Chaitanya D

@ShereenMK congratulations

@Belal Aldaour congratulations

Congratulations @Sergio Big Dawg, well done

Congratulations @Zed, well deserved. Now dont take off while doing long dune climbs🤣😜

Trip Report:

Newbie drives are always fun to catch up with new friends , and of course some old buddies. We all met on time , while I came out from the desert 😊as I camped there overnight to come fresh for this drive. Great to see all arrive on time and prepped.

We drove in AlFayah region of Abu Dhabi which has sand similar to what is in Qudra, white with moderate dunes . But in some areas there are some steep bowls which we entered and backtracked, some areas have huge rock formations and some have dense vegetations/bushes on the side slopes when you exit.

Considering the challenges we drove close to 38 km in out planned time which was filled with some very good learning experiences. All that was discussed during briefing was out there experienced practically -momentum, not to fight gravity, follow your positions and keep a close watch where you stop and park.

Fantastic 2nd lead by @John Vanderbleek, very clear in coms and stopping in split seconds . You did save us from lot of shoveling. Thank you👍

Momentum is the key, was learnt in the apt way by @Anna Dillon when she was crested in a small dune coming over a soft patch. Always better to get stuck the way you did , than to fly. Well done

@takeshi sobue did well , but as Russ pointed out you need to be clear on the radio and acknowledge which is very important. AT one point I saw you over taking Ann when she was reattempting, which should not be done. If any car has any refusal in front then it is always safer to stop, communicate and reattempt

@Omar ElGamal, @Bharath Rao and @Salman Farooq (Welcome to the club) did well , and especially learnt the way to get out from stuck situations with the manual A trac, or the Blip Blip technique with steering. I wonder you all are now well versed with this and know how to get out when stuck in soft sand. Gas is your friend as long as you are moving, if not then more gas= more you sink in sand.

@Osama M did well controlling his beast Qx80, car has a lot of power to get you to the tallest dunes. You were very controlled in few tricky areas which was wonderful to see

@Imran Kashif driving the prado managed well, all the little challenges and with good coms. 

Las but not the least, @Russ support on this drive was phenomenal with clear coms, directions and asking for more help when needed. Always a comfort having you at the back. Well done and thank you.🙏

Some more pictures are in the gallery as below link ,have a look. You can add your pictures there

Newbie - Al Fayah - Abu Dhabi - 10 Dec 2021 - Page 2 - Carnity.com

For members who have completed the required number of drives, please apply for your promotion online. Remember this is not a race to get to the next levels, but to enjoy this hobby in a safe manner as the drives become more challenging, faster and more thrilling as you get to next levels. 

See you all some time soon and enjoy your week

23 minutes ago, John Vanderbleek said:

Very enjoyable drive and could see the skill levels improving as drive continued. Driving behind Chaita proved to be an easy task as he managed the drive to the skill levels of all.

I am still learning about “Momentum”…it can be your friend if you learn to build and control it. Each driver and their vehicle develop momentum in different methods…learn with your vehicle how to develop it as your greatest friend…especially when you are in soft sand.

Looking forward to next drive!

@John Vanderbleek I am @Chaitanya D and not chaita 🤣🤣

50 minutes ago, Russ said:

@Chaitanya D a great Friday morning drive in superb terrain, thank you for leading us all through this area and giving opportunities for all drivers to practice going up and down dunes, side sloping and driving in technical areas.

After a chilly early morning briefing we  started our exploration.

@John Vanderbleek showed his experience with a solid 2nd lead.

@Anna Dillon did great in her first drive for a couple of months. One moment of hesitation led to a cresting but otherwise a good drive.

@takeshi sobue handled his FJ very well with minimal issues. Just a small reminder to acknowledge radio messages so we know that you have received them.

@Omar ElGamal After a few issues early on you drive really well. I hope your arms aren’t too sore today after the self-recovery effort 😉

@Imran Kashif Well driven, any hesitation you feel now will surely disappear soon with more drives.

@Osama M grew in confidence as the drive went on and handled the big QX80 with great skill!

