Ale Vallecchi

@Heisem it will depend on the FJ's year. Later models (at least since 2011) should have buttons to switch these features off. For the lateral airbags use the RSCT button: https://youtu.be/jd7tppopYcc For the ABS, if you don't have a button, you may disable them by detaching a cable, as shown in this link: https://youtu.be/ATjp85tWn-k The best option is to have a "kill switch" installed to disable the electronic features in the car. You should make sure the kill switch also disables the airbags, as it often doesn't, in which case you may have to install an "ad hoc" button. Enjoy the drive.

Wonderful news @Srikumar. You are a true leader, never showing off, but always showing the way how to get better, and improve oneself. I feel honored to have you watching over my drive tomorrow. It will be yet another opportunity to learn from you. Congrats!!

Of course. I was debating between burgundy and maroon, than decided just to go for unique 😊. I'll use your color descriptor of choice 😇

Dear Carnity Members @Kalahari, @Najeeb Mohammed, @Chaitanya D, @Colin Jordan, @Rinelle Sanaani, @Febin Frederic and @Srikumar Below is the convoy numbering for this Friday afternoon drive in Al Lisaili: DRIVER CAR POSITION Ale Vallecchi FJ 1 Kalahari Xterra (you cannot miss it) 2 Najeeb Mohammed FJ Extreme Black 3 Chaitanya D Xterra Black 3 Colin Jordan Jeep Wrangler Red 5 Rinelle Jeep Wrangler Black 6 Febin Frederic Jeep Wrangler Orange 7 Srikumar Cherokee XJ 8 Please remember the following: MEETING TIME IS 4:30PM SHARP. We plan on a quick deflation, with the goal to leave as early as possible, to enjoy as much driving in daylight as possible. Please deflate to 12-13 PSI. DRIVERS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH THE MINIMUM FEWBIE GEAR AND HAVE FUNCTIONING FRONT AND BACK TOW POINTS. Those who do not comply with these requirements will be asked to leave the drive. If anybody needs to still purchase necessary items such as shovels, they can do so at minimum cost at any Speedex (if DM is too far). The compressor is recommended, as we'll try to exit near Solar Park, which is a bit far from Al Parking. Please have your radios fully charged and tuned into CHANNEL 2 (446.031). You may fill up the tank at the Eppco gas station just before the exit at Al Lisaili: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GcdgZCK5eKqfNBUR6 Enjoy the end of the week and see you on Friday.

@Desert Dweller I am sorry that you will not be able to join the drive. Take care of your car, so we can see you soon out there.

Thanks for letting me know in advance @Jolly Abraham. Seems the heat is taking its toll on many cars. Look forward to see you soon.

Dear @asifk sorry to hear you will not be able to join. Hope all is OK on your side. We'll see you soon out there, and thank you very much for informing us ahead of time.

Dear fellow Desert Wanderers, Friday's group is virtually completed (one more spot remaining, for the last Fewbie PLUS to join). So far it will be made of @Rinelle Sanaani, @Febin Frederic, @asifk, @Kalahari,@Colin Jordan, @Najeeb Mohammed, @Chaitanya D, @Desert Dweller and @Jolly Abraham. Looks like it's a solid group, including 3 Intermediate members. As mentioned, the drive will be taking place in what I expect to be, for most drivers, a lesser known part of Dubai. Al Lisaili includes some technical dunes, which will require great finesse and care (especially to avoid hard nose butts), and mostly long range dunes, which will provide plenty of opportunities for some sideys, as well as ridge riding and criss-crossing. Because of this abundance of diverse situation, I would like to make a few recommendations. MENTAL READINESS AND CONCENTRATION - to make sure that all our energies and focus go to the characteristics of the terrain, our driving skills, and the security of the convoy, please be ready to concentrate yourselves on the drive alone. Kindly try to reduce all possible distractions, including bringing along too many passengers (certainly 3 passengers on board, event though allowed by the Covid rules, may be a source of distraction). If you bring along somebody, please explain that it will not be possible to converse while driving, or distract the driver from her/his duties. This recommendation aims to reduce the potential for refusals, stucks, and any other type of incident that a new type of terrain may cause to distracted drivers. AVAILABILITY OF PROPER EQUIPMENT - being at Fewbie Plus and above level means to have fully understood the need to carry the proper equipment in the car. This MUST include to say the least 1) a good shovel, 2) a kinetic tow rope (preferably with soft shackles), and a 3) compressor. Proper equipment also incudes a very important car accessory: tested, robust, tow hooks in good conditions. I will take care to verify the availability of all of the above equipment for all attendees, and will be forced to refuse participation for those who do not carry these essential items. COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS - there are two elements to our ability to communicate in the desert. The technical aspect demands that 1) your radios are fully charged, 2) that each driver always identifies her/himself when speaking, so to allow the convoy to react speedily to any predicament, and 3) that all respond when questions or instructions are directed at them, in order to acknowledge that all is clear and understood. The psychological aspect has to do with the willingness to communicate. Please, do not be afraid or ashamed to inform the convoy leader that one may not feel like making some maneuver, taking a seemingly risky approach, or doing anything beyond one's perceived skills, or physical conditions. When no communication of this kind takes place, the leader and the rest of the convoy will assume that all is well, and will not be able to address any concern of second-thoughts a driver may have. I have chosen to underline the above 3 issues as there have been recent events during other Fewbie drives, due to a combination of these 3 factors, which have created a great deal of complications to the convoys, unnecessary risks, and in one case damage to another driver's cars (any reference to weak tow points is not casual). Kindly acknowledge the above information, so that we may look forward to a challenging, yet pleasant drive. See you all Friday (convoy order and radio channel will be published on Thursday evening).

