Athula Dharmadada

19 hours ago, Ahab Shamaa said:

@Rahimdad, miss you brother 😘 When are you gonna take us on an IM drive? Yalla, we’re all waiting 😀

Question: @Yasas Dharmadasa and @Athula Dharmadada, which one of you has his last name spelled correctly? Are you guys the Dharmadada or Dharmadasa Brothers? I’m easily confused 🤪

@Srikumar, thanks for accommodating us on this wonderful drive. The route you took, your driving style and your relaxed and chilled attitude are contagious. This was my first drive with you, and I have to say, it’s gotta be one of the best drives I’ve ever been on. I was smiling the whole time, and I was truly happy during the few hours we spent on the sand. The pace was brisk, the dunes high and long, and the adrenaline levels were at an all time high. Thanks again, and I look forward to driving the same route with you, and covering even more terrain 🙏🏻
 

Moving along, my hat’s off to our second lead, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ 😀 Wow! Long are gone the days of refusals, incomplete climbs, and reroutes 😂 You were a champ and a trooper. Even though the pace was fast, you kept up with Srikumar, and you lead us in a calculated manner. Pretty soon you’ll be leading your own convoys with Carnity. Of course all the credit goes to your handsome co-pilot, your capable beast, and your new off-road lights (nothing to do with your driving skills) 😂

@Rizwan Waheed, you drove superbly bro. You were gracious on the sand, and you were in tune with your car. You exited and charted your own tracks to rejoin the convoy, which was an amazing feat. You saved us time and kept it safe. Kudos to you brother. With a more capable vehicle, you’ll be leading convoys too 😀

@Yasas Dharmadasa, you’re a superman of a driver, but your kitten of a car doesn’t help you now on these much more challenging and demanding drives. You gave it your best, but the car had enough and decided to quit. I hope you’re able to get this sorted, because I’m sure the lack of power and mechanical issues are robbing you of the thrills these drives provide. Plus sitting out from the drive stinks to high hell 🤣
 

@Athula Dharmadada, tough luck bro! Your car is capable and you’re a great driver, but your Jeep is plagued with mechanical issues. The last three drives I was with you on, your car broke down. You should seriously make an assessment on wether it’s the car or the mechanic. I hope you and Yasas were able to sort out the repairs and recoveries.

@Abu Muhammad, after the drive, my FJ told me that when she grows up, she wants to be like Abu Muhammad’s Sequndra 😂 Fantastic driving and control of your beast as usual 😀 Also, great lessons for both of us when it comes to underestimating the terrain. I almost got stuck and you actually did get stuck, in the most unlikely flat and unimpressive surface 😀 

@Ilya Golubinsky, beautiful car and beautiful driving brother. I’m not sure how you do it all. Drive like a champ, create your own tracks at times to avoid churned up ones, and take amazing pictures and videos 😀 Speaking of  videos, thank you so much for the footage! It was awesome and everyone I showed it to, loved it 👏🏻

@Ashok chaturvedi, welcome to the FJC club Ashok the sailor, dive master 😀 You’re a great driver and you handled your new car superbly! What a difference between Liwa Pajero and Super Bowl FJC 💪🏻 Things will only get better for you as you get to know your car better. Keep it up brother.

@siddharth maheshwari, you drive beautifully. Calm, collected and in sync with your capable car.  I felt for you when the migraine struck. It can’t be easy driving a challenging terrain with a massive headache. At the end of the day you managed it well and made it safely. Good job!

@Jack Thomas, dude, you’ve got heart! You managed your behemoth with grace yet with firmness. You demanded performance from your car, and it responded! Some of the small, technical, tight dunes were certainly no place for your big car, yet you two were a great team and pulled it off nicely. Some of the maneuvers you performed were flat out jaw dropping, and I could only pray for a safe outcome🤣 I guess the Desert Gods were smiling at us and all turned out well 😀

Finally, thank you all for a fantastic time, for driving so well, and for teaching me a thing or two. See you all soon on the sand! 

