Lorenzo Candelpergher

Drive Brief
The only time when Pink Rock isn't pink at all is... at night, but that doesn't make it any less attractive for those off-roaders who are curious to see how the rock looks like under the feeble light of the waning crescent moon.

We will enter the desert at 7:00pm sharp from 2nd November Cafeteria, hopefully making our way to the nearest tall dune in time to enjoy the last glances of the sunset, at 7:08pm. We will then gently move south-west in the twilight, getting progressively accustomed to driving in the dark along the nice, smooth and round ridges that make the west side of Pink Rock so fascinating. 

As soon as the convoy will be fully accustomed to driving in the dark, we will turn around and head east, to climb the rock itself and descend on its opposite side, a whole new experience when compared with the usual daytime approach. We will drive along the east hillside of the rocky complex to reach its southern extremity. From there, we will continue wandering south, riding one ridge after the other one along an exciting series of convoluted, diversified and fun dunes that will take us in the majestic area Al Badayer area and, should the time allow us, close enough to Big Red to be able to distinguish its shiluette when turning off our lights for a few seconds, after which we will make our exit on E44 Dubai - Hatta Road.

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 2.0

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: Ban Post

TWO WAY RADIO GUIDELINES

• Every Off-roader 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.

SUGGESTED READING: Carnity Two Way Radio Frequencies

MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and Above (All Levels)

When:  7 Jun 2021, Monday.

Meeting time: 6:45 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: 2nd December Cafeteria - https://goo.gl/maps/gki53oHcaxckD8v97 

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: 10:00 PM

End Point: E44 Dubai - Hatta Road (Al Badayer area)

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Monday - 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 

Dear @Abu Muhammad, dear @varunmehndiratta, I can share my own experience: as you know I've been driving a Nissan Patrol Y62 for over a year in the desert. I made it to @Carnity Expert level driving it and I was honestly very happy about it. 

Then a very unfortunate distraction made me miss a nasty pocket in a flat area and  I fell nose down, smashing the front front bumper and mud fenders (I could anyway complete another 40km in the drive) resulting in a very small bending of the main chassis. Because of this bending the insurance prescribed (and covered, luckily) the full chassis replacement, for which - however - several months would be needed as the part would have to be manufactured in Japan and sent to UAE before replacement. This was happening on Feb 26th, and the outlook is to get the car back in September...

Because of these circumstances, I decided to get myself another drive , as I didn't want to stay grounded more than 6 months and given that anyway our 2nd family car (a very old LR4) was meant to be replaced soon I took the chance to get a more off-road oriented car. 

I opted for a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (ie LWB), with the intent to put it to the test well enough to decide what to drive from September onwards. 

Now I've been driving my JLU for 2 full months and taken it to the desert 25 times. Here are my first impressions:

- JLU is way easier to drive; very capable, more agile; notably, less prone to fishtailing; despite the smaller engine, the power to weight ratio is similar to the Y62 but traction is slightly better; I seldom used the front diff-lock, but the rear one works better than the Y62 (which would often struggle to engage); I got in trouble on some rocks once and got away unlocking the sway bar;

- the Offroad+ mode of the JLU changes the gearbox and engine behavior significantly, giving a very prompt response but, believe it or not, it results in more fuel consumption than the Y62, to the extent that I now tend not to use it unless I need to do extreme stuff;

- the driver's comfort in the Y62 remains unmatched: you may be doing an extreme drive, but you still do so from a comfy living room; in particular, the A/C is way better in the Y62; i never sweated inside my Y62, I do every time in the JLU;

- visibility is better in the Y62, as windows are bigger; the sense of 'where the car ends' is also better in the Y62, as the bumpers are compact and closer to the body, while the JLU has very prominent bumpers and the external spare wheel;

- I seldom get to use the full raw power: 400hp vs 285hp may seem much, but compared to the weight, there isn't honestly a huge difference. What does really make a difference are the 560 Nm of torque (vs the 350Nm) which make the Y62 sustain raw power-driven climbs longer with spinning wheels; Y62 climbs on power (that requires less driver skills), while JLU climbs on agility and goes as far as the driver is capable of (by the way I didn't change the 255/75R17 wheels, which are way lighter than the 285/70R18 ones I had on the Y62). 

