Biju Abdul

Congrats @Tero Vallas

9 hours ago, Gregory Perkin said:

Thanks to @Ale Vallecchi for a fun fast-paced drive.

The route was carefully thought out, showed us a variety of terrain and reminded us that the 3rd gear (and even 4th gear) cogs still work 😂

Great to see a variety of wildlife, and the locals playing with the falcons. Not sure if anyone else spotted the red RC plane they were using to train the falcons. It was flying just before we arrived and was on the ground as we passed.

For the stats guys I've attached some pics.

See you all next time. Greg

Yes @Gregory Perkin I noticed the red plane in the ground but didn’t know that it’s used to train falcons. 

53 minutes ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

The day of records: 100 Km Challenge successfully completed - Trip Report

Even though we knew from the previous Challenge that driving 100+ Km in close to 4 hours is possible, there is always an element of uncertainty in such drives. In case of this particular itinerary, from Faqa to Qudra, one variable that adds to its difficulty is that, except from the first part of Faqa, all major dune cordons must be crossed from the slip-face side. This means that criss-crossing is trickier than when approaching from the dunes' hard-face, and that sometimes one must find a way around the cordons. However, there is an advantage with doing this drive in the morning, and in this direction, and that is not having the sun in one's face, making visibility easer. Another element of uncertainty of this drive was the length of the convoy: while the first Challenge was driven by 5 cars, the Sequel saw a convoy of 8 drivers. Initially this many cars worried me a little, also in light of the relative "greenness" of some of the drivers, tackling their first or second Intermediate drive. In the end, it was such a pleasant surprise to see all perform impeccably, bringing home an almost perfect record of no stucks, the only delays being 2 pop-outs.

After a quick deflation and briefing, the convoy moved at 6:17am, first almost at a leisurely pace, in order to smooth the transition of the new Intermediates to the new rank, than slowly picking up speed, driving smoothly toward each planned leg of the itinerary. We reached the first way-point at the end of Faqa in 1:02 hours; the second way-point at the end of Little Sweihan was reached in 1:40 hours., after taking care of our first pop-out (and changing the damaged tire); the third planned break, at the confluence of Solar Park into the "Bab al Shams" sector, in just another 1:02 hours (in spite of a second pop-out, this time sorted out just by re-inflating; finally we exited at Qudra west (next to the big farm on the tarmac road to Qudra Parking in exactly another hour.

The most tested skills of the day, besides basic dunes' straight and criss crossing, and finesse-driving in the few technical areas, were bowl riding, and especially ridge riding, this latter mostly toward the end of the drive, on Qudra's super long range dunes. I was really happy to see the convoy move in unison, almost never breaking stride: well done @Mehmet Volga, @Yousef Alimadadi, @Biju Abdul, @marks, @Gregory Perkin, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe and @Janarthan.

Comparing this Challenge to the previous one, we took 3:41 hours of driving time (Vs. 3.18 h), for 114.6 KM. (Vs. 104.4), at a slightly lower average speed of 23 Km/h Vs. 26Km/h (and 31Km/h while moving Vs. 32Km/h), climbing for 871 meters Vs. 570 meters.

Thanks a lot for joining this challenge, and hope to see you soon on the sand.

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi we had a fantastic drive and this was my first intermediate drive and thoroughly enjoyed. 

Congrats @Tbone

On 10/30/2020 at 5:00 PM, Emmanuel said:

@Biju Abdul I totally forgot to congratulate you this morning! But your support as center forward, busy center forward, was indeed excellent.  Very well deserved promotion.

Thank you @Emmanuel and @Tbone for the guidance on my first time recoveries. I felt a good sense of satisfaction while recovering the car out of stuck 🤓

Congratulations @Gregory Perkin

1 hour ago, Gaurav said:

Congratulations @Biju Abdul for reaching the Intermediate 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.

