Looper

@Anoop Nair, @Cha and @Stumpy

It is a short convoy, so we will figure out the order later. There is a Newbie drive at the same place - please don't get lost in that crowd!

On the last two days there has been a fog warning for the coastal areas. Let’s hope it doesn’t hinder the drive tomorrow. Let’s try to move by 7 if fog situation permits and try to end the drive by ~ 10:00 to 10:30 max.

I will post the convoy order later in the day.

Drive Report

When I was reaching to the starting point, I noticed the sun looked extra-large, behind the Al Faya mountains further there was no fog or clouds. Indeed, it was an exceptional drive we had, because of the favorable weather conditions and the track that was compact as a paved mud road we could do things that we will perhaps never be able to do.

My initial plan was to go to the left side from where we started and from there towards camel rock but when I saw the pristine tall dunes on the right, I was determined to make a dick move (you see 🫣 what I mean?) after that we came near the pink rock and climbed towards camel rock. That was not a track to climb up, that is for climbing down from the other side, but we could do it without any issues. I love that place for stopover and while we did only about 45 min drive by then I wanted to stop anyways for the views. The drive from Camel Rock towards Big red saw us navigating between play areas at 50-60 kmph and more if you believe others. At the play areas we climbed dunes that are unimaginable otherwise. we literally could climb Big Red standing still at its foothill. 

The terrain: The smaller tracks were all washed out and the dunes looked like tiramisu cake. The larger more churned up tracks however were quite bumpy and had to be navigated with caution.  We tried to avoid the cross tracks as much as possible and when we found tracks, we tried to drive along with them instead of crossing them.

The Loops: I like making loops of the same place again and again and we did plenty. Initially sometimes I had to stop to let the back of the convoy pass before I can move but gradually, I made them larger and larger. The best loop was made just before exit for our last hurrah when we were on a perfect loop with entire convoy driving on a large single-track segment and me driving behind Fabien for one round till, I came back to the place where I started to follow him and then I took a different track. There were large patches of radio silence whenever we were engrossed in the driving pleasure.

@Ranjan Das was at second lead behind me, not a usual place for him these days but he was superb. I was playing catch me if you can for most parts and glad to have you behind so that you could actually catch up with me, and also moderate the drive behind you when I was literally flying. @Fabien Monleau was as usual very supportive at the back. 

Thank you @Marek_was003 for your drive report. I did not realize it was your first FB+, we drove earlier so I was under the impression that you have done a few but you ended up with a FB++ drive, you did great though. It was first time driving with @Robk hope you enjoyed the drive. @Deepak Eswar, @Rk ram, @Zulfikhar Naiyar & @Mahmoud Taha there was complete radio silence from you for most parts that meant only one thing - you were engrossed in the drive. @Emanuel I saw your video few times already, a fantastic one and I see that the final cut version is also has been released by you. This video perfectly summarizes what we did that morning. Thanks a lot!

I see that you have not disabled the Kid-mode on the video please see following post on how to disable it.

DRIVE PLAN

Remember this drive we did few days ago (9th Sep), posted by @Frederic, where I took a bunch of Jeeps and went to Sweihan. I took a different track than that of Fred where I went to Ghafteen Bowl and from there to Nagra Hill and Sweihan. I redid that on 4th November 2023, where we instead of going to Sweihan went to Old Lady dune. Now I want to take the original track as Fred intended. 

Ensure the car is fully topped up with gas.

Request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette, and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

• Level:  Intermediate and above
• When: 16 Mar 2023, Saturday
• Meeting time:  7:00 AM
• Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/FVLixGinNMWgbiKy5
• Approximate finish time: 11 AM
• 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, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

MANDATORY OFF-ROAD GEAR:

• Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge
• Compressor
• Walkie-talkie radio
• Off-road flag
• Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles
• First-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 BELOW CALENDAR

@Rafey Hashmi, @Deepak Eswar, @Gautam Banka, @Mahmoud Taha, @Anoop Nair, @Rk ram, @Gary F, @Marek_was003, @Robk, @Zulfikhar Naiyar, @george charbel, @Emanuel, @Fabien Monleau, @Ranjan Das 

It is not as bad as I thought it would be, and for the time being seems like we dodged the bullet. It is always better be cautious than sorry. We will perhaps have a G Force "Light" tomorrow than "Max" version, so I have added all the enthusiasts that have joined the drive till now. Won't mind some last-minute dropouts in case something crops up for you.

We will see how we do it in the desert tomorrow and go about doing it accordingly. Not all needs to be planned, sometimes unplanned is better than planned. The tracks might seem stiff on the top but soft underneath, so please be extra cautious. Also please make sure that you have tied down everything and nothing is loose inside your car. If it permits us to do what I think we want to do, then please be wary of the motion sickness - just in case.