Thank you @asifk. See you on Friday. Your car is fine now? Hello @Jolly Abraham. Can you please confirm your number of Fewbie drives please? Thanks a lot.

Thank you @Najeeb Mohammed. See you on Friday. Thank you @asifk. See you on Friday. Your car is fine now?

Very good job @Tbone. The Xterra becomes you!

Well done @Kalahari. Looking forward to your debut in your new rank this Friday. Enjoy.

Hello @siddharth maheshwari. I have discussed your situation with the Marshals, as well as considered the challenges of this particular drive, which are many, especially from the technical point of view. Regretfully I have to inform you that it's not advisable you join this drive, at this stage of your off-roading progresses. There will be many opportunities in the near future for you to visit this area, and scale up your drives. I hope you'll still have time to register for another drive this week-end. I look forward to seeing you soon. Dear @asifk, @Najeeb Mohammed and @Jolly Abraham, would you be so kind to please confirm that you have driven at least 5 times as Fewbies, since your promotion on May 25th? Thanks a lot.

Dear @siddharth maheshwari thanks a lot for letting me know. Allow me to confer with the Marshals and Seniors that have seen your latest drives, and I will confirm to you if OK. Thanks a lot.

Dear fellow Desertnauts. While we wait for the group to take its final form, I would like to remind all of those who have registered, and who still wish to, that the drive is reserved for FEWBIE PLUS. This means more experienced fewbie drivers, indicating those who have at least 5 Fewbie drives under their belt. If any of you does not satisfy this requirement, kindly remove yourself from the drive, so that others may join. The Marshals and I will double check this status, and proceed accordingly with confirming or amending the drive's group. With this in mind, I would like to introduce you to the drive's geography. We will set out to explore an area that for most of you will be unknown: Al Lisaili. I have driven past it many times, while on the way to Faqa, but never knew this region, hidden behind Dubai's major cameldrome and its connected camel farms, would be able to offer such an interesting off-roading ground. We will follow the track under the pylons until we'll be able to go past a very long and well hidden camel race track. We then will proceed to enter a very technical area of dunes with soft sand, through which we will finally reach the more open, long range dunes, where the fun will begin. We'll cross many dunes, with some ridge riding, on much firmer sand than at the beginning. Our goal is to go as far as possible, in the direction of Al Qudra's Solar Innovation Center, while keeping the track under the pylons nearby, on our right, so we may exit as soon as the dark sets in. While you start savoring the drive, I wish you all a great week.

Thanks @Denizzalbayrak for doing a great job in this new position. You managed without any trouble at all. See you soon.

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: Fewbie PLUS and above (Min. 5 Fewbie drives with Carnity.com) When: 10 Jul 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 4:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Camel Race Track - https://maps.app.goo.gl/7do7vc1px3BgZmB36 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: 8:00 PM End Point: Dubai - Solar Park / Qudra 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 PM. 10 Fewbie PLUS and above 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 CALENDAR

Wow @J J where did you find the Fiorentina's audio?!?!? That's great! Thanks a lot, and see you soon.

Thank yoy so much @Shiju Manuel. I just update the report where for some reason you tag name had not registered. You were very much a good part of the drive. Very good control and care in handling the car. See you soon on another new stretch of desert.

I do hope so. Trouble is, as you well know, that the sooo many bushes don't show in the maps, and really change the landscape, forcing changes to the original plan that sometimes are not optimal. But we all managed well, and learned some more.

