Luca Bregni

On 11/14/2021 at 7:02 AM, Hisham Masaad said:

Good morning, just had time since we left the desert Friday, to go through and type. First of all would like to thank you @Mehmet Volgafor giving me the opportunity to lead the drive, take our friends through the desert, trying to find a track which we enjoy and test our capabilities as drivers and our cars performances. i personally enjoyed it, and hope all of participants has the same.

@Alexanderrryou were amazing going through your first FB drive, and look forward to see you again.

 @Alexander Holodny@Damien Ranjit @Daniel Rodas @Mohamad Anwer @Luca Bregni you were amazing, no issues all the way through. Except the cheating incident 😅

@bassel el rafei pleasure meeting you for the first time, other than few refusals and re attempts, you've done a very good job, specially after 6 months, and welcome back to the desert.

@Paul Zeitoun and @Pacific thank you very much for looking after us in the back and centre. Your guidance was really good for every one. @Pacific I am not sure about comments kept hearing from @Mehmet Volga about your car and drive, but looks they are invalid, since nothing mentioned in the above drive report above 😉 

Re the bush operation, you have left nothing @Mehmet Volgato say. From day one joining @Carnity, and while driving with all leads, it was always the comment whenever we see any animal, the comments were always "careful, dont come close, dont scare and so on"... While driving, we always take our track between small bushes, yes to avoid jumping and bumping, but to avoid going over a small creature and cause any damage as well. Thank you for the brief you have put Mehmet, and it is a good guide for all of us to follow in such cases.

Great meeting and wish all the best, see you soon in sand

Thank you @Hisham Masaad for you lead. I really enjoyed the path with all the technical passages and professional approach, also appreciated the tip to deflate again the tyres when I started to lose traction on the sand. Hope to meet you again on the sand 

On 11/13/2021 at 7:41 PM, Mehmet Volga said:

@Alexander Holodny @Damien Ranjit @Daniel Rodas @Mohamad Anwer @Luca Bregni @bassel el rafei @Alexanderrr @Alexanderrr @Paul Zeitoun @Pacific Thank you all for joining our drive yesterday! Great day again to start a lovely weekend.

We started right on time and kept a joyful line with stops on big play stations. Rarely used ropes and shovels in a couple of occasions so we had enough time to test our offroading skills, make repeated attempts with trying different methods and tricks and get more familiar with the attitudes of our cars. We tried for better performance by discussing and practicing on timing to push, switching to right gears, keeping right tracks and cheating where required 😎

Excellent lead by @Hisham Masaad ; he took the convoy to all famous bowls and dunes of Mahafiz and we did many practices while getting a great fun on those. Thank you my friend and welcome to the leadersboard! Looking forward to support your upcoming independent drives!

Flawless center support by @Paul Zeitoun and sweep by @Pacific ; you saved our day with excellent recoveries and advises so we had our time to enjoy playing. Recovery from the bush; wise move buddies! First time I watched such trimming by using a car and a rope. Experience recorded for the impossible recoveries in the future. Very well done!

@Alexander Holodny @Damien Ranjit @Daniel Rodas @Mohamad Anwer @Luca Bregni @bassel el rafei @Alexanderrr; it was really nice to see that you are now fully familiar with your cars and have well control in different offroad acts. Each of you demonstrated very good performance. Well done strong fewbies! 💪

@Alexanderrr did a great start to his fewbie adventure. Excellent performance! Keep it up and enjoy. 👍

* A footnote about our "bush operation";

It was a really smart solution by Paul and Pacific. They recovered the car from a very difficult position without damaging it. Well done!

However, when I shared this experience with the Carnity leads and advisors, screams came out! ... dreadful... terrible ... vandals ... how dare you do that ... you killed the environment ... Although we didn't kill any plant, it was still nice for me to hear such harsh criticism as it proves how great people our club has, with full of love and sensitiveness to the environment and nature. 

In this occasion, I think it is good to underline some points here to keep in our minds during offroading;

As you all know, we are doing this hobby right in the lap of the Mother Nature. Thanks to wonderful nature and environment we have in the desert, we treat all our stress and bad feelings we accumulated during the whole week and get full of peace and energy to continue for the next! I think that is the reason many of us are doing this every week.

