Alain Canivet-Abikhalil

Very nice and challenging route @Ale Vallecchi had really a good time.

Good to see and drive with everyone.

WELL DONE MY FRIEND @munkybizness

@Naim Aoun Mabrouk

WL @Foxtrot Oscar please

Great morning drive @Ale Vallecchi the weather was indeed a perfect occasion to practice on technical dunes and you led us though a beautiful, long, challenging and rewarding path !

Thank you and good to see friends and new friends in the sand

I have learnt so much driving with you and supporting your drives.

I remember very well one of my first drives with Carnity, you were CF supporting Richard and I was following you. I was impressed by your control and your guidance and the way your car was climbing the dunes. I remember asking you how did you do it to be so quiet with your engine, you simply told me to control my gas. After that, I started listening to the engine to better apprehend a dune and later on, I would often find myself thinking "what would Marjan do".

I will also remember that I was supporting your last drive through a very challenging technical path

You were a great leader in this community, I know you will be missed by many... and I'll see you soon Marjan !

Congrats @Rsjiv Samuel and well deserved 

@Russ well deserved mate !

Well done brother ! 

@Shaaz Sha

1 hour ago, Looper said:

My fridge gives me free drinks next day when @Alain Canivet-Abikhalilforgets everything, oh wait that was me. 

Best cooler ever ! 

What a night @Looper

congrats @ShereenMK !

@Werno Well done my friend ! See you soon :))

Hi @Gaurav
Can't make it this time... Enjoy !

Very nice drive indeed.

Very well lead by @Hisham Masaad and driven by everyone, following safety rules and discipline. The convoy really did well, especially climbing Faya from the back and it looked cool... looked like a Mad Max scene at some point

Have a lovely week everyone and see you soon !

I have a Bulletpoint mount.
Phone + Go Pro.
It's robust and nice.

@Danish Mohammad would have loved to see you my friend

Next time !

Dear all,

I can’t remain silent to this situation.

In my my humble opinion, I don’t believe the blame can be put so bluntly on Paolo, a responsible and attentive driver.

I will relate below my feelings towards the succession of events.

Many drivers attended this drive especially because Gaurav was leading it (I am one of them). Driving in Liwa was something I myself apprehended a lot - especially at IM level.

It was a long convoy, I admit it and honestly I didn’t understand the complaints coming from the back about the lines. The dunes are high enough and it’s part of the convoy discipline and order. We could have switched positions for those who wanted virgin lines.

To be honest I was surprised about the split.

And this is where I believe we all trusted the judgement of the leaders and moved forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I drove with Shaaz several times and I even drove with him this morning and I respect him a lot and trust him.

Paolo had some resistance in crossing one or two dunes before getting to the fateful one. That should have been taken into consideration.

On the fateful cross, I genuinely don’t think that Paolo didn’t follow the track or even that he fought gravity. As per his saying, his car jumped because of a bump and landed on 2 wheels and he tried steering down - and we saw the positions of his wheels.

And now, allow me to point out that at that moment, a cacophony started. I myself requested everyone to stop talking, Paolo to stop moving and Shaaz to come back.

When Shaaz came back, he requested me to join him and because of all the talking on the radio, I didn’t understand where he wanted me to go and I got stuck because of the different directions on the radio.

Shaaz did his absolute best to contain the situation, to secure the car and eventually allow Paolo to get out of the car. Ranjan and I were next to him and we never at any point criticized his decisions. But as you said Gaurav, an extreme recovery comes with risks.

About Paolo not wanting to come out, this is ridiculously indecent to say that he refused to obey Shaaz request ! Paolo was in a very insecure position, the car was not well lested and no one suggested to get him out from the boot. And in any case, me being there, would it have been safe for him to move out of the car. I am so sorry to read what is being said about Paolo when I was sitting next to him to reassure him while everyone was stressing him !!

The succession of event is known to all. When Gaurav arrived, the second winch and the experience allowed to safely exit Paolo from the car.

Again, this is my humble opinion and feelings on the situation as I am not here to discuss the physics of the recovery or criticize the expertise of any of the leaders.

Mabrouk @M.Seidam !

Very well deserved and looking forward to support or drive with you !

Congrats @Anoop Nair see you soon !

Well done @MMansoor

Congrats @Stav 

Well done @Faisal Alhashimi ! 

Thank you @Shaaz Sha for the drive, and well done on taking a Fewbie convoy into such a technical and challenging terrain that is Shuwaib. It was definitely a good occasion to learn and practice some skills that will help Fewbies go to the next level. In this terrain one needs to keep a good pace so you don't loose momentum while keeping a focused eye on the car in front as the risks of refusals are many. And I do believe the convoy was up to the challenge today. 

Having @JeromeFJ as 2nd lead and support is a blessing. Your experience in rerouting and managing the convoy is valuable. Same for recoveries and tricky situations. Plus, you have proven many times before and today how helpful and knowledgeable you are in supporting.

@Joji varghese didn't get the chance to see you much as you were closely and perfectly sticking to Jerome's tracks.

@Reggie Landicho you have to get extra credits for driving a manual. We often forget how different and technical it is to shift gears especially on soft sand. Remember, momentum is your friend, sometimes giving it an extra push in the beginning can help you cross the dunes.

@FARAZ MOHAMMED welcome back. The refusals you had were mainly due to the technicality of terrain. I am sure that coming back to the desert you will re-adapt to driving you Pajero in the sand. You had your first pop-out today... it had to happen one day

@Enrico Biscaro you pushed your self and your car very well and always alert on what was happening around you. 

@Chinthaka Ruwan anchoring the convoy very well. Your support was very much needed. It was a pretty long convoy and you were there to keep an eye open and make sure everything was smooth.

@Naim Aoun your approach to the dunes is surgical  you have a good approach of testing your limits to keep control on your vehicule and capabilities. I believe it's a good way to learn safely.

@Rsjiv Samuel you handle your FJ pretty well. Wandering in the dunes looks easy for you. And now, after 2 drives together in less than a week, I'm sure I won't forget you :))

@Gregory you are a very contained and patient driver. Also perfectly handling your big car in the technical areas as well as climbing high dunes.

Also thank you everyone for the team spirit and support when we had to get the shovels out !

Really enjoyed driving with all of you and hope to see you soon.

PS : @Fabien Monleau we would have loved to have you and your LC in the picture ... another time

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for this amazing bucolic route. Every step of the way gave us different scenery and different experience of the terrain. 

Even though we stopped several times we managed to cover 75km and to hit the oasis as planned for tea by the sunset.
And this is also due to an amazing convoy.

Looking forward to the next one