@Bharath Rao Apart from a couple of unfortunate stucks from standing starts you drove great. The lesson with avoiding getting stuck from a stationary position is trying to avoid stopping on soft sand if possible and also on flat or a decline gradient. One blessing in disguise is that you got to practice self recovery twice which will benefit you in the future!

@Salman Farooq I believe this was your first drive with Carnity so welcome to the club! You will overcome your hesitation as time goes on and avoid some of the situations you found yourself in yesterday. You did well in the self-recovery situation. Remember to follow radio instructions clearly and when a senior driver issues a left or right instruction it will always be your left and right, not theirs.

It was great to meet and drive with you all.

Please go to the gallery section to find some pictures of the day 📸

Hope to see you soon 🌵 

 

Vow @Russ, great feedback on everyone. The way you are progressing I would love to be supporting one of your leads soon 👍🏼

5 hours ago, Sergio Big Dawg said:

@Chaitanya D thanks for the tip on the skidplate, the Safari is now better protected (and looks nicer too 😉)

Looks awesome, now your rides will be more fun 👍🏼, drive safe dear

Please note convoy listing for tomorrow as below

• Imran Kashif @Imran Kashif
• Osama M @Osama M
• Salman Farooq @Salman Farooq
• John Vanderbleek @John Vanderbleek
• Anna Dillon @Anna Dillon
• Mohammed Yazir Thattarathil @Mohammed Yazir Thattarathil
• Omar ElGamal @Omar ElGamal
• Bharat @Bharath Rao
• 

We will use Chanel 1 for radio coms

See you tomorrow

Dear friends

• Imran Kashif @Imran Kashif
• Osama M @Osama M
• Salman Farooq @Salman Farooq
• John Vanderbleek @John Vanderbleek
• Anna Dillon @Anna Dillon
• Mohammed Yazir Thattarathil @Mohammed Yazir Thattarathil
• Omar ElGamal @Omar ElGamal

13 hours ago, topgear said:

Dr @Chaitanya D did you install yours on flat surface like Dr @M.Seidam or on the windscreen?

 

Mounted on front windshield and another on rear view mirror 

Dear @Asif Hussain thank you so much for a wonderful Liwa -Yellow truck experience. Thoroughly enjoyed it , being my first time in Liwa.

@Sergio Big Dawg and @Simon Dawood great driving on this challenging terrain , was a treat to watch from the back.

Thanks Sergio for sharing some wonderful videos.

Catch up with you all some time soon👍

11 hours ago, Mark D said:

All. Any recommendations please, for a decent quality phone holder that isn’t going to fall off with the first bump my truck hits? Cheers 

I have been using vicseed phone holder with suction cup , got it from Amazon us. Shipping takes a while

https://www.amazon.ae/Universal-VICSEED-Dashboard-Windshield-Adjustable/dp/B07R1QZ8V1/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=119211640073&gclid=CjwKCAiAhreNBhAYEiwAFGGKPP6nt33L8SUJhxIlyMC3vKl9Kjv4kKaIJZzTeOOuWcTY_C-uT_QJpBoCmJwQAvD_BwE&hvadid=532488075351&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1000013&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18396172631103635202&hvtargid=kwd-597317231924&hydadcr=26640_2558929&keywords=vicseed+car+phone+mount&qid=1638862307&sr=8-5

For a 6 to 6.5 inch phone it works fine even in summer on my Xterra. Have been using it for quite a while with no issues , for my style of driving😜 on sand.

Additionally I use another phone mounted on the mirror at times with lesser zoom so that I know which way I am heading as below. This option is not as sturdy in bumpy situations 

https://www.amazon.ae/SKEIDO-Holder-Universal-Rear-view-Mirror/dp/B07WZN9CRZ/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=car+mirror+phone+holder&qid=1638862463&sr=8-6

@Xavier Treasurer congrats well done

15 hours ago, Salman Farooq said:

Thank you @Chaitanya D for the warm welcome. I am driving a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 which both 4H & 4L gear options.

Yes my car has front & rear tow hooks in good condition. I do have off-roading experience from another club where I have done 3 drives.