But the desert is not ours; it belongs to animals, plants, rocks, sands, ... living and non-living landlords welcoming us for a couple of hours per week. As known, day by day we are losing wonderful terrains in the dessert due to new facilities occupying the nature for construction, energy, tourism, ... it is becoming more challenging to find good zones as time goes by. Therefore, the environment must have the first priority for our club as it is not possible to feed our passion without it. There is not too many, so we have to preserve the ones we have on hand.

I believe that every member in our club has the same emotionality to respect the nature and environment and no one would never ever think of harming any living creature breathing in the desert.

In order to do the right, I think we can list a brief guide here to consider for similar recoveries in the future;

1. We should think about touching the plants only if there is no any other option. In our case, it was the last option as tugging or winching the car from the front was not possible in that inclined bowl. So ticked...
2. Our bush was completely dry and dead already. So it was very easy to trim it out. But in the future, there may be some living plants blocking the way out in a similar event. Also, sometimes it may not be possible to know whether it is dead or alive, as the plants stays dry until suitable conditions come, and revive again. For such those, you can apply the same method as Paul and Pacific did, to cluster the branches together with a tugging rope (like hair tying) or gently bend it to one side. By doing so, you can make the plant volume smaller and open the way out without harming it.
3. If tying is not enough to open a way, you can consider to trim some branches with shovels or knives to have more space. Pruning the plant doesn't kill it as its roots are still there and it can shoot forth new branches. In our case, we trimmed the upper part but its roots remained underground, meaning that it could be revived back if not dead completely. So in the future, you should deal with the upper branches of plants but shouldn't harm its roots (... it wouldn't be that much easy to pull a living root out already... also not necessary)

I think these above can give a quick guide in your possible dealings with the plants for similar recoveries in the future.

Happy to have environmentally sound club members, none of us allow any vandalism to the nature in our drives. As an engineer working in the environmental sector, I exactly know that real vandals are generally wearing suits and managing big companies destroying the environment with legally approved projects.  Not easy to fight with, but we have to...

See you all on the next!

Thanks @Mehmet Volga for you explanation, I totally agree and confirm that unfortunately there was no other option. On the other hand I was really surprised how the bush got easily trimmed. That surely means that it was completely dry. Thanks for your background lad, it has been a pleasure to meet you in the desert. 

 

On 12/5/2019 at 6:36 PM, Frederic said:

Different ways of crossing sand dunes

Throughout the Carnity Offroad briefings you might have heard the terms "straight up and straight down", "side sloping", or "criss-crossing", and these are basically different techniques that we use in desert for crossing the sand dunes. 

Each come with its own risks and by learning and understanding the technicalities behind them i hope we can all learn faster and get more confidence in executing them. I hope below tutorial gives a more clear understanding on the subject and we can use it for future reference.

1) Straight Up - Straight Down

Carnity Offroad Level: Newbie and Fewbies

Description

This technique is one of the very first we learn to apply when learning offroading. The trick is to approach the dune straight up with "JUST" enough momentum to make it through, but not too much to damage bumpers or cause a jump.

One should always take into account the resistance that the sand offers based on different areas, and even more on different seasons.

Most sand dunes have two sides

- The windward side, which is the side where the prevailing wind blows on, and can be recognized by the wavy lines of the sand. This is the side where we ride on because the sand is more compacted and firm to drive on. 

- The slip-face side, this the softer backside (smooth side, no lines) of the dune which is generally not recommended to climb on, but this technique can later be learned as you advance through the off-road levels (slip-face attack).

How to tackle

It is advisable to start off at the bottom of the dune with applying a decent amount of power, and start letting go of the gas once you have climbed 75% of the dune. By that point the momentum should carry you further, and as soon as the car front wheel touches the crest, leave the gas completely or apply a bit of gentle braking when needed, to let you slide on other side of the dune safely. In fact the perfect technique is finding that right amount of momentum that you don't even need to apply brakes on the other side. Some gentle blips of throttle can help at the top to push you over the edge, as you learn and master this first step.

If you run out of momentum going upwards to cross the dune, do not worry or panic, this is called a REFUSAL. Gently reverse and slowly come back in a straight line as you have climbed up. Announce on the radio that you have a refusal. Reverse up far enough so you can take a second attempt but this time with a bit more momentum. 

