICK TOTALLY AGREE ON THE BELOW COVID19 PRECAUTIONS TOPIC MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Only for "ABSOLUTE NEWBIES" or first timer with Carnity Off-Road Club When: 24 September 2021, Friday. Meeting time: 06:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.google.com/?q=24.818832,55.255631 Type of Car: Any 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Tire deflator, pressure gauge and compressor, Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 new members only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 5PM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list Latecomers or members who are not on the RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please cancel you RSVP if you cannot make it, so your spot can be taken by others. Please RSVP on below calendar

Well done @GauravSoni. Surely a very much earned promotion!! I'll put you to work right away 😅

Dear Desertnauts As promised, this will be tomorrow's concoy order: @Ranjan Das will take Second Lead @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil will be #3 @Chinthaka Ruwan will drive at #4 @Humayun Ghias at #5 @GauravSoni will assist from the Anchor position @Looper will be #7 @Matt.T at #8 @Russ will take #9 @Amir Amiri will be #10, and @Rob H will Sweep. Once at the meeting point, just on the left of the tarmac, heading from Qudra's Last Exit to Solar Park, please start deflating; we'll choose the radio channel on the spot. Kindly reach the meeting point as early as possible, looking for a swift departure as close to 6:00 AM as possible. See you tomorrow.

Yes @Danish Mohammad. You are #2 at the moment. Thanks

Dear Desertnauts, just a short introduction to next Saturday's drive. To paraphrase the great Winston Churchill "We know it will be hard; we expect it to be long; we cannot predict or measure its episodes or its tribulations. But one thing is certain: we shall continue steadfast in faith and duty till our task is done." Let's this set the tone for the drive: long, hard, and steadfast. As you can see from the attached screenshot of the planned track, we'll circumnavigate, better yet, we'll orbit Solar Park, past and new developments, in a clockwise direction, East to Lisaili, South to Murqab, West to Faqa and back North through Qudra's southern reaches. The drive should last at least 4 hours. It will require concentration, precision, skills, patience, and commitment. The less mistakes we'll make the more we'll drive, and the sooner we'll finish. Yet, there will be no hurry: we'll proceed deliberately, and undeterred! No need to drag the pre-drive briefing on. Convoy order will be announced on Friday afternoon. Radio frequency will be picked at the meeting point. @Rob H, @Amir Amiri, @Russ, @Matt.T, @Looper, @GauravSoni, @Humayun Ghias, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Ranjan Das, get ready, and see you all on Saturday morning.

Perfect @Gaurav. Thanks for the clarification. @Humayun Ghias, sorry for the misunderstanding, and welcome to the drive. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Hello @Humayun Ghias. I saw you signed in for this drive. However, since it's an Intermediate and above, and you are currently ranked at Fewbie Plus, I will have to take you off the drive. I am sure you'll understand, and hope to see you soon. Thanks.

Hi @Niki. I surely will. Thanks a lot.

Well done @Bernard Kalaani. After all, you did have an almost Fewbie baptism of fire this past weekend 😉: your skills are solid. Enjoy the new rank.

Very well earned @Chinthaka Ruwan. It's been a pleasure seeing you progressing from the very beginning.