- wheels on JLU are closer to the front rear and bumpers are higher, so attack/depart angles are way better than the Y62 ones; this gives more comfort while riding, which however had been largely achieved by means of cut bumpers and skid plates also with the Y62; it must be said, however that the rear plastic bumper and the mud guards were real a weak point in the Y62; also, the presence of the spare tire under the car was often a serious reason for difficult stucks with the Y62, as the wheel itself becomes an obstacle to moving forward (or backward): having the wheel on the back door as in the JLU is way better;

- the tailgate opening upwards in the Y62 is better, as if you park with the car inclined sideways to the left, the laterally hinged door of the JLU simply won't stay open (I'll have to install a door holder of some kind).

Beyond this, everything else is emotional, so it boils down to totally subjective and personal feelings.

Driving a Y62 at the top of Area 53 gives a sense of achievement that you don't get doing the same with a JLU: it is more difficult, it takes more skills and more guts, as the car is heavier and way more challenging to control; on the other hand, driving a JLU is easier, it allows more time to read the terrain, it is more forgiving of mistakes, it can do more in tight spots or extreme maneuvers, it gets stuck less frequently and, if you lead, it leaves you more time to focus on choosing the best line and checking your navigation. Either you drive a JLU with a bit less effort or you push it to a bit higher level, but if you are in for the most challenging experience as a DRIVER, the Y62 will challenge you more. 

What will I drive in September? I honestly don't know. My guess is both, depending on the mood of the day!! 

DRIVE REPORT

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

It doesn't happen very often to see an Intermediate Drive where all or almost all participants, including Lead and Seniors, get stuck at least once, but if it happens in an Intermediate "Technical Challenge", then it means the drive was up to its title. 

Al Bataeh area, the most recent addition to @Carnity drive locations, has its own unique character: a totally virgin terrain, where you don't get to see any other convoy and any tracks whatsoever, offering wonderful views across very irregular dunes, with occasional long ridges and recurring high dunes of complex shapes, often terraced at multiple levels, it is at the same time, an amazing place to put the skills of intermediate drivers to the test. 

Today's drive was intended and indeed proved to be a super technical one. With slip faces oriented in every possible direction and dune geometries constantly varying, there was no chance for any driver to predict what was coming next. Sudden pockets or soft sand patches, very tight maneuvering spaces, steep slopes and multiple passages at higher elevation, made driving in Al Bataeh an extremely difficult exercise. 

We made our way into the sand at 5:18am and gained a few minutes by doing a radio brief while already on the move. 

After less than 5 mins into the drive, in a fairly flat area, we had already counted two refusals before sunrise.. I must say I was a bit worried by this start, until I got myself crested 10 mins later, which required some serious shoveling to get me out: it was going to be stucks day!

As we moved north east, with the sun most of the time in front of us, we started driving though the characteristic Al Bataeh dunes. 

As this was meant to be a Technical Challenge Drive, I didn't spare any opportunity to make it a truly challenging drive. Stucks and refusals therefore abounded, but they were mostly resolved with self recoveries except for very few extreme situations. 

The convoy struggled as it was meant to be, but I believe everyone enjoyed this low paced super-technical drive where you couldn't let go for one second or you'd find yourself crested, stuck in a nasty pocket, digging in a soft sand patch or heading straight into a bush bigger than your car. 

@Goutam was a very good 2nd lead, generally very careful and responsive to my instructions, even though occasionally a bit too close, which didn't give me the time to advise on the required corrections to my lines. Stuck in a few occasions, he always managed to get out by himself, for the rest he was just perfect! He even tugged me out the 2nd time I got royally crested!

@Rizwanm2 followed, doing overall very well, especially considering that, compared with the rest of the convoy, his Intermediate experience was much more limited. A few stucks and refusals were all self recovered and well managed. The ability to negotiate steep climbs with a bit more momentum will come with time and practice.

@Thomas Varghese was in his ideal terrain today. His vast off-road driving experience was in full display: skillful and swift in manouvering across those challenging dunes, it was a pleasure to see his XTerra climbing succesfully most of the times. As for everyone else, not all attempts were perfect and a few refusals and stucks were collected also by Thomas, whose excitement for the drive was, however, a great reward for me. 