We will tackle G Force on Channel 2 (looper's constant) and in the following convoy order:

Heads up: the UAE met department forecasts heavy to very heavy rains for the weekend, and all roads leading to the valleys and mountains will remain closed and fines announced. We will monitor the situation and update on the drive by Saturday afternoon.

Last week we drove at Faqa'a and started from E14, at the Abu Dhabi Side. This video shows the first inital part of the drive.

I was travelling with back-to-back meetings throughout the week hence I was a bit cutoff on the communications, while I tried to accommodate as much as possible missed to inform on time for the remaining 3 WL members.

Drive Report:

The morning was chilly & after a quick briefing we started. The plan was to have a quick break at the jungle and then see the cliff faces. The area is mostly bushy, and there is no escape from vegetation if you want clean dunes. The next objective was to go to the far end of the Faya Dunes where we were supposed be riding on the cliff face but an incident with the @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad's patrol that went too near to a bush derailed it. While we went very near, we unfortunately missed those magnificent views. There's always a next time as I perfect this track. On the way back we once again had another incident when the patrol had a popout, but I am glad @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad is well prepared for every situation. The best was kept for the last. By now most of us were already warmed up and had a brief drive around a very very technical area at the start itself that I had deliberately avoided at the beginning of the drive. We finished the drive on time for an extra surprise post drive.

Thank you very much @Ale Vallecchi and @Joji varghese for all your support. I couldn't have done the drive without your help. @Cristian you were an excellent second lead. A lot of new faces for me as I am not doing FB drive a lot these days, but it was an excellent convoy. Thanks, you @Prithvi Raj, @Sandeep Nayar, @Shaun J, @Mahmut, @Mohammad Sayawoush Azad, @Julien Recan, @Haneef Thayyil, @Faraz94 for joining the drive, hope you enjoyed it.

On 1/26/2024 at 11:54 PM, Looper said:

Video 1: You will see us starting from Badayer towards Iftar Bowl. It is a bumpy ride, marred with cross tracks. 

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Video 2: In this fast paced drive video, you will see us drive from Iftar Bowl to Super Bowl in about 13 mins.

- - - - - 

Video 3: We start from Super Bowl towards Shuwaib Dunes. This video is released last.

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Video 4: This is the last video and shows our retreat from Shuwaib dunes towards Badayer.

 

Updated the post with the latest and last video (3rd one) from that particular drive here. Hope you enjoy watching as much as I did making them. 

Thank you @Jona, @Tareq Al Turq, @Amir Amiri, @Joseph Raju, @Cha, @Imteeaz, @Pacific and @Sunil Mathew for your participation in the drive. I hope you enjoyed the drive. I wish I had recorded the last bit dubbed "Survive the Chaos" on top of the Badayer Dune.

DRIVE PLAN

CAUTION: DO NOT JOIN THE DRIVE IF YOU CANNOT FACE SUSTAINED G FORCE AND DO NOT BRING PASSENGERS WHO CANNOT FACE SUSTAINED G FORCES.

g-force is a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity, In this drive we will test the limits of our capability to endure g-force; starting at 2nd December Cafe in Nazwa and end it near Big Red - Badayer.  We will do countless short small but intense sidees thought our drive testing our endurance.

There is a high likelihood of motion sickness for passengers as they wont be able comprehend where we are going, as it occurs when one's brain can't make sense of information sent from their eyes, ears and body and they will feel queasy.

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IN YOUR CAR IS PROPERLY SECURED

GENERAL OVERVIEW

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie Plus and above
When: 10 March 2024, Sunday
Meeting time:  7:00 AM - Sharp (we will start the drive at 7:00 so be present earlier to that time)
Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oruTNyEgbbGL3zwu5
Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM
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, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

RECOMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR:

• Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge
• Compressor (MANDATORY)
• Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY)
• Off-road flag (MANDATORY)
• Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles
• First-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Saturday - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

This is the tentative convoy order. 

 

@Mahesh_, @Sreenath G & @Abdullah N 

I have added you all, if you are able to come the please join. I was travelling so I was a bit  late to revert. 

Good morning!  I have been travelling so the update is slightly delayed.

Our meeting point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LpFJcZhidSszCeun7

We will be meeting at the opposite side of 2nd Dec cafe - so you have to go down the road and then take a U Turn and back.

This area has a steep and very technical terrain at the start but becomes easier as we go, we will tackle it on our way back. We will reach a Jungle, half way point where we can take a break. After we reach the far end where we will find ourselves on top of a very tall dunes we will drive back to where we started. 

We will be coasting on channel 2. I will update the convoy order later.

Congratulations @Bravoecho! Well done. 

@PAJERO petelczyc luke sad to see so much damage to your car. I thought on most parts it was a smooth drive and in case of bumps I informed on the radio as soon as possible as well. As a second lead you must/should have good visibility on what the lead is doing and take precautions whenever you see any bumps and bounces. Hope you sort out all the issues with ease. 

