Ashok chaturvedi

@Ale Vallecchi I am terribly sorry I have to exit the drive a family commitment which I overlooked tomorrow evening is coming in the way. Thank you very much Ashok

@Ale Vallecchi It shall be my pleasure to join thr drive.. Thanks

@Thomas Varghese @Ale Vallecchi@Gertjan @Prakash Anoop@Imran Kashif@Haitham Khattabplus others in the convoy Apparently the area we ventured into at the beginning of the drive was super soft, technical and it required some tight and sharp maneuvering, the hiccups started almost immediately after we left the harder track between the pylons to the soft part. The weather in recent weeks has be very windy and dumped a lot of sand over this patch of desert and the car simply sinks in sand. The past two consecutive week the terrains has been near the same, soft and we have seen on an average many more recoveries than the norms. Despite the briefing at the start of every drive by our expert leads and Marshall it seems that the basics tend to get soon forgotten e.g. distance between cars, sticking to the track, not fighting gravity and never stepping out without the radio etc etc, one must adhere to such advice for own sake and for others as a lot of time is squandered in recovering cars. I am particularly concerned when some fewbie, fewbie plus and even intermediate drivers who dont carry the basic recovery tools. I admit that some of these drivers have dual use cars like using the same car for work/ off road and dont get the time to load stuff prior to the drive. Judging by my own experience they will have much greater confidence if they come equipped with their own recovery stuff and by which, they can lend support to their fellow drivers. Overall the drive turned out to be quite fascinating yet I missed my usual sighting of wildlife which I find abundant on our dear Ale drives. We did have one driver in the convoy who was the shutterbug ( very unusual of Thomas not doing the same), I request him to please load a few fotos here. A big thank you to Thomas for always stepping up and carrying out the recoveries , same to dear Ale for your kind guidance and support on near every drive that I have been with you and I am sure other feel the same. I may a missed out few names but wish to continue thanking everyone who chipped in when needed, please do check that you have your recovery tools... before going off-road.

@Ale Vallecchi Thank you sir it will be my plasure.

@Islam SolimanDear Islam sir.. I may need withdraw from tomorrow's drive due to some sudden unavoidable home commitment. I hope yourself and the entire convoy have a wonderful and safe experience.

@M.SeidamYes please if space available I would be honoured sir..

@Ale Vallecchi it always a pleasure to drive under you... I certainly try not to miss any of our drives, these mid week are a blessings. I loved the terrain (unmarked weekday no tracks) near all the drive including the super and other bowls. The wind was howling and blowing sand most of the time but it pushed away the rain clouds, with us looking up the sky with sad eyes and hopes for the rain. @Ranjan Das gave us a great moment to smile when he reached the meeting point direct from office; with his creased shirt , trouser and polished executive shoes he looked as if he reached a luncheon than drive.... wonder how he forgot his secretary in the office. @munkybizness always love your presence and smiling face; where did you get the name?... have you typo error the O with U? The very small team but great speed and maneuverability coming from seasoned intermediate drivers... No stuck and very few refusals and re attempt to mention. The usual drive courtesy is to thank the Main lead, Second lead, CF and Sweep... since the last three cars where doing the same in rotation wondered how to thank them. Thanks Ale for the ending at Badayer shops were we could have my favorite ice cold fresh coconut juice plus the service of someone inflating the tires. The only disappointing regret I had that all the three drivers were flying off for work cum holidays ( cooler places), whereas I remain stuck dune bashing.

@varunmehndiratta @M.Seidam and all fellow drivers. Thanks everyone for helping recover from a crest 'stuck'. There is a famous japanese saying "saru mo ki kara ochiru" which means "Even monkey fall from trees". My ego got a bit beaten to be crested on a short dune.. No excuse given the nearest I may say that I tried to fool around with my gears 4 High and 4D..did well upto the point. A Lesson well learnt. Also a lovely sight to see two 3-5 years kids climbing up to join the recovery though were kept at a distance... Anyway despite the heat and loose sand the drive was meticulously run by our lead Varun. I always enjoy watching him giving a crash course in Dune management using a toy car (Carnity must be loosing some masterclass oppertunity.. just kidding) but by the same token you having better informed drive members.

@JeromeFJ Thank you for moving me up from the WL.. I actually did one drive on Thursday with Ale (last minute on schedule), Since I have been booked for Sunday already, I would like to offer my place to the next one on WL. So I am withdrawing.. God Bless you all.

@Rob S @Srikumar Appreciate Rob your comments, it was an honor for me to be the sweep that night and great experience. I am amazed how Sri sir handled it and twice could locate us, proves beyond a doubt that our marshals and senior leads are true experts. Incidentally, I am looking for a night vision device but how do I see over the dunes...

@Shaz ShahGlad to join your convoy...regardless.

@Srikumar Sir have you amnounced the location for tomorrow night drive.

Please get well sir..