@Jeepie was again on the sand after some time off due to some repairs to her car. I was really pleased to have her on the drive, as I was really curious to hear her opinion about Al Bataeh area, which she first explored today. When she shouted on the radio "Beautiful!" I knew she was really enjoying it (maybe a bit less when she had her close encounter with a bush..) 

@varunmehndiratta was tailing Marjan with great precision. He looked comfortable at all times during the drive and I belive he was the only one today who didn't get stuck. The moment of highest stress was probably when, despite seeing us on the other side at the meeting point next to the roundabout, instead of crossing the road, he drove all the way to the Military Base and came back 15 mins later.. But with for tires being deflated simultaneously by the rest of the team, he was ready in no time.

@GauravSoni seemed to have made it the objective of the day to really find out his limits, as he got stuck a few times (requiring to be winched from a nasty pocket, which I would call the stuck of the day) and got both engine and transmission overheating after a demanding self recovery... Not sure if he found his limits, but for sure he got some serious fun: when I approached him, he was smiling from ear to ear, saying this was one of his best drives ever.. 

@Rob H was in Al Bataeh with me last week and I am very curious to read what he has to say after this double adventure. For sure, managing his beast in such tight spaces, with so little gas and at so low speed was a whole new experience. It seems today he was way more confident than last week with these driving conditions: as far as I recall he was stuck only once, when I had to winch him down from a crest. Well done!

@Abu Muhammad was quite right when he said today's supersoft and tricky sand reminded him of our drive in Liwa last year. What was way different was the driver, as Abu has become very experienced with his beast, even in tight and technical terrains like today's. His final pop-out, 200m from the exit point, I'm sure was just the result of a moment of distraction when the drive felt almost over. What shocked me was how much air can be swallowed by those giant tires... The compressor pumped forever until the tire popped! 

Last but not least at all was @Tero Vallas, a quiet but almost unstoppable off-roader, driving seamlessly his car, the most civilized in the convoy. I felt he particularly enjoyed beeing in sweeping position today, especially when we reached the high grounds during the second stint: the view from there was magnificent as Sweep Tero had the privilege to slow down as he wished to enjoy it a bit more. I recall only one crested stuck, at the very end: again a moment of distraction after 4h of outstanding driving in churned up and super soft sands. 

Today we were able to complete the intended route to Korfakkhan Road. We would have made it to the exit point on time if we hadn't lined up 2 stucks (to be winched) and 1 pop-out 500m away from the exit point. 

We drove for 4h 45', of which 1h 18' stopped and 3h 25' moving. Our average moving speed was 13.8km/h, very low for an Intermediate Drive, which tells a lot about the technical difficulty of the day. We covered 47.4km, with an ascent of +188/-182 m. 

Too bad we ended the drive a bit dispersed, as some of us left and some others went back to help fix Abu Muhammad's pop-out. I look forward to reading in this thread the comments that I couldn't exchange live while inflating. 

Congratulations to all for a great performance today and special thanks to @Jeepie and @Tero Vallas for their precious support. 

See you soon in the sand again! 

8 minutes ago, Rizwanm2 said:

Surprised to see Mitsubishi Nativa against my name.. 😃 that was long time back.

Now im driving Xterra. just to let you know in case if it effect convoy order.

See you tomorrow morning

Dear @Rizwanm2, surely a copy paste mistake from my side. Convoy ordering is not affected, thanks for noticing. 

17 minutes ago, Goutam said:

@Lorenzo Candelpergher can you please confirm the time. I believe it is 5:00 hrs, though the calendar says 7:15 am. 

Dear @Goutam,

Meeting time is 5:00am as usual, aiming to start the drive at 5:15am. I guess the calendar got it wrong because I edited the post while I was in France yesterday and it probably switched to the CET time zone. 

Now it is fixed. Thanks for noticing. 

Just now, Dodi Syahdar said:

I used to drive my mitsubishi montero  in some carnity trip  a while ago, can I drive my mitsubishi montero ?

Dear @Dodi Syahdar, 

this is going to be a very technical drive. It is true that you've driven your Montero before, but you have been mostly driving your F150 Raptor in recent times. As a general rule we would not admit to an IM drive a driver with a new car, and your case is very similar, so I'm afraid you will have to skip this one, as the risk would be that you could find yourself frequently in trouble dealing with a car for which your instinctive responses are not tuned. I hope you understand that this decision is for your own and for the convoy's safety: had it been a Fewbie Drive, you would have been more than welcome.

