Ale Vallecchi

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (All Level) Meeting time: 4:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZZLZV5xcjEXpwsp9 Action Plan: After finding out this week will be my 100th drive with Carnity, I chose to celebrate this occasion with as many members as possible. Hence I was given permission to post 3 drives, one for each rank, and have fun with those who will sign up, across 3 of my favorite routes. This one will take us across Murqab first, on a new route toward Lisaili, across the technical dunes and sabkhas, and eventually to Solar Park through the sector of the plateau further away from the pylons. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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 will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Newbie and above (All Level) Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JmktsxXrpfie3SgLA Action Plan: After finding out this week will be my 100th drive with Carnity, I chose to celebrate this occasion with as many members as possible. Hence I was given permission to post 3 drives, one for each rank, and have fun with those who will sign up, across 3 of my favorite routes. This one will take us across Qudra, through its most scenic locations: all kinds of dunes, and animals, trees, rock formations, lakes. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 9:30 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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 will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

Qudra "Not So Easy" - Drive Report "Nothing tyrannizes the real Sufi's heart. What strikes the oyster shell not damage the pearl" - Rumi It was supposed NOT to be an easy drive, and easy it was NOT! The original plan to cover the same tracks driven on Absolute Newbie drives, at a faster and more challenging pace, worked well, until our "Sufis' hearts" were shaken by a roll-over. When that happened, we had been driving already for almost 2 and a half hours, with almost 1 hour to spare on the time it usually takes to complete the AN drive. Our pace had been brisk, averaging a little less then 28 Km/h, covering a distance of over 55Km. The trail had taken us from the Bab al Shams' entry through the low, long range dunes, heading north toward the date plantation and the big "farm" close to Qudra's Last Exit, then east and south across the tall linear dunes, and a technical area (with a "botanical" detour to inspect a copse of Ghaf trees visible on the horizon), and finally, through the area of tall dunes, with bushy slopes and mud-rock formations on their slip-face side, across the bike track, in the very diverse terrain reaching toward the Solar Parks' pylons. This is where a moment of distraction cost @luis mantecon dearly. Luckily, there were no damages to Luis, who recovered promptly from being shaken, and assisted valiantly in his Wrangler's recovery. The incident occurred on a relatively low dune to cross (don't they all happen in apparently easy terrain?), where, nonetheless, the previous drivers had left some heavy marks, hence making Luis use a bit too much speed in climbing the side slope (to overcome the rugged trail). Evidently, the line of approach to the ridge was a bit too low (probably due to the Wrangler being caught in some of the deep tracks), and the attempt to reach the ridge by counter-steering, led to the car turning progressively perpendicular to the crest, digging an even deeper trench on its left side while accelerating sideways, and eventually caused the 360 degrees roll of the Wrangler across the churned ridge. The car stopped its progress resting on the passenger's side, just across the crest itself, on the dune's low slip-face. Takeaway lessons here? Speed is often the enemy (controlling momentum being our ally), especially when combined with a less then optimal approach to the ridge (even though often forced by the conditions of the slope itself), and the instinctive reaction to steer up, to reach the ridge, even when we "know" that the car is too far from the crest itself. I am sure that this moment will be etched in all the drivers' mind, and will be an important lesson learned by all, to always choose the safest option. Fortunately, we can delve into this analysis, because Luis is 100% healthy, with car and driver having exited successfully after the accident. As required in these cases, the recovery was a team effort, with useful suggestions being given by many, a display of overall calm attitude by all, and great cooperation with the various phases of flipping the car on its 4 wheels, stripping it of all its damaged parts that would interfere with reaching the exit, and repairing the pop-out caused by the tilting of the car back on all fours. BTW, if someone has the video (even images of the roll) please share them in the gallery, so that may be a good source of discussion in terms of how to manage such extreme situations. With the images in mind of a very busy morning, my great thanks go to the entire convoy: @Hisham Masaad for his overtime at Center Forward (yes, the drive itself went smoothly, but we still had to deal with a few refusals and stucks) as well as at the winch and the jack, during the recovery; @Chinthaka Ruwan at Second Lead, who responded punctually to all my calls; @Chris Wing, as the more senior Fewbie driver, who swept the group with ease; to each and everyone in the convoy - @Alfred Alinazar (very impressive Fewbie baptism of fire), @Paolo Pellegrini (always getting better with your skills), @TT_Dubai and @Tareck (managing your two giant vehicles with constant improvement), @Ben84, @Sunil Mathew and @JeromeFJ (always in control) - who all drive impeccably, and pitched in enthusiastically with the recovery. A special thought goes to @luis mantecon, with the best wishes to have his car back soon, and to be able to get back in the saddle, across the desert, in no time. The usual stats for the drive (even though influenced by the incident) tell us that we drove for 3:23 hours, of which 2:36 moving, covering 60.8 Km (the last 3 on the exit track), at an average speed of 23 Km/h while moving (18 Km/h overall). Thanks to all for the experience, and hope to see you soon in the sand.