Risk Level:  Low to medium. Approaching too slow will increase refusal and might cause stuck at the crest. Approaching with excessive speed might damage the bumpers or cause a vehicle to jump. Apply gentle throttle and slowly increase after learning.

Take note that every dune is different and each approach will need to be made slightly different in terms of speed. 

Associated Risks: If you approach the dune too fast, more likely you will cause the bumper damage because your reaction time will be reduced substantially at very high speed.

 

2) Side-Sloping

Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards

Description

This technique is very fun and addictive, but it needs to be executed with a clear mind and a good experience on the behavior of the car. That is the main reason why this technique is only used from Fewbie level onwards.  It is very critical to understand how gravity works and as we always says: " DO NOT FIGHT GRAVITY ". this applies to this technique most of all. 

When you approach a dune that you want to side-slope on, you need to carry enough momentum to get you through. This does not necessarily mean FULL throttle, because that depends on the type of dune. As soon as your car is on an incline, it will have the natural tendency to try to come down. The more momentum you carry, the further you will get. It is extremely important that you do not fight this by going higher up the dune at that point, but to steer down in a smooth way.  Braking at this point is also very dangerous.

While doing side sloping try to choose smooth path as possible and avoid stepping on rock, bushes or bumps that can bounce you and disturb the whole balance and tip you off or result in dangerous fish-tailing or tire pop-out at high speed.

EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE SLIDE-SLOPING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS.

Best practice: Always visually mark the entry and exit of the dune that you wish to do side sloping on. Stick to the initial plan as far as possible and exit safely. If you are new to this, then watch and observe how others have done before and try to replicate that as much as you can.

The best thing to keep in mind is to think about "HALF MOONS" What i mean with that is that you should never make 90° turns during any kinds of these activities, but make smooth half moons during approaching dunes or crossing them.

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch of OEM stock height then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less, and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

3) Criss-Crossing

Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards

Description

Criss-crossing is the art of riding the ridge of the dune and crossing over to the other side. Also here it is vital to understand that the approach towards the ridge, as well as the crossing over needs to be done in a smooth, half moon way.

So basically you approach the dune along the length, you can stay on the ridge for as long as you want, but don't lose momentum at this point, or you will be crested lengthwise in the exact middle.

Now the trick is to choose the right point at which you cross towards the other side. This feels scary at the beginning, but soon you will get the hang of it, and cross ridges without panicking at all. Make the criss-cross movement again in a half-moon method as seen below. 

Below picture shows the right and wrong way to criss-cross a dune. On the left side you will see that the approach is smooth and as soon as you cross over to the other side you gently steer down. Braking at this point is again very dangerous.

In the right-side scenario, the angle of approach is very sharp, and during higher speeds this can result in a roll-over. 

EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE CRISS-CROSSING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. 

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more then 4 inch of OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

4) Hill Climbing

While this technique is not immediately necessary to cross dunes, climbing a mighty big dune will bring some fun and adrenaline in the equation. At first, you might feel intimidated and not sure if your car can handle this. With the right techniques at hand you can at least make a safe attempt and see how far you can get. This technique can be practiced from Newbie level onwards on small hills, and later you will learn to approach taller dunes from Fewbie level and up.

Again it is extremely important to make a smooth "half-moon" circle at the top. If you run out of momentum and come to a standstill, DO NOT attempt to make a turn, but put your car in 4LO, and slowly reverse down the dune while keeping your wheels straight. The low gearing will help you in keeping that slow pace.

As you begin to learn this, it's always advisable to make a smaller U-Turn to learn how your car reacts and how your mind reacts when you take the first turn on top of dune. This needs to be done with confidence and without any doubt or fear, so that you don't brake on top and do the complete U-Turn without braking and in a very smooth manner. Practicing on small U-Turn will build your confidence and after 5-10 small U-Turn attempt you can try higher and higher by understanding your vehicle dynamics and limitations.

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch above OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

Safety of all offroad enthusiasts is the most important thing.  This is an extreme hobby that brings confidence, thrills, and people together as a family. We can only do whatever we can to make all safety instructions clear and concise but in end it's up to the offroader behavior to understand all risk and associated risk involve and enjoy safely.

Open for any questions or comments !