 

INTERMEDIATE

Drives Attended (Indicative)	Minimum 10 drives are required within last 6 months for Intermediate promotion. (Drives can be a mix of Newbie, Fewbie (50%) and Fewbie plus, depending on your adaptability, learning progress and Marshal’s feedback)
What you'll learn	Basic GPS and navigational skills Basic tow rope and winch recoveries Extreme side sloping and long hill climb Tall dunes ridge riding and criss crossing Precise control over technical dunes Fast pace desert driving
Skills required	Adventurous and thrill seeker but in a safe manner Level headed under stressful situations Responsible, dependable and accountable
Car Worthiness	Capable 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle High profile tires
Off-road gear required	Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor, tool kit, rated recovery rope and 2 rated shackles, GPS.
Drive teamwork	Manage center forward position with Trip Lead’s permission Learn/assist recoveries under Trip Lead’s supervision Re-route convoy and coordination, when needed Learn to lead small portion of Intermediate drive under Marshal supervision
Drive Joining	Join Newbie, Fewbie, Intermediate and Exploration drives 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 and I am very excited to continue the off-road learning from next level.

Thank you @Frederic @Tbone @Janarthan @Anand Nataraj 

35 minutes ago, topgear said:

@Biju Abdul I have an FJ and I have a kill switch that disable ESC, traction control, ABS and airbags

Thanks @topgear  I assume that you got it done from outside? I will try to get it too. Thanks. 

Thanks @Frederic for the comprehensive information. I drive FJ and I get this ABS function issue while braking during declines from high dunes or at speed above 40km and it’s very disturbing. I have no option to disable this by default. A kill switch installation was suggested by a few, Hope this is recommended for us during off roading ?

How about disabling Airbags during off roading, would be happy to hear your thought and option on this? Thanks. 

Congrats @Islam Soliman  

On 10/11/2020 at 7:02 PM, Biju Abdul said:

Hi @Tbone please add me to waiting list. 

Hi @Tbone please note I won’t be able to make it for this weeks drive. Please you may remove me here from the waiting list. Hope to join your convoy soon. 

Hi @sertac please note I won’t be able to make it for this weeks drive. Please you may remove me here. Hope to join your convoy soon. 

Hi @Tbone please add me to waiting list. 

Hi @Ale Vallecchi I am sorry to let you know that I won’t be able to make it for our drive tomorrow. Sorry for the late notice. 
 

while I miss this exciting drive, I am sure making some one happy at the waiting list. 

see you soon. Thanks. 

Congrats @sertac.

3 hours ago, Najeeb Mohammed said:

Wooow awesome...feels so good and excited to take more responsibilities and learn more from knowledgeable people around in this Offroad world..

Special thanks to @Srikumar @Ale Vallecchi @Emmanuel @Gaurav @Rahimdad @Fredericwho helped me to climb the ladder. Thanks @Chaitanya D @Kalahari @Shiju Manuel it’s wonderful to drive with u guys 

Congrats @Najeeb Mohammed, well deserved achievement. Best of luck for the new adventure awaited 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks a lot to @Emmanuel and @sertac for such a wonderful drive. It was one of the best drives with high pace and adrenaline pump from start to end. 
 

At the end of the drive I found out that I had wrongly deflated (while we had a break) my right hand side tyres to less than 10 and possibly the reason for the pop out. Anyways, I was stunned to see that getting fixed super quickly by @sertac. The tyre pop out was a scary thing in my mind always, but not anymore 😁. 
 

I am still thinking about the Iftar bowl climb we missed with a hope to conquer it soon. See you all soon. 

3 hours ago, Emmanuel said:

@Ilya Golubinsky, as mentionned in the title and drive details, this drive is "fewbie PLUS" and it appears that you haven't completed 5 drives at Fewbie level with Carnity.  Sorry... See you next time...  

@Biju Abdul, as you are first on WL, I added you. Can you please confirm? 

 

Yes @Emmanuel more than happy to confirm. See you on Friday. Thanks. 

8 hours ago, Emmanuel said:

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely.

 

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions

 

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST

 

Two Way Radio Guidelines

• Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic.
• We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. 
• Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving.
• Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops...
• No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it.

 

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie PLUS and above (strictly, any sign up from members who haven't completed 5 drives at Fewbie level with Carnity will be deleted)

When:  2 October 2020, Friday

Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Big Red Adventure Tours: https://goo.gl/maps/j32aMfpLK1KCtqak7

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM

End Point: Iftar Bowl

THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. 