It will be for the next drive!

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this RSVP is now closed.

Please find below the convoy order for our drive:

@Goutam, @Rizwanm2, @Thomas Varghese, @varunmehndiratta, @GauravSoni, @Rob H, @Abu Muhammad and @Tero Vallas, this drive is going to be very demanding from a technical point of view, way more mentally for the drivers than mechanically for the cars despite the high temperatures. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, so make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you.

We will be using Carnity Channel 4 (446.08125Mhz)

See you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 5:15am (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:00am.

38 minutes ago, Dodi Syahdar said:

 

@Lorenzo Candelpergher I can find vehicle to join the trip and please include me again.. sorry for back and forth on this.. 

Dear @Dodi Syahdar, can you explain? Are you planning to come with someone else's vehicle? Which vehicle is it?

Congratulations @Hisham Masaad, a very well deserved promotion. And welcome to the Carnity Advisors Team! 

Just now, Thomas Varghese said:

i want to be in

Dear @Thomas Varghese, just respond to the RSVP, I'll be glad to have you in the Convoy! 

Dear Desert Wanderers,

Drive level and description updated. RSVP open.

Let's see who's in now! 

Dear @varunmehndiratta,

During last week the new @Carnity ranking system has been rolled out and as a result a new Extreme level (above Intermediate) has been created. At the moment only 9 members have been ranked Exteme.

If you scroll up this thread, you'll see I have shared a specific post about the first 9 promotions. 

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

Unfortunately out of the 3 RSVPs received for this drive (still an acceptable number), only @Tero Vallas qualifies at Exteme level, whereas @Abu Muhammad and @varunmehndiratta are still at Intermediate level.

Regretfully, the drive has to be cancelled: a new Extreme Drive will be planned for the subsequent weekend. 

6 minutes ago, PaoloMaraziti said:

Anybody got issues with APEX valves and TPMS ? 
 

I am going install them but my current TPMS is attached to the old valves, so it won’t work anymore (used only to trigger a low pressure warning light on the dashboard)

I have a FJ Cruiser 

It will work. The TPMS sensor is removed from the stock valves and connected to the Apex ones. 

@RooRzOn, my apologies. Rawad it is, in fact, my bad. I fixed the post 😁

CONVOY 2 - DRIVE REPORT

Dear Desert Wanderers,

first of all @Tamas Hoffmann should be thanked for posting this drive: until yesterday I didn't think it was doable on a short mid-week morning drive, because of the long distance implied, but he proved me wrong and this drive turned out to be a great one.

Indeed, today's drive was a very pleasant surprise, as the decision to split the drive in two convoys was made with @Tamas Hoffmann and @Vanessa8580 at the very last minute last night. For this again I have to say thank you, as I was given, once more, the opportunity to lead.

It all started with a bit of drama in the twilight, magnified by insufficient levels of caffeine (no morning coffee for me this morning!!), when we all realized the meeting points defined for the two convoys were both some 50-70m beyond the current barricades at the Abu Dhabi / Dubai border. Luckily Google Maps led all of us to the same cul-de-sac and we could easily reconvene, coordinate and get ready to go. Incredibly, despite the initial mayhem and a little delay by @GauravSoni, Convoy 2 happily moved into the sand by 5:21am through the access point promptly suggested by a super-energetic @Vanessa8580.

We made our move into an area of small and technical dunes, quite tricky, I must say, where - however - everyone did very well, with just a couple of minor refusals. The visibility was still far from ideal, as in the absence of direct sunlight the sand looked flat and difficult to read. As we moved east, the first sunbeams lit the path in front of us and we started to enjoy the slightly bigger dunes and a few ridges, until we reached the 1st area of long range dunes, where the fun began.

With an extended "spaghetti-style" track, we kept riding higher and higher ridges, with endless slide slopes inevitably ending into bumpy descents across unfriendly bushes, but - hey - the fun at the top was certainly worth the bumps at the bottom.