Thanks @

On 12/5/2019 at 6:36 PM, Frederic said:

Different ways of crossing sand dunes

Throughout the Carnity Offroad briefings you might have heard the terms "straight up and straight down", "side sloping", or "criss-crossing", and these are basically different techniques that we use in desert for crossing the sand dunes. 

Each come with its own risks and by learning and understanding the technicalities behind them i hope we can all learn faster and get more confidence in executing them. I hope below tutorial gives a more clear understanding on the subject and we can use it for future reference.

1) Straight Up - Straight Down

Carnity Offroad Level: Newbie and Fewbies

Description

This technique is one of the very first we learn to apply when learning offroading. The trick is to approach the dune straight up with "JUST" enough momentum to make it through, but not too much to damage bumpers or cause a jump.

One should always take into account the resistance that the sand offers based on different areas, and even more on different seasons.

Most sand dunes have two sides

- The windward side, which is the side where the prevailing wind blows on, and can be recognized by the wavy lines of the sand. This is the side where we ride on because the sand is more compacted and firm to drive on. 

- The slip-face side, this the softer backside (smooth side, no lines) of the dune which is generally not recommended to climb on, but this technique can later be learned as you advance through the off-road levels (slip-face attack).

How to tackle

It is advisable to start off at the bottom of the dune with applying a decent amount of power, and start letting go of the gas once you have climbed 75% of the dune. By that point the momentum should carry you further, and as soon as the car front wheel touches the crest, leave the gas completely or apply a bit of gentle braking when needed, to let you slide on other side of the dune safely. In fact the perfect technique is finding that right amount of momentum that you don't even need to apply brakes on the other side. Some gentle blips of throttle can help at the top to push you over the edge, as you learn and master this first step.

If you run out of momentum going upwards to cross the dune, do not worry or panic, this is called a REFUSAL. Gently reverse and slowly come back in a straight line as you have climbed up. Announce on the radio that you have a refusal. Reverse up far enough so you can take a second attempt but this time with a bit more momentum. 

Risk Level:  Low to medium. Approaching too slow will increase refusal and might cause stuck at the crest. Approaching with excessive speed might damage the bumpers or cause a vehicle to jump. Apply gentle throttle and slowly increase after learning.

Take note that every dune is different and each approach will need to be made slightly different in terms of speed. 

Associated Risks: If you approach the dune too fast, more likely you will cause the bumper damage because your reaction time will be reduced substantially at very high speed.

 

2) Side-Sloping

Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards

Description

This technique is very fun and addictive, but it needs to be executed with a clear mind and a good experience on the behavior of the car. That is the main reason why this technique is only used from Fewbie level onwards.  It is very critical to understand how gravity works and as we always says: " DO NOT FIGHT GRAVITY ". this applies to this technique most of all. 

When you approach a dune that you want to side-slope on, you need to carry enough momentum to get you through. This does not necessarily mean FULL throttle, because that depends on the type of dune. As soon as your car is on an incline, it will have the natural tendency to try to come down. The more momentum you carry, the further you will get. It is extremely important that you do not fight this by going higher up the dune at that point, but to steer down in a smooth way.  Braking at this point is also very dangerous.

While doing side sloping try to choose smooth path as possible and avoid stepping on rock, bushes or bumps that can bounce you and disturb the whole balance and tip you off or result in dangerous fish-tailing or tire pop-out at high speed.

EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE SLIDE-SLOPING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS.

Best practice: Always visually mark the entry and exit of the dune that you wish to do side sloping on. Stick to the initial plan as far as possible and exit safely. If you are new to this, then watch and observe how others have done before and try to replicate that as much as you can.

The best thing to keep in mind is to think about "HALF MOONS" What i mean with that is that you should never make 90° turns during any kinds of these activities, but make smooth half moons during approaching dunes or crossing them.

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch of OEM stock height then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less, and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

3) Criss-Crossing

Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards

Description

Criss-crossing is the art of riding the ridge of the dune and crossing over to the other side. Also here it is vital to understand that the approach towards the ridge, as well as the crossing over needs to be done in a smooth, half moon way.

So basically you approach the dune along the length, you can stay on the ridge for as long as you want, but don't lose momentum at this point, or you will be crested lengthwise in the exact middle.

Now the trick is to choose the right point at which you cross towards the other side. This feels scary at the beginning, but soon you will get the hang of it, and cross ridges without panicking at all. Make the criss-cross movement again in a half-moon method as seen below. 

