Ale Vallecchi

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities First time with Carnity Off-road Club: Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Color, and Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? If yes, pls share details. Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks/eyelets. Advise if you don’t have a programable radio and safety flag. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Newbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3RCPsjFero7NdGqG6 Action Plan: A drive planned to bring back the necessary off-roading skills, brushing off the rust accumulated with a few weeks of summer holidays. Three hours of "class", divided into three parts: the first hour dedicated to bringing back one's feeling with the sandy surface, practice convoy discipline plus some straight crossings, the second hour focused on more technical driving, re-acquiring the finesse needed to navigate some tighter spots, and the third hour to practice side sloping and eventually safe criss-crossing. Before departing, we'll spend some time going over the basic notions of desert driving, with a detailed technical briefing. 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: 11:00 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 Wednesday - 5 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 below calendar

Congratulations to @Fabien Monleau, @Bashar Beasha and @salah2u for completing the most technical drive I ever managed to lead. From start to finish, all 40 kilometers, except perhaps the last few hundred meters prior to the exit, nothing else but tight dunes and very soft, powdery sand. Great concentration throughout the two toughest stretches. Just a couple of tricky spots produced a total of 4 tugs, twice with double ropes to allow pulling from the most advantages place. One key take away has been the need to find the optimal, most effective deflation point, to suite the warm hours and the super soft surface (somewhere around 10 PSI or a bit below, based on your type of tires). One more footnote: in the end, the track, navigated mostly without maps, using visual landmarks, ended up matching the drawing of Isengard posted with the drive (The Eye of Sauron marked by the white Waypoint).

Dear Desertnauts, a few updates about tomorrow's drive. The meeting point has been published. Unfortunately, I have not found the shred of a shady spot in the area, so we'll have to arrive, deflate, and wait to leave in the comfort of our cars. Let's try to be timely, and quick in setting up. We plan to take a shortcut while driving up, away from Faqa, and around Isengard, staying as close as possible to the Eye of Sauron. Once we reach the northern border of its enclosure, we'll head west, across an endless field of technical dunes, across the "forest" of Ghaf trees that lies just to the right of our path. We plan to exit the treacherous area in time to enjoy the sunset. The short convoy will line up as follows: @Fabien Monleau in Second Lead @Stumpy Paj at #3 @Bashar Beasha at #4 @salah2u in Sweep. As usual, the radio channel will be chosen on the spot. Get ready to start the weekend in the desert. Enjoy the end of the week.

Dear @BIBIN THOMAS. Thanks a lot for signing up, and congrats on your promotion. Unfortunately, this drive is actually a Fewbie Plus drive, which is one level above yours. So, I regret to have to sign you off of this drive. I hope you can find a spot in another drive this weekend. Thanks for understanding.

Great adventurous trip @Frederic. Well done. Hope to follow in your footstep soon. Waiting for the rain to stop and for the sun not to be too hot 😁

Hello @Bashar Beasha. As you have seen from the drive's page, you are the only member to have signed up for this drive. In consideration of this, in conformity with Carnity's safety guidelines (min. 3 drivers) I will have to cancel the drive. I would not want to find ourselves in any tricky situation and not be able to rely on at least another driver's support. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you'll be able to rearrange your afternoon accordingly. Hope to see you soon again.

Hi @Pavel Pashkovskiy. I guess you are right. I was just looking to execute a more advanced route, so I went for the higher level (and a smaller convoy). I have always had a good turnout at FB+ or IM during midweek drives as at that rank there seem to be more motivated drivers, but clearly (perhaps also due to the summertime) this time I was wrong. Too late to correct now I will be sure to follow your advice next time and plan a route that may be escalated during the drive. Thanks again for your input.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy 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 (all levels) Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Action Plan: Planning an enjoyable midweek drive, tracing the setting sun's route, from Bezhad Ranch (Area 53) to Badayer, and perhaps beyond that, climbing a few star dunes throughout the area, looking for the best spot for a scenic picture, or to enjoy the sun as it falls below the horizon. 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: 07:00 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 Wednesday - 5 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 below calendar

As we drove to Isengard via the gap between the "forest" and the "mountains", we will drive out of Isengard keeping further east, through the "forest" of Ghaf trees. 😉 Sauron will keep a watchful eye on us from the top of its Solar Tower.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy 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 (all levels) Meeting time: 3:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cRDSWUBTXBGPQ5wv9 Action Plan: Continuing in the tradition of Tolkien inspired drives, after last week's excursion through the gap between Fangorn Forest (of Ghaf trees) and the Misty Mountain (of solar mirrors), and around Isengard (the solar tower's Eye of Sauron), this time we will enter the depths of the forest, to trace our way back, entering from the Gap of Rohan (Faqa's northern sabkha, just south of the solar tower) and taking the path leading back to safety, in the vicinity of the Innovation Center. If possible, an even more challenging technical route, with soft sand everywhere, including the ridges and bottom of the low but very close and complex array of dunes and bowls, which we'll cross from the slip-face, throughout the drive. We'll be aallowing ourselves not more than 3 hours to escape Isengard through the forest of Ghaf trees, or else...... 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: 06:30 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 Wednesday - 5 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 below calendar

Here's Sunday morning meeting point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A1wurNAnHckBAxCLA See you then.