Looking forward to trip on Friday.

Cheers,

Salman

Thanks , note we are ending at a place far away from gas stations and hence you are advised to bring along your compressor for reinflation.

Do you have other offroad gear like flag, deflator, shovel and radio?

@Salman Farooq welcome to Carnity. Can you let us know which car you drive , if it has 4H and 4L gearing and any other options if any?

please check and confirm

1. front and rear tow hooks or eyelets are present and in good condition 

2. Any previous off road experience 

Off roading takes a toll on the cars so please ensure all mechanicals and fluids are checked thoroughly if you are bringing it on sand for the first time

If  your first drive there are a few minimum required tools:
1) Pressure gauge and deflator, so you can deflate your tyres when you arrive.
2) Air compressor to inflate your tyres again after the drive as we are not ending near a gas station 

If you have more offroad gears, such as your walkie talkie, shovel, offroad flag, you are welcome to bring it along.

please see the newbie briefing video as below link

thanks 

General Infos

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
• Mandatory Safety Requirements
• Ban from Carnity Off-road Club
• Two Way Radio Guidelines

Drive Details

Level:  Newbie and above (All Levels)

When:  10 Dec 2021, Friday

Meeting time: 6.30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: E75 Al Fayah Road - https://goo.gl/maps/pH1UmMLcUUawgqQAA

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, willingness to learn and your own compressor for tire inflation.

Approximate finish time: 10.30 AM

End Point: E75 Al Fayah Road

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 12 cars only. 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.
• 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 EVENT 

15 minutes ago, Muhammad Qasim said:

Good afternoon everyone joined in liwa event. Great fun and many lessons that we have learned from experts. Thanks to @Chaitanya D for breaf comments on us. Thanks to @Gaurav for his expertise and keeping eye on each driver. Thanks to @Rizwanm2 for being in the middle and supportive to the cars in front and the cars in his back. I found on nice picture of @Rob Soughton that I will be sharing and I have some nice videos which I can't upload them here... 

Waiting for the event next. 🙂🙂

You can either upload as YouTube links, or share the videos after you upload onto cloud . It would be great to watch them, thanks

@Faisal Alhashimi congratulations well done

@kiranshinde congratulations, enjoy your drives 

@Stav congrats well done

@MMansoor congrats and well done

@Tom V congrats and well done

@Anoop Nair congratulations well done

Drive Report - Full Day Newbie Liwa Drive (No Yellow Truck)

We all set at the starting point well on time , just a few minutes past the planned 7.30 am start considering the fog. We all had a slightly extended briefing considering the challenging terrain we were venturing into. Driving along the dirt track and enjoying the sunrise , we were eager the see the vastness once Liwa opens up.

The initial part of the drive for about 20-25 kms was free flowing into the massive dunes that we hardly had any radio chatter. While we ventured deeper , the dunes became more taller, more steeper and some sharp drops were inevitable. That's when I as a lead ventured into a slightly tricky area where one drop was ending into a soft patch where if you loose your momentum , one is bound to have a refusal or stuck. We had one car here which had that and all did their best to get the car out with some long shovelling sessions, cooling a overheating transmission , some weird-but safe tugging and finally a double rope tug which got the car out. With some small rerouting and as everyone drove out of this spot , we decided to exit the Pajero as overheating in a cool morning is something which meant definitely as we drive deeper it was bound to have the same issue as the terrain would get more challenging where once will have to use 4-L multiple times.

The closest route to dirt track took close to 90 min - as we had already discussed , no close exits in Liwa unlike in Dubai deserts. This meant we were almost back at the starting point by 12 noon , exit the car and head back. I chose a route as much as possible along the sabkhas/flats - considering the fact that were were heading in a direction which was slightly against the massive slip phases . We had multiple refusals , stucks, shoveling and many tugs as we drove along. I appreciate everyone's cooperation as we decided not to have a formal break for all cars but to refuel and rehydrate ourselves whenever we had a refusal/stuck.