Below picture shows the right and wrong way to criss-cross a dune. On the left side you will see that the approach is smooth and as soon as you cross over to the other side you gently steer down. Braking at this point is again very dangerous.

In the right-side scenario, the angle of approach is very sharp, and during higher speeds this can result in a roll-over. 

EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE CRISS-CROSSING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. 

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more then 4 inch of OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

4) Hill Climbing

While this technique is not immediately necessary to cross dunes, climbing a mighty big dune will bring some fun and adrenaline in the equation. At first, you might feel intimidated and not sure if your car can handle this. With the right techniques at hand you can at least make a safe attempt and see how far you can get. This technique can be practiced from Newbie level onwards on small hills, and later you will learn to approach taller dunes from Fewbie level and up.

Again it is extremely important to make a smooth "half-moon" circle at the top. If you run out of momentum and come to a standstill, DO NOT attempt to make a turn, but put your car in 4LO, and slowly reverse down the dune while keeping your wheels straight. The low gearing will help you in keeping that slow pace.

As you begin to learn this, it's always advisable to make a smaller U-Turn to learn how your car reacts and how your mind reacts when you take the first turn on top of dune. This needs to be done with confidence and without any doubt or fear, so that you don't brake on top and do the complete U-Turn without braking and in a very smooth manner. Practicing on small U-Turn will build your confidence and after 5-10 small U-Turn attempt you can try higher and higher by understanding your vehicle dynamics and limitations.

Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted !

Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch above OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions.

 

Safety of all offroad enthusiasts is the most important thing.  This is an extreme hobby that brings confidence, thrills, and people together as a family. We can only do whatever we can to make all safety instructions clear and concise but in end it's up to the offroader behavior to understand all risk and associated risk involve and enjoy safely.

Open for any questions or comments !

thanks @Frederic, very clear and helpful diagrams and description!

Thanks to you @Yousef Alimadadi and @Chaitanya D for leading us on Friday. The drive went very smooth and I had a lot of fun! Hope to see you soon on send again.

see you tomorrow guys

see you tomorrow

Grande @Federico De Chirico, ci si vede sulla sabbia nei prossimi giri fewbie. 

On 12/23/2020 at 5:57 PM, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Aravind Padmaraju for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Drives Attended (Indicative)	Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion.
What you'll learn	Basic dune and sand reading Basic self-recovery techniques Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving
Skills required	Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail
Car Worthiness	Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle
Off-road gear required	Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor.
Drive teamwork	Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed
Drive Joining	Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only
Forum participation	Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

congrats @Aravind Padmaraju

congratulazioni @Federico De Chirico

congratulations @Niki Patel

congrats also to you @Aus Alzubaidi

On 12/24/2020 at 7:56 AM, Ale Vallecchi said:

Complimenti @Luca Bregni!!

grazie mille @Ale Vallecchi

On 12/24/2020 at 10:18 AM, Nivin said:

@Luca Bregni Congratulations!

thank you @Nivin

On 12/24/2020 at 3:07 PM, Janarthan said:

Congrats @Luca Bregni!!

thanks @Janarthan

On 12/23/2020 at 7:47 PM, Mohamed Seidam said:

Congrats @Luca Bregni

thanks @Mohamed Seidam

On 12/23/2020 at 6:41 PM, Aus Alzubaidi said:

Congratulations @Luca Bregni, all the best. 

Thank you @Aus Alzubaidi, see you soon in the desert

On 12/23/2020 at 7:03 PM, Rahimdad said:

Congratulations @Luca Bregni, continue to have fun developing and practicing your off-road skill at a Fewbie level.

Thanks @Rahimdad, I'll definetly do it, your enthusiasm is contagious

On 12/23/2020 at 7:06 PM, Chaitanya D said:

Congratulations @Luca Bregni

thank you @Chaitanya D

On 12/23/2020 at 3:18 PM, Frederic said:

Congrats @Luca Bregni !!

Thank you @Frederic, excited about the promotion 

On 12/23/2020 at 3:18 PM, Frederic said:

On 12/23/2020 at 2:57 PM, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Luca Bregni for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club. 

Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment.

Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details.

P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear.