Dear Desertnauts a few info about the drive, while I am about to fly back to the Gulf's shores. We plan to execute quite a technical drive, likely in an area that will not see the challenge augmented by too much vegetation, other than the Ghaf trees that dot the northern border of the Solar Park area, under the watchful, sometimes menacing, eye of Sauron (AKA the Solar Tower). In fact, we plan to navigate almost by sight alone, following the line of trees that are visible from the very entry into the Lisaili plateau, from the Solar Park side. As for our meeting point, which I will post ASAP, please reach the third roundabout on the road between Qudra's Last Exit and Solar Park's Innovation Center, drive around it, head back toward Qudra, and exit between the guard rails, onto the sand and gravel track below the pylon line. At the moment, this will be the convoy order: @Imran Kashif in Second Lead @Mohit Gurnani at #3 @Brett Eicher at #4 @Bravoecho at #5 @Zulfikhar Naiyar at #6 @Salim Akhtar at Center @Stumpy Paj at #8 @Pierre de Maigret at #9 @Mark B at #10 @Bjoern at #11, and @Naveen Raj in Sweep We'll choose the radio channel on the spot. Looking forward to seeing you all at 7:00 AM on Sunday. Enjoy the end of the week.

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy 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 (all levels) Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A1wurNAnHckBAxCLA Action Plan: As Tolkien's lovers know " Fangorn Forest is a deep, dark woodland that grows beneath the Southern Misty Mountains, under the eastern flanks of that range. It gained ill repute as the habitat of the Ents in the Third Age. " In the desire to continue challenging Sauron, by driving around its all-seeing Eye, we will head from Solar Park to Faqa by way of our own "Fangorn Forest", that is a long line of Ghaf trees that runs almost parallel to the Eye of Sauron's mirror field. This would be the most treacherous way to get close to the Eye of Sauron, and then escape to Faqa, as we'll cross the tightest area of technical dunes, in the warmest month of the year, on the softest sand. This drive is not for the faint of heart. 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: 11:00 AM 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 Wednesday - 5 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 below calendar

Hi @Jessica Lambert, I guess I am more focused on my next drive, rather than my past ones. Surely, having come so far, a special thanks is in order, to @Gaurav, @Srikumar and @Fred, for creating and maintaining an "environment" where driving so much, so often, and so passionately is possible. And thanks to all those innumerous ones who join every drive I post ( @DP1011 thanks for your message: you are one of the most loyal fellow drivers). Speaking of the "next" drive, the one we just completed was truly one I was looking forward to, not so much for the 200th drive landmark (which I had forgotten), but because of the challenge I wanted to give myself, with a long-range drive, both in length and altitude. In fact, I had attempted many other times to go from Tawi Nazwa to Bezhad Ranch (that is well past Al Madam), and always failed but once. That one time, we managed to climb 1,118 meters, covering 68 Km. This time we enjoyed a superb drive, going for 88 Km. and climbing 2,046 meters, in 3:13 hours of driving time (4:14 hours total), at 27 Km/h moving average speed (21 Km/h total). Considering that most of the stoppage time was used to change Jessica's slashed tire, we had a great, almost seamless run, through Pink Rock, Big Red, Badayer's "sunsetters" dunes, Iftar and Super Bowl, all the way to the planned exit, until the last minutes of daylight. So, thank to @Jessica Lambert and @Pieter Pot for allowing me to have so much fun, and, yes, to celebrate the 200th drive with excitement and joy. See you soon out there.

Hello @Pieter Pot and @Jessica Lambert. Will see you at 3 at the published meeting point. I guess the convoy order will not be an issue this time 😅. See you later.

Dear @Pieter Pot, @Jessica Lambert, thanks for joining. At the moment the drive is on, even with a mini-convoy. It will be faster!! If there are any unlikely changes I'll update you tomorrow. Thanks

Well done @Benjamin!!

Brava @Marketa Dobesova 👏👏👏

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy 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: 5 July 2023, Wednesday. Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxXvZntEr11eugfU7 Action Plan: Taking advantage (supposedly) of the summer break that many clubs take from offroading in the Badayer area, it seems to be a good time to challenge a well-motivated convoy to improve the vertical limit set during previous drives focused on climbing the star dunes of this area. The limit we aim to break is that of 2,000 meters of total ascent. We'll try to achieve this on a long rage drive, from Nazwa's farm to Bezhad Ranch, via Pink Rock, Big Red, and Badayer's many groups of dunes. 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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:30 PM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 drivers. 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. 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Dear @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke @Aser @Faraz94 @DP1011 @essam ibrahim @Theo09 @Benjamin when reaching the meeting point there is NO NEED TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO SOLAR PARK AND BACK, as indicated by Google Maos. You may use the roundabout just last the electric pylon track to turn around and reach the meeting point. Thanks and see you tomorrow.

Dear Desertnauts, welcome to tomorrow's Newbie drive. As all drives including drivers signing up for their first Carnity drive, each "Absolute Newbie" has been asked to watch the instructions video. Moreover, before entering the dunes I will give a technical briefing to the whole convoy (for not AN's, repetita juvant, as the Romans would say). The meeting point has been posted as follows: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oVa8uPKa2h8jaaXHA You may reach it by taking the new 2-lane road from Qudra's Last Exit to Solar Park, and upon reaching the third roundabout, circling back toward Qudra, and leaving the tarmac through an opening in the guard rail, approximately next to the lines of pylons. Once arrived, please start deflating and putting up your flags: I'll be there waiting. The drive will take a track reversed from the initial plan, from Solar Park to Lisaili, to take into account the possibility of starting in an area of "easier" long range dunes and exiting at a more difficult patch of low technical dunes. The convoy order, at this time, is the following: @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke in Second Lead @Aser at #3 @Faraz94 at #4 @DTG at #5 @DP1011 at #6 @essam ibrahim at #7 @Theo09 at #8 and @Benjamin in Sweep. Please set your radios on Carnity Channel #2 (446.031). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning just before 7:00 AM. Have a nice evening.