I will be mentioning  the drive stats below which will give you all an idea as to why we (a bit disappointed myself) could not make it to the iconic Yellow truck. By around 2.30 pm to 3 pm, we were at a point which was equidistant from our starting point, the yellow truck and our planned exit at the desalination plant. Going to yellow truck potentially meant we would be driving in night , and in this terrain was not a safe option. We decided to take the route to the desalination plant skipping the yellow truck. We drove through multiple falt super soft patches, bowls, sharp and steep drops and finally made it to the exit on dirt track near desalination plant just when it was dark. To see everyone out safely was the whole motto, and we did it!

@Patrick van der Loo played the 2nd lead to perfection, stopping in split second calls made by me in some very nasty spots. The ones to mention are - when I entered a slightly steeper bowl, another just as we were near the exit and i was stuck on re-laid sand and the last one when I ventured into s super soft bowl just before the exit. Had it not been these stops by you, we would have spent more time shoveling for sure😃

@Vishal Nair with his pajero was the one which had to be exit half way through the drive. Overheating transmission on your model Pajeros is a common issue was we discussed which has been seen multiple times with multiple drives. You need to install a extra transmission cooler with a switch which will save you from these issues when you push your car. You will switch on this only when on sand and turn it off when on tarmac. Considering this we had to exit you early as we would be using 4LLC multiple times ahead . You should also learn and make sure you engage the gears advised to you correctly- the best way to do this would be to practice next time you are on sand (while having a break) and engage the 4H, 4HLC and 4LLC and see how the gears sound and behave. This time around you were in 4HLC all the while which made you dig yourself further , which probably would have been a 5-10 min maneuvering if you were in the correct gear. 

@Mawy did well with his pajero , in some refusals and stucks following as advised. At one spot he was  off track and landed himself into a soft pocket. we had to use double rope to pull him out as even though he was crawling out nicely, the sand there was way too soft. Rest of the challenging drive you did wonderfully well my friend.

@Rob Soughton learned the hard way with some refusals on soft sand long climbs as to why his Prado was unable to . As he started using the tiptronics , climbing in lower gears in 4 H was easier. You were very controlled in all the steep slip phase descents we had and it was wonderful to see that from a distance. 

@Dinesh Kumar A too did well being behind the center forward. Driving on soft churned sand meant you would be having some refusals and as it got hot even a toyota had a overheating transmission 😆. We did cool it in quick time , and you were able to recover yourself in a soft patch.

@Muhammad Qasim drove a FJ at the back with good control and following the advises in soft patches. It is indeed challenging being at the back and driving following multiple churned tracks but you did well. At one spot a lot of counter steer meant you had a pop out which was fixed. It is always better to exit when you are not able to climb and reattempt. Well done buddy, and I believe your son had a nice time watching all the action unfolding.

@kiranshinde was the only fewbie on this drive and hence was at the back. He controlled his beast Y62 well most of the times which was wonderful to watch. Only at one spot coming down a angled slip phase , there was a bit too much fishtail which was very uncomfortable for me to watch from a distance. I humbly apologize  for being a bit loud on advising . If you are in a tight spot like that and are unable to acknowledge , the least you could do was to stop to prevent the situation worsening any further. Barring this , I believe you enjoyed the challenge at the back being newly promoted .

I have to mention my immense thanks to @Rizwanm2 and Carnity legend @Gaurav for supporting this drive. Your presence gave me the extra confidence to push all day long. All the advises, recoveries and the rerouting you guys did were flawless which kept the whole drive super safe in a super challenging terrain at newbie level. Some of the memorable ones being - recovering Vishals Pajero from the soft patch which took almost 90 min, double rope recovery of Mawy by rizwan under the watchful advises by gaurav, rerouting on the slip phases - and especially the last one where I danced on soft sand for quite some time . Only upon deflating to 8 psi I could dance and jump out of the soft bowl🤣. To complete a full day newbie drive in Liwa and getting everyone out safely was a awesome experience.

Some stats below for you all to relive the experience, some pictures are uploaded in the gallery. Please share your feedback, comments , experiences , pictures and videos. 

Well done and Cheers to all of you

@M.Seidam Congratulations, well deserved habibi 🎉.