Dear Desertnauts Here is tomorrow's convoy order: @Chinthaka Ruwan will be Second Lead @Alfred Alinazar at #3 @Paolo Pellegrini at #4 @TT_Dubai will be #5 @Tareck #6 @Hisham Masaad will be Center Forward @Ben84 at #8 @Sunil Mathew will drive at #9 @luis mantecon with jersey #10 @JeromeFJ at #11, and @Chris Wing will Sweep the group. The radio will be tuned to Carnity Channel #3 (446056). Once you reach the meeting point, please consider it will be in the vicinity of Carnity's Absolute Newbie convoy, as well. Please identify my far (Grey FJ with purple and red flags), and line up behind it, on the same side of the road. I will direct the AN's on the other side of the road. Have a grea end of the week, and see you tomorrow, at 5:00AM SHARP.

Dear Desertnauts. Just a quick few words about what's to come this Friday. As mentioned in the drive's post, the goal is to show that Qudra, the place usually chosen because of the possibility to enjoy its low dunes at sunset, and its lakes for picnics, our usual introductory ground to off-roading, has several surprises to offer, even for the more advanced drivers. Most of the itinerary, surely the first part, will be the same as the one we use for the Absolute Newbie drives. The differences, here, will be the speed and the skills we'll adopt: faster, and including criss-crossing and ridge riding. With the goal of completing the AN drive in a much shorter time, what will be left of our planned 3 or so hours, will still be driven in challenging terrain, likely to the south of the bike track, close to the pylons, and possibly all the way to Solar Park, or even beyond it. Welcome to @Paolo Pellegrini, @Sunil Mathew, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Tareck, @Ben84, @Chris Wing, @luis mantecon, @TT_Dubai, @Alfred Alinazar and @JeromeFJ. The convoy order will follow tomorrow, as well as the final instructions about the meeting point, and the radio channel. Have a nice evening.

Escape from Lisaili - Midweek Drive Report "From the moment you entered this world of existence, a ladder was put in front of you so you could escape" - Rumi Dear Desertanuts, Escaping was the plan: first of all, from the routine of our weekdays, and once given that opportunity, escaping from one of the most diverse desert areas in Dubai, through its technical areas, via its furthest reaches, across a mix of technical dunes, long range cordons, and sabkhas, all the way to Murqab's mosque. The plan was to reach it at sunset, and so we did. This itinerary was almost entirely an exploration drive, and indeed it "flowed" a little less smoothly than more practiced tracks. Entering the area from the Three Trees side, we went in towards Solar Park, instead of in Lisaili's direction. Then turned north-east, to reach an area with lots of trees, well away from the pylon track (closer to the "chimney" area of Solar Park's new phases), from there we aimed back in toward Lisaili, but turned east again, upon running into an area of large sabkhas and low dunes, which was the gateway to reaching Murqab's tall, bushy, long range dunes and bowls. Most of the terrain was quite technical, with the added challenge of having to ride and cross ridges made soft and shifty by the strong wind, which had created an accumulation of fine sand forming a "step" on the hard-face of the dunes. This was an unusual situation, which I found myself facing for the first time, and which clearly was "designed" to make our escape a little more difficult. The convoy behaved extremely well, responding to each different environment with minimal refusals, and with just the need to stop three times, for a pop-out repair, and for a couple of tugs. Thanks to @Chinthaka Ruwan for a clean Second Lead, to @GauravSoni for a very reassuring Sweep, and a very well deserved thanks to the rest of the convoy - @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, @JeromeFJ, @PaoloMaraziti, @Darren Brooke, and @Zed. Great driving, and ability to adapt to the different terrains. See you soon out there. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Hello @shu yang. Unfortunately your promotion's application has not yet run its full course. You would hear back very soon from @Gaurav, but being the drive itself this afternoon, I am unable to sign you up. I am sure you'll understand. I am looking forward to having you in my next drive.