Fewbie:

Drives Attended (Indicative)	Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion.
What you'll learn	Basic dune and sand reading Basic self-recovery techniques Advance side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving
Skills required	Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail
Car Worthiness	Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle
Off-road gear required	Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor.
Drive teamwork	Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed
Drive Joining	Join Newbie and Fewbie drives And Fewbie Plus, after 5 drives at Fewbie level only
Forum participation	Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Thank you @Gaurav. I’m glad and excited to go to the next level. I’ll be happy to join the drive as soon as I come back to Dubai. See you on the sand

On 12/18/2020 at 3:23 PM, Frederic said:

Drive Report

These chilly winter mornings are definitely something to look out for, and in the company of such an amazing group this makes it even better!

Like i mentioned in the briefing there are so many different types of drives. I could describe this drive as a hands-on drive where all of you could showcase and practice your skills and where some shoveling, wiggling, and pushing was involved.

We took off in the larger dunes this area had to offer and made our way further East with the intention to find some clean virgin dunes which we eventually found closer to the exit track. On the way there we had to cross some mild technical dunes that came with some crests, refusals, and stucks, but for a convoy this size nothing to serious. 

With an excellent second lead @frederic demolder, followed by a few Pajeronitees (is that a word ?), @Sai Baskaran @Nikola Bozovic and @Mike Kraher who are coming to grips with the fact that the Pajero truly is a capable off-roader in the right hands and at the right psi.  Well done guys ! 

Friends @Bala Krishnan and @Santhosh kumar Rajasekaran who both drove well. Unfortunately towards the end the Range Rover decided to act up a bit, and disconnecting the battery a few times did the trick to get it starting again. As the engine was in limp mode most of the time i can imagine it wasn’t easy to try to unleash the full V8 potential. 
 

@Sanjay Malik who has been off-roading before felt really at home with the beautiful Land Cruiser, and @Paul Zeitoun took the Dodge Ram to new heights and lows with massive power and beautiful roars on the dunes. Well done !

We had a very capable Wrangler crew with @Aus Alzubaidi @Nihal17 @Luca Bregni but also some serious girlpower with @Sara EL FANIDI and @Kaile Barrameda 

Glad to see you back in the saddle Sara, you drove with full confidence today !

A big shoutout to @Mukundan Nair who decided to support this drive and was an amazing help to all of us. Thanks buddy !

See you guys and gals soon back in the sand !

 

Thanks @Frederic for leading this drive, I could appreciate your experience and leadership. I've learned what is you technique to assembly the convoy number and how to fix a  tire which came out of the rim.

It has been a pleasure to be at the back of the convoy, I could enjoy the girl and wrangler power mixed together and the safe back guard of @Mukundan Nair 

Looking forward to see you again on the desert.

Noted, thanks @Frederic. see you tomorrow morning

On 12/12/2020 at 1:17 PM, Wrangeld said:

Murquab maruaders, 

Another great drive this weekend - even through it was yesterday it seems like it was weeks ago!

After the Fewbies had assembled in our midst (and then disappeared to their staging post) it was a great start to the day with an outside [socally distanced] briefing and departrure for our drive a few minutes after the Fewbies had disappeared. The dunes that follow are a great opportunity for Newbies to test the basic skills as they are neither too hgih or too simple to cross and have all the challenges of larger dunes with out the danger of failign and falling. 

And, to boot, there are plenty technical dunes we can enter where the challenge is completely different and while not having the adrenalin of fast paced crossing and rises, have the chance to develop essential dune driving skills for later stages in a 4x4 journey. 

The Sheikh Zayid Sandway is always fun - but the soft sand at the Solar Park/Qudra area was too soft for our troop so we had to redirect a little and because of the number of recoveries we did not make it all the way to last exit. 

Having said that, we also got to work on an unusual 'pop out', as the shredded tire from Rakesh necessitated a wheel change and there were soem interesting opportunities to dig people out or help them out of trouble. 

Specific feedback: 

@Luca Bregni: excellent job as 2nd lead. Impeccable control and care. You really know how to make your jeep sing how it should. 

@pramod: You need to use the power better in the car. I know it was your first drive as a newbie and so a struggle ebcause it's all still new, but you need to use the power better (i.e. don't be scared of it) and you'll fly through all the sort of places where you got stuck. 

