JeromeFJ

Too bad @salah2u. See you next time

@Jessica Lambert, we had 2 drop-outs in the afternoon, I have added you to the drive

Too bad @Paolo Morresi, see you next time

Noted @Paolo Pellegrini, see you next time

Dear Desert Drivers @salah2u @Paolo Pellegrini @Emanuel @hugo @Jose Thomas @Rob S @Tareq Al Turq @Paolo Morresi @JERINE_B @JDub @Yesu Yarlagadda @Farook Veettil @Frederic I hope you're all excited and motivated for the drive tomorrow as I am. We will start from the Mahafiz area, facing the rising sun. This area has low longitudinal dunes, and a lot of (desert) vegetation. We might use portions of tracks to progress easier, in the direction of Fossil Rock, and we will find nice surprises en route. Reaching the restricted area of Fossil Rock, we will turn South for a very scenic portion, overlooking a deep valley with the view of Jebel Faya to our left. It will be a succession of bowls and ridges until we reach the high dune of Faya. We will explore the faces, looking for the best sand conditions for a few high climbs. Take as much rest as you can before the drive, you will need your full focus and concentration for the early morning ! The meeting is 5:30 am at https://goo.gl/maps/KMT4BMT3qd6xSAJS7 The convoy order will be We will use radio Channel 3 See you all tomorrow morning !

@JDub Sorry, I missed the update for your FB promotion. You have been reinstated to the drive. See you tomorrow

@JDub this drive is Fewbie Level. I'm sorry, but I cannot accept you in the drive as you are Newbie for the moment. Thank you for your understanding. There is still availability on the Absolute Newbie with @Islam Soliman, I'm sure he can accept you if you want a drive for this Saturday.

Thanks for informing @Vishal Nair, see you next time hopefully

@hugo, you are first on the WL for a 1st drive, I will add you to the drive, please confirm your attendance

Thank you @Haitham Khattab for informing early enough. You will miss a nice drive, but hopefully we will have another opportunity very soon.

Congratulations @Peter Hager. Well deserved !!

Congratulations @Simon Dawood. Intermediate rank totally deserved !!

General Info 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 Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie and Above When: 14 May 2022 Saturday Meeting time: 5:30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Mahafiz Trees https://goo.gl/maps/KMT4BMT3qd6xSAJS7 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 9:30 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE UNLESS YOU HAVE A COMPRESSOR. ANYONE ARRIVING AT THE DRIVE WITHOUT A COMPRESSOR, FLAG, PROPER SHOVEL AND DEFLATION KIT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. ALL TOW POINTS WILL BE CHECKED BEFORE DEPARTURE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 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 THE BELOW IN THE EVENTS CALENDAR

It was a real pleasure to lead this first full drive this morning, and I was supported by a very strong convoy. Thank you @Chaitanya D for the support and guidance during the preparation, and during the drive itself. We started from Murqab with the rising sun in the mixed terrain just