Dear @JeromeFJ, there is a spot open for this Friday's drive. Would you like to sign-up? Thanks a lot.

Hi @Anoop Nair. Thanks for informing. See you next time.

Copy that @Ranjan Das. See you next time. So @GauravSoni are you IN? Thanks a lot

Hi @GauravSoni. I can put you in Sweep 😅

Dear Desertnauts. As you may have experienced, Lisaili offers a diversity of terrains, with a variety of difficulties. The northern border of the plateau, closest to the pylons' track, can easily go from easy to drive, with long range dunes, to challenging, with tight and low technical dunes. Once well on top of the plateau, in the direction of Lisaili proper, the track usually follows the length of the pylons, until it reaches the camel-drome, and forces an exit on the pylon track itself. We plan to escape Lisaili's treacherous northern border, by entering close to Solar Park (next to the "Three Trees"), driving deep into the plateau, keeping a bit further away from the northern border, and once closer to Lisaili, we'll turn east, to cross a patch of more technical dunes, until we'll reach (Inshallah) the tall and open dunes of Murqab, which we'll cross and drive around to end our itinerary. All kinds of skills will be required, including great control, to move fast across the chosen terrains, and manage our escapade. Given the ability and experience of the convoy's drivers, I've expanded the convoy to include the waitlisted members. Therefore, we'll drive as follows: @Chinthaka Ruwan in Second Lead @Lakshmi Narasimhan at #3 @Anoop Nair at #4 @Darren Brooke will be #5 @Zixuan Huang - Charlie at #6 @JeromeFJ is #7 @PaoloMaraziti at #8 @Ranjan Das will be #9, and @Zed will Sweep at #10 By the way, @Zed and @Chinthaka Ruwan please confirm it's OK for you to join the drive. We'll all meet just off of the tarmac road from Qudra to Solar Park, and will select the radio channel once at the meeting point.

Thanks @Humayun Ghias. See you next time.

Thanks @Chinthaka Ruwan. I have added you as the #2 in the WL. Will let you know by this evening.

Hi @Zed. I will waitlist you at #1. Thanks.

Hi @Serafino. I have listed at #3 on the WL. Thanks

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (All Level) Meeting time: 4:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wdLJTicJELjrp31cA Action Plan: We will enter Lisaili's plateau from the area closest to Solar Park, and will drive well away from its northern limit (the one closest to the pylons), looking for a mix of long range dunes and technical areas, that will slowly but steadily take us toward Margham first, then slightly more to the south, toward Murquab's taller dunes, and all the way out near the town's mosque, next to the E66. A new route which will entail at least half of it being more an exploration than a proven track. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:30 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Monday - 9 PM. 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 will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list. 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

Hello @Nihal17. You are #2 on the WL. Thanks

Hi @JeromeFJ. You will be #2 on the WL. Thanks a lot. Dear @Alfred Alinazar, you will be #1 on the WL. Thanks a lot. Hello @Alfred Alinazar. Due to a double sign-up, there is now a spot on the drive, so I can sign you up already. This means that @JeromeFJ, you are now #1 on the WL. Thanks to both.

Good job @Luc Khaldoun!!

@Abdul Hannan you should indeed find a way to disable your LATERAL airbags. I had them explode on me in my early driving days, on a sharp criss-crossing, where I was too quick off the ridge, and the car's computer thought I was rolling over. FJ's have lateral airbags since 2008 (what year is your car?). There should be a button on the left side of the dash, below the wheel, next to the rearview mirror's arrows: it's labelled RSCA. That will switch off the lateral airbags. If you don't have that, you'll have to pull the fuse.

Very well deserved @M.Seidam. It was a pleasure driving with you lately. Looking forward to your participation in the Advisors' community. Enjoy your new rank.