@Arun Mathew: I am delighted fo you that the car worked out and passed this shaledown - get back to Fewbie drives. they are just waiting for you. 

@Nihal17: A good drive for you, but a few times you need to be in better control of the power delivery, espceially when climbing hills and getting enough momentum. 

@Aus Alzubaidi: I am glad you made if from the reserve list to get on the drive as you did a great job and followed up your previous drives with a good controlled drive showing that youa re learning every time you get behind the wheel into the sand. 

@Sai Baskaran: I think that the fact that I really did not notice you on the drive (that's a good thing) says just about all I need to know in your development. You really are in control of the Pajero and using the power well. Your control improves each time I see you on a drive so keep it up. 

@Explored Dubai: I feel a bit guilty Rakesh that it seems your car always comes out a bit worse for wear on these drives. The 2014 tire, was probably due for renewal as it really should not shred the way it did on the drive. In some ways, better to blow out in the sand than on the highway. Apart from that, great to see you are not getting stopped in the palces where you were before and much more controlled drive than the last time we were in this area. 

@Niki Patel: I really think that you under estimate your and your car's capabilities. Yes, there were a few times that you failed and tried again, but that's how you learn and how you understand that things you thought impossible or scary are all acheivable. I am looking forward to the next time we get to drive together because then I can give special focus to the one ot two things in a drive that will transform your experience just that little bit more. 

@ALI ALMOUMAR: I really like the way that you are driving the prado - you use the power when you need to, you are not scared to push you are managing the challenges really well and I can see you are enjoying the drives more and more each time, as we are enjoying your company more and more each time. 

@patrick noack: Brilliant - I simply love that Defender and the family adventurers inside made the day super fun for us all. You seem to use the torque at your disposal to float on the sand in ways that the raw power of the petrol engines cannot match. I especially like how you redirect to find the route that makes sense for the vehicle instead of trying to match the way that some of the other  cares perform. Really admirable. 

@Ken Hüüdma: Firstly, I hope that you got the compressor sorted. What I have seen in the drives Ken is that the practice youa re doing with us and in friend drives is really paying off. You are great in the technical dunes because that is a challenge you set yourself and decided you would conquer. For the rest, I have to admit, I love seeing the Y62 out in the convoy because it shows just what that vehicel was actually designed for. Next time out - I propose you are a 2nd lead. So you can show just how controlled you can be rather than ploughing and playing and leaving a large wake in your path. 

@Janarthan and @Jeepie thanks for both keepoing everything moving, sorting out the problems, supporting in your brilliant and effective way and making sure that everyone, as ever, got out safely and having had great fun.

@Rahimdad and @Foxtrot Oscar thanks from coming by to check everythign was alright in our drive especially after you guys had had your own challenges earlier in the day. It's always great to see other Carnity convoys in the area and for the different levels to see what awaits them. 

See you soon in the sand.  

@Arman - your apologies noted. It's a great shame when this happens because, yes, it denies another club member the chance to join. On drives like this where extending the convoy is not possible (because of the risk of more stucks in soft sand) and then in the morning having to wait and wonder if people will arrive, absences really do impact other people. 

Thank you very much @Wrangeld, I really appreciate your feedback. As I told you by voice I was also surprised to be the number 2 and tried to give my best on the dunes. I learned from all the mistakes and bad moments I had during my previous drives and of course by the marshal's tips.  It has been an honor the be the second lead, hope it will happen again.

Hi @Wrangeld, I was very excited to take part to this drive but unfortunately I was just asked to work on Friday morning therefore I can't come anymore. However I removed myself from the calendar so that someone else can join the drive. Enjoy and see you next time on the sand

Alright , got it. I think I'll go for a more powerful one. I'll check in dragon mart. Thank you @Srikumar @Frederic @Atif

see you tomorrow 

Hi  @Srikumar , I am about to buy a compressor and I would like to ask for  your advice. Do you think that the one in the attached photos is enough powerful? I have a jeep wrangler JK. 

Hi @Gaurav, my wrangler is black. 
see you later

cheers

Hi @Frederic,  thanks for thé welcome,

here my answer to the questions:

1) Jeep Wrangler 2017

2) yes, they re perfect 

3) I had 3 previous off-road drives with this group (before covid) 

see you soon

cheers 

luca