Dear fellow Desernauts. To paraphrase @Wrangeld Richard’s report titles, I guess we should call this one “The Rumble in the Jungle”. I don’t know you, but I have never seen any desert in such green and lush conditions. That cloud seeding is certainly working, to the benefit of the citizens and residents, yet to the detriment of the off-roading community. Having escaped successfully from Mahafiz’s jungle (and to a lesser extent that around Fossil Rock), I’ll have to mow the lawn trapped under the car If I want to be able to drive without literally sweeping Dubai’s highways. Backtracking to the beginning of the drive, first of all, a commendation to all drivers for their timely (or in most cases, even early) arrival. After an unhurried deflation, we proceeded to move in the following order: @Rinelle Sanaani for his first second lead, diligently and patiently executed, @asifk doing great until his car experienced transmission issues (luckily resolved) which forced him to exit prematurely, @Shiju Manuel @RohanH, @Jolly Abraham and @J J, driving with poise and control in spite of the tricky terrain, @Vanessa8580 dominating the convoy, covering its length to help direct the occasional refusal, @Najeeb Mohammed much improved in extracting the power under his FJ’s hood, @Chaitanya D totally enjoying his new desert toy, @Anish S, overcoming a cooling issue to finish the drive in perfect conditions, @Tbone and @Janarthan navigating as a perfectly synchronized pair, and finally @Denizzalbayrak, who swept the convoy with exceptional control, lending his precious help to Vanessa in sorting out some refusals. The great news is that, in spite of some challenges that the bushy and very technical environment threw at me (and I, in turn, threw back at the convoy), it’s the first ever drive that I have done, ever, with no stucks. Truly amazing, guys (and girl)!! So, what else did we do? We started backward from the usual itinerary, to exploit the cooler air and sand to scale Faya’s first wall (as Faya has many, most of which were to be conquered later in the day by @Javier M's convoy). Not everybody made it to the top: unfortunately, the Pajero contingent had some issues with engine power and shifting gears (following which Vanessa will ask Fred for a new car). Nonetheless, everybody truly enjoyed the sideys on Faya’s second high slope, which most did twice, with great control. And, very importantly, we all enjoyed the sunrise while driving away from Faya, toward Camel Rock and then Fossil Rock. Here we found some very soft sand, which forced us to pause for a few minutes, to cool a few engines off and check the tires’ pressure. Finally, we managed to descend from Fossil Rock toward the pylons, where some of the cars almost crossed paths with @Frederic's convoy, running on the opposite Mahafiz-to-Faya lane. En-route to Mahafiz, we paid a mandatory visit to what are now known as @Gaurav's Slopes”: a play area with a set of 3 adjacent slopes, which all cars drove twice, to everybody’s satisfaction. As the vegetation became denser as we were approaching our exit point, we still managed to side slope a few more dunes, adding some criss-crossing to the challenge. We all arrived safe and sound at the exit point, which was none other than the group of trees where we usually deflate when doing the opposite route. The drive, started at 5:21AM, took us 4 hours and 1 minute, at an average speed of 11Km/H, with 141 meters of altitude gradient. That’s all from the Rumble in the Jungle. Have a great week-end and see you soon.

Great @asifk. First of all, very good news that the car functions well. I do believe the decision was for the best, just in case. You will be back on the sand in no time. And it's great that you managed to get some extra action, while (most importantly) literally saving the poor couple from a sun stroke, and possibly a damaged car. Well done!!!

Dear Carnity friends. This is tomorrow's convoy numbering: DRIVER CAR POSITION Ale Vallecchi FJ 1 Rinelle Jeep Wrangler 2 asifk LWB Pajero White 3 Jolly Abraham 4 Shiju Manuel LWB Pajero Black 5 J J Jeep Wrangler 6 RohanH LWB Pajero Black 7 Vanessa LWB Pajero Blue 8 Najeeb Mohammed FJ Extreme 9 Chaitanya D Xterra 10 Anish S LWB Pajero White 11 Tbone Xterra 12 Jarnathan Xterra Silver 13 Dennizzalbayrak Chevy Trailblazer Black 14 Please turn on Carnity Channel 1 (446.006) as soon as you reach the deflation point. Have a great night.

Just to inform you that the nearest station to fill up the tank, coming from Dubai and Sharjah, is the following: ADNOC Oasis | Al Qala 2 https://maps.app.goo.gl/3jqgyrimZa9DfTET9 See you tomorrow.