 

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 12 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM.
  • 1 Lead Marshal + 2 senior Members + 9 Members.
  • 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

 

Hi @Emmanuel can you add me to the waiting list please ?

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for such a wonderful experience. Feels like got everything I could expect from a drive in the desert, technical dunes, super scenic nature views, ridge riding, up & down crossings, bowls, sabkha, overall a fun and adrenaline packed drive. 
 

Thanks to @Kalahari and @Nivin for the efforts to manage the convoy so well 👏🏻👏🏻  
 

Hoping to have such fun soon, after all weekend is just a week away 😀. 

Congrats @Anish S Happy to hear 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

hope to join you soon before you leap to the next grade 😁😁

On 9/19/2020 at 7:49 AM, Frederic said:

DRIVE REPORT 

Murquab is a place of many surprises, some say they even heard ghosts whispering. I’d say we fought scorpions, crushed baby dunes, and towed behemoths 😉

We started off from the small settlement Murquab is, where it looks like time stood still and things just go their own way. The first landmark is the abandoned farm, where I normally take a left to enter the higher dunes.

As i saw a herd of camels on that left side and didn’t want to scoop one up, I took a right turn to go around the farm. This altered my original track slightly and before we knew it we were in some seriously tricky baby dunes. @AnishS gave us a nice team work project, and the winch probably saved us 45mins of serious shoveling. 

A few others got some small refusals and the mighty F150 of @Melenany decided to take a rest on a crest, but excellent teamwork made it fun and rewarding. 
After dealing with that technical area I decided we had to pick up the pace a bit so we took some tracks that led us through easily and allowed us to rack up some miles. We headed into the playable dunes but as it was pitch dark by then our play time was running a bit short, and so we headed back to inflation point. 

All of you guys seriously impressed me today, not just with the driving but overall helping each other out and keeping the shovel nearby. A big thanks again to @Desert Dweller and @Foxtrot Oscar for the excellent recoveries and assistance, @Biju Abdul for the super sweeping, and @AnishS for the excellent second lead.

@Dagdag Sofiane you’re really getting comfortable taking the Pajero through any terrain and you drove so well. Keep it up !

@Yousef Alimadadi as always with the smile and super attitude, always a pleasure to have you in the convoy !

@Islam Soliman taking your Yukon effortlessly through this kind of terrain says a lot about your skills, really well done ! the same goes for @Melenany that took the behemoth everywhere with hardly any struggles.

@Nizam Deen took the Prado also without much effort through the dunes today. And @siddharth maheshwari brings white Jeep into its favorite terrain !

@Tamas Hoffmann you’re always paying attention, asking the right questions, and that signals someone who will grow fast. Well done !

@Mukundan Nair you and your Xterra did amazing today. You’ve impressed me every single time !

Rest assured we will be back in this terrain soon and will explore more areas to find more surprises 😉
 

Hi @Frederic 
 

Yes, really enjoyed the drive. The tricky technical dunes and the night drive was really good both making us fully aware and conscious of the actions we do, which is exactly what you get from adventure activities. 

1 hour ago, Veedooshee said:

oops yes...am coming for this drive... @Biju Abdul

Noted thanks. 
 

Hi @Emmanuel I just managed to get slot in drive with Frederic so you may remove me from waiting list here. 

3 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Hi @Biju Abdul i have added you to the RSVP. Kindly confirm if you can make it.

Hi @Frederic yes more than happy to confirm. 😀. 
 

This is the first time I came in the waiting list and realized how much I am obsessed to be in the desert atleast once a week. Thank you and excited to join the drive with you. 

On 9/6/2020 at 7:12 PM, Emmanuel said:

Hi @Veedooshee, @Jun Zamora, @Biju Abdul. Sure. 

 

Hi @Emmanuel did Veedooshee confirm this drive? I am just behind Jun on the waiting list for this drive and the evening drive. If Jun gets this drive, I can join the other drive with @Frederic, hence asked. 

Congrats @Shiju Manuel and good luck for the next levels to reach. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