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie and above
When: 2 March 2024, Saturday
Meeting time:  7:00 AM - Sharp (we will start the drive at 7:00)
Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LpFJcZhidSszCeun7
Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM
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, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

RECOMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR:

• Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge
• Compressor (MANDATORY)
• Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY)
• Off-road flag (MANDATORY)
• Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles
• First-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

@PAJERO petelczyc luke, @Rafey Hashmi, @Batuhan Kulac, @Juan R, @Hugo, @george charbel, @Bravoecho , @Stumpy and @Varun Mehndiratta

Thank you all for joining this Sunday Morning drive. It was a quick drive - in speed and in time. We could have done perhaps half hour more, but it would have been more of the same so ended it sooner than anticipated. But we enjoyed everything that was on offer to us.

I was slightly amused on the fact that we were not the only ones at the starting point, as I did not expect anyone else to be present at the starting point. We did reach the tall dunes at the Faqa'a sooner than ever. Having done that seemed to me that we reached there a bit early robbing us of the anticipation and the gratification that comes with the effort that goes into achieving something. The area looked a bit used up and a lot tracks, but we found our own in certain cases. 

The mid-lands were fast long-range dunes, and the end at Little Sweihan was a bit bumpy at places. We could have spent a bit more there but, hey there is always a next time.

I was driving at in the low 40s in most parts; but could have done faster. I always love to drive fast - taking smooth lines and today we were presented with the best terrain to drive as such. Gaia GPS under reports the stoppage time. All our stoppages were only because of breaks and none because of refusals, at least I did not.

PS: This is perhaps the first time that I noticed there were no dropouts from the sign up on last Monday. Bravo!

@PAJERO petelczyc luke, @Rafey Hashmi, @Batuhan Kulac, @Juan R, @Hugo, @george charbel, @Bravoecho , @Stumpy 

Hope you are all ready for a quick drive starting at Faqa’a that will end at Solar Park, after we cross a bit of technical terrain in Little Sweihan. We will also encounter some long range dunes on the way.

Some of us have done this few times but we were also frustrated with a lot of vegetation on the way to the main play areas of Faqa’a and trying to find sand. This drive will start where many drives end, at the far side of Faqa’a in Abu Dhabi.

We will climb dunes on Channel 2 and we will follow this convoy order:

Congratulations @Alphin Aloor on your promotion.  enjoy your new level. 

DRIVE PLAN

We have all seen a lot of vegetation in Faqa'a whenever we drove down the line from Chimney, so this time we will start at a new place and directly go to the fun areas of Faqa'a. While we will meet at a slightly distance place to start to drive, but we save ourselves the hardship of driving though all the bushes. From our favorite playground at Faqa'a we will go towards Little Swihan and end our Drive at Solar Park ~ 10:00 am or so.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the information below and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquette and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

Level:  Fewbie Plus and above
When: 25 February 2024, Sunday
Meeting time:  7:00 AM - Sharp (we will start the drive at 7:00)
Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/c7csDnXfSSVzZzgz9
Approximate finish time: 10:30 AM
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, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

RECOMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR:

• Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge
• Compressor (MANDATORY)
• Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY)
• Off-road flag (MANDATORY)
• Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles
• First-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Saturday - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR

Car buying gude:

@Benjamin, @Mahesh_, @Cristian, @Deepak Eswar, @Alphin Aloor, @Emanuel, @Tareq Al Turq, @Mahmoud Taha, @Charbel, @Anoop Nair, @Imteeaz

Thanks for joining for the Sunday morning quick fix drive. The objective is to have a quick drive in the Qudra’s very own little Sweihan area. 

we will be strolling on channel 2 and this is the proposed convoy order.

the convoy is arranged as per number of drives but, the JLs decided to stick it together at the front of the convoy. 

3 convoys Yalla, let’s go !! 

I would appreciate everyone who intends to join this drive to write what you think about this area and what you expect the drive is going to be like. A small note on the history of your drives in this area and any memorable drive that you drove here and cherish or hate. 

I am a firm believer in “Butterfly Effect”. One can not plan everything and one left turn will change the entire dynamics of the drive for better or for worse; who knows. What we want to do is enjoy anything and everything that comes our way.

I am not going to draw any routes for this drive, perhaps for the first time. My current plan is to enter from the west and end in the east we will loop back to where we started. Ha ha a looper’s drive 😝 

Let me warn you: this area can be quite complicated in some patches and wide open in some other but smaller patches. Little Swihan, as we call it; this area will have some very soft but narrow patches that would need your next level intense concentration while driving. It will be mostly technical drive, but if possible a slightly faster. (technical and faster don’t go together - like beer and buttermilk 😂 but I enjoy both)

any idea who named it Little Swihan and why this area is called what it is called and since when ? 

Congratulations on your promotion @Simon D. I will undoubtedly be great to see you lead exciting new drives every week.