Our little 8 cars convoy was doing incredibly well, so I decided to push the drive level up to Fewbie Plus, climbing higher dunes, including a few criss-crossings and increasing significantly the pace.. Even after this adjustment, the convoy was still flying around with great ease, with almost no refusals and no stucks at all... as, in fact, I was the one who got twice stuck and had to self-recover using all the magic buttons that come with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon..

The drive was incredibly smooth and almost uninterrupted today. We covered the impressive distance of 78.2km in just 2h 50', at an average moving speed of 30.8km/h. This figures, even if a bit doped by the couple of high speed stints across the sabkhas and by the final dirt track to Solar Park, are absolutely impressive for a Fewbie Drive. But what gave me more satisfaction was the fact that overall we stopped for only 18'... (and we had one stuck, one pop-out and one photo-break!!).

@Alain Canivet-Abikhalil was taken a bit by surprise initially, as the pace (and the technical challenges) were probably a bit higher than what he was used to.. but when I looked in the mirror or through the window, his smile was only confirming he was having great fun. In fact, after a bit of hesitation during the first 45', Alain gained a remarkable confidence, managed to keep up with the pace and got through a couple of difficult passages brilliantly. The few refusals were absolutely physiological, given the challenges, and the single crested stuck of the day only happened in a moment of hesitation. A bit more practice will be probably needed on controlling fishtailing during long slide slopes, but overall his was a really impressive performance!!

@Werno in 3rd position looked, as in all my past drives with him, very cool and easy. If he found the terrain challenging, it didn't show much, as everything appeared quite easy for him. If he had fun, that I can probably say yes, as both he and his passenger were smiling not less than Alain when I peeked inside their car.

@AlexPol in 4th position certainly had the opportunity to push his capable Jeep Wrangler LWB (lots of jeeps today!!). I don't recall him having any significant refusals and had the opportunity to watch him ridge riding while looping back a couple of times. Generally in very good control and very close to the crests, he lost the edge in a few occasions, sliding down with a bit of fishtailing. As with Alain, practice will allow him to stick to the crest even longer than what I could see in his brilliant drive today.

@RooRzOn had nothing less than a Y62 in his hands, which means a fantastic, powerful but heavy and fishtailing-prone beast, with the additional challenge of driving on 20" inches rims and low profile tires. When I was in his position, some months back with my beloved Nissan Patrol, pop-outs were my nightmare, but Rawan managed his black monster extremely well. Some fishtailing here and there, always well managed with timely choices about when to steer down and let gravity do its part of the job after momentum had been lost on long slide slopes. Very, very well done today.

The guys at the back had a great deal of experience, all seasoned Intermediate drivers. It was with them in mind that I attempted to find the most favorable balance between fluidity, speed and complexity, so that while the front of the convoy could refine their skills and enjoy the adrenaline of driving just a bit beyond their comfort zone, the guys at the back could still enjoy the ride for real. In the end, I think the compromise we found was a pretty good one, as I gather @Goutam, @GauravSoni and @Dodi Syahdar had the fun they were looking for, even when fixing Gaurav's pop-out in record time 😂.

As we exited Faqa area, we started heading north-west towards Little Sweihan, with a supercharged stint across mid-sized dunes among which we drove seamlessly at exhilarating pace. Just before crossing the last sabkha to Little Sweihan, @GauravSoniwas betrayed by a deceiving crest and had his pop-out, which stole us a few minutes from the final stint in Little Sweihan's bowls, where however we could enjoy approx 15' driving around some of the most famous bowls in the area.

By 8:00am it was time to behave.. so we made it to the sabkha and quickly made our way north to Solar Park along the dirt track at the east end of Little Sweihan, making our exit at Solar Park tower exactly by 8:15am, like a Swiss watch. All covered in dust after 8km along the dirt track, but satisfied and energized for a fruitful Monday at work.

Congratulations to all, I will remember this drive as one of the best I was blessed to lead. Thank you for your company (and thanks to @Dodi Syahdarfor being a perfect Sweep) and see you soon in the sand again!

18 minutes ago, Abdul Rahman AK said:

@Lorenzo Candelpergher, Kindly add me in the calendar event of this drive for it to reflect against my number of drives under my profile. Thank you.

Done! 

10 minutes ago, RooRzOn said:

@Lorenzo Candelpergher@Tamas Hoffmann you kicked me out guys 😂😂 I cant find my name in any convoy

Oooops. @RooRzOn you are right, my bad. You are in CONVOY 2 (ie with me), in 5th position after @AlexPoland before @Goutam. Everyone else behind is one position down the list. I'll fix the post later.

Thanks for noticing. 

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

given that we had a lot of requests for this drive and that both @Vanessa8580 and myself were supposed to support @Tamas Hoffmann, it was decided to admit all the waitlisted drivers to the RSVP and to arrange two convoys. Accordingly, please find below the new convoy arrangements.

CONVOY 1 will be led by @Tamas Hoffmann and supported by @Vanessa8580:

will be using Carnity Channel 1 ( 446.00625 Mhz). Meeting point for CONVOY 1 will remain unmodified (Al Faqa Mosque Parking) as follows: https://goo.gl/maps/mtkeiezKJQyDuf4W6  

CONVOY 2 will be led by @Lorenzo Candelpergher:

will be using Carnity Channel 2 (446.03125MHz) and will meet approx. 100m away from Convoy 1, a bit further into the sand as follows: https://goo.gl/maps/K39ee1zsy3LvRzi9A 

Please make sure you double check which is your convoy and that you pick the correct meeting point.

@Tamas Hoffmann, @Hisham Masaad, @darren thompson, @PaoloMaraziti, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Darren Brooke, @Vanessa8580, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Werno, @AlexPol, @Goutam, @GauravSoni, @Dodi Syahdar, see you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 5:15am (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:00am.

3 minutes ago, Goutam said:

Thank you. I did miss this post. So it is 10 drives plus intermediate drives are necessary not 5 as mentioned here in as requirement.

Thanks for noticing. I had mistakenly left the old wording. Now it is updated. 

Dear @GauravSoni and @Goutam, pls refer to the below post by @Gaurav:

Drive Brief

After last week's 1st @Carnity drive in Al Bataeh, it seems the interest for this new area remains high. This was meant to be an Extreme Drive, but due to the numerous requests, it has been downgraded to Intermediate level, in order to allow the widest participation. 

Every Carnity off-roader has driven multiple times around Mahafiz and Fossil Rock and is quite familiar with the area and the landscape. What almost no one knows is that just a few more kilometers north from that area is a wonderful stretch of terrain, quite technical and with a beautiful landscape, so little known that there are practically no tracks at all in this area even in the busiest off-roading days. A hidden gem, which however presents very, very technical, terraced dunes, with very unpredictable and very irregular layouts which seem to have been designed to challenge even the most experienced driver. Accordingly, this will be a carefully executed, slow paced, super focused, highly technical drive. 

We will start at 5:15am from the roundabout between Al Bataeh Road and E102 Sharjah - Kalba Road near Ibn Rashid village and head north-east, making our way through an area of very complex dunes and very soft sand, that will challenge to its limits the technical experience of an Intermediate Driver to overcome, especially considering that we will be making our way from the slip face: we will have to negotiate steep climbs, tight maneuvering spaces, sudden soft sand patches, daring passages that may lead to conquering the high grounds or force to surrender the low grounds sabkha. We and hopefully find a couple good spots for a photo stop and to enjoy beautiful views from elevated positions towards the sabkha on the north east side and the further dunes behind. If the convoy will be worthy enough, we will progressively make our way towards Khorfakkan Road, cross it via an underpass and continue our journey to eventually make our exit in Al Bataeh around 9:15am, completing this exciting drive in a completely new area.

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 2.0

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: Ban Post

TWO WAY RADIO GUIDELINES

• Every Off-roader 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.

SUGGESTED READING: Carnity Two Way Radio Frequencies

MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING

Drive Details

Level: Intermediate and Above (All Levels)

When:  4 June 2021, Friday.

Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Roundabout at the intersection of Al Bataeh Road with E102 Sharjah-Kalba Road - https://goo.gl/maps/jqJgB18J8xkuQg9t9

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:  9:15 AM

End Point: Al Bataeh Road

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 10 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 

Congratulations @Islam Soliman!

Great achievement, absolutely deserved and conquered with great determination and enthusiasm. Even more so, considering the beast you go surfing the desert with.. 

Kudos and looking forward to our next drive toghether.