My brother's one(Dharmadasa) is correct. Slipped my mind when I was registering.😅 Anyways, see you again real soon. Take care!

We set off for the dunes early morning on Sunday once we arranged a recovery team; me driving my 2015 Pathfinder, my brother in a Land Rover Discovery that we borrowed and a mechanic. Once we entered the dunes, we removed the front bumper off the Pathfinder to avoid any potential collisions due to its low-clearance. Thereafter, using the tracks from our previous drives on Gaia Maps, I was able to direct myself and find a safe route towards the Superbowl where my Jeep Grand Cherokee was stranded. Once we got to the vehicle, our mechanic was able to seal the burst radiator well enough for it to be driven out of the dunes. On the journey back to the road from Superbowl, I drove my Pathfinder and Jeep across a couple of back-to-back bowls and gave the recovered Cherokee to my nephew Damiru to drive as he was the only other guy in our group with some desert experience. Subsequently, we were able to drive out of the dunes safely as we found our way out in a 3 vehicle convoy with me in the front with my Pathfinder, my nephew in the middle with the Jeep and my brother Yasas at the back with the Discovery.

Once we got the Grand Cherokee out, we decided not to go back into the dunes on our own to get the Cherokee as the the uncertainties that came with the drive to the location where it was stranded(3x the distance of Superbowl) overweighed the certainties, not to mention the fact that we were unsure whether the Cherokee’s engine would start to begin with. As a result, without taking unnecessary risks, we called a desert recovery team. Long story short, the recovery Land Cruiser was able to reach the location with ease. Much to our relief, we were lucky enough to get the Cherokee’s engine to start working well enough for it to be driven out of the dunes without it having to be tugged; an absolute miracle.

In conclusion, this recovery was undoubtedly challenging and mentally taxing but we were able to manage the situation genuinely without any fear or second guessing which would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the 6 months of consistent and progressive training we went through with our Carnity family. I want to personally thank all the marshals(@Frederic @Srikumar @Rahimdad @Gaurav @Ale Vallecchi @Vanessa8580 @Foxtrot Oscar @Brette @Wrangeld @Lorenzo Candelpergher @sertac @Jeepie) that taught me the ins and outs of desert driving, I couldn’t have asked for better. Needless to say, since my vehicle in its current condition has proved its incapability to handle future desert drives, I have no choice but to bid my farewell to our Carnity family until I get a new vehicle. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this amazing experience!

Congratulations @Lorenzo Candelpergher

Congratulations Toretto

Congratulations @VipinShetty

4 hours ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

ALL THE REASONS FOR LOVING DESERT OFF-ROADING IN A DRIVE - Full Day Drive Lahbab to Solar Park Report

Sunrises and sunsets, misty mornings, sunny days, blazing dusks, yellow, red and white sand, crawling pace, fast runs, lunch with fellow members, coffee, tea, conversation, refusals, second-attempts, working together at sorting stucks, directing traffic amidst tight dunes and rolling bowls, the excitement at starting a drive, and the satisfaction at the end of it. This and more, depending on each one's sensibility, passions and expectations, are the elements that draw certain people irresistibly toward deserts, and off-roading, and which were all available for our enjoyment in yesterdays' full day drive.

In terms of the drive itself, most of it had been described in its presentation, so I will not repeat myself. Suffice it to say that all terrains were available to us - sabkhas, with little or lots of vegetation, tight technical areas, long range open (more or less) dunes, play areas with sand bowls, even pylon dirt tracks and tarmac roads. 

We were chased by the sun, from sunrise to sunset, throughout a drive that took us a total of 6:55 hours, covered 143.2 Kms, at a total average speed of 21 KM/h, and a very impressive 27 KM/H average moving speed in the second segment. 

As for the most important part of the drive, the human component, my biggest thanks to all the drivers: great driving, great attitude and great company.

My first thoughts (and questions) go to @Yasas Dharmadasa and @Athula Dharmadada: it's a pity you had to forfeit the drive due to mechanical issues. Please update us on your car's prognosis.

A most felt thank you goes to @Kalahari, resuming his position as trusted Second Lead, often mind reading my corrections, to @Ahab Shamaa, managing the long convoy from the middle and assisting with the winch, and @Francois Germishuys, not only positioned at Sweep due to his long, big, bad truck, but also, and foremost, for his reassuring driving skills. Your support was key to managing a successful long drive such as this.

Words of praise go to @Thomas Varghese and @Ken Hüüdma, debuting among Fewbies, but driving like much more experienced off-roaders. With only minor imperfections (a moment of distraction on one side, and an indecision coming off a ridge on the other), you allowed the drive to be bumped up to more than Fewbie, closer to Fewbie Plus, both in terms of skills being applied, and speed sustained. Well done also to @sri ganesh, for overcoming all challenges and perfecting his command of the Pajero (which often requires a bit more time to manage in the desert, to to its length and mechanics). 

@AlexPol, @VipinShetty,  @Joe Biju Joseph and @Islam Soliman, you were the more established, experienced drivers, and managed with so few issues that lifted any worries from my mind, and contributed decisively to raising the bar for this drive.

Thanks to all for this first Full Day drive of the season. See you soon out there, for more long treks and explorations. Enjoy the new week.

 

@Ale Vallecchi I hope yesterday's drive was a successful one and I'm sure it was by the looks of it. Just wanted to apologize for the inconvenience my Jeep caused during the drive even after repairing the power steering system the night before the drive. After further evaluation, it has come to my attention that the hose associated with circulating the power steering oil had burst, much to my surprise. From what I observed, this may have happened when my Jeep began to vibrate aggressively for atleast a few minutes straight which was when @VipinShetty saw the smoke coming through my hood. As of now, my Jeep's still undergoing further inspection and repairs but I will make sure I get a second opinion on its funtionality on dunes to avoid having to go through this unfortunate event again. Big thanks to everyone yesterday for being cooperative and patient.

Congratulations 

Congratz @gautam

Congratulations @Brette

Congratulations @Ashok chaturvedi

Congratulations @Chaitanya

Congratz @Anand Nataraj

Congratulations @Ahab Shamaa

17 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Hi @AlexPol its a fewbie plus drive, means fewbie ranked offroaders who have done atleast 5 Fewbie drives with Carnity, can only join.

@Mukundan Nair I have added you to the drive, due to 1 drop out. Please confirm.

Any update on your car, yet?

19 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Hi @AlexPol its a fewbie plus drive, means fewbie ranked offroaders who have done atleast 5 Fewbie drives with Carnity, can only join.

@Mukundan Nair I have added you to the drive, due to 1 drop out. Please confirm.

Any update on your car, yet?

Yes, it is ready now

Hi @Gaurav please add me to the wait list. My car still in the garage after damaged to the radiator last week and garage man promised today to release it before Saturday.

This is my first drive.

@Veedooshee Congratulations 

@Luca Palanca Falsini Congratulations 

@Febin Frederic  We wait sometimes and that was happened after watering to the radiator.

@Luca Palanca Falsini

The geyser in the middle of nowhere 

@Mohamed Seidam Congratulations 

@Foxtrot Oscar Congratulations 

@Abu Muhammad Congratulations !!!

The Liwa Drive was like a dream come true. Thank you Carnity for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

Special thank to @Frederic, @Lorenzo Candelpergher and @Wrangeld,  who led the drive making it an absolute success.

@Ranjan Das, It was sad leaving you behind after the accident. See you very soon on another fewbie drive.

Click the attachment below for photos

https://carnity.com/gallery/category/426-fewbie-liwa-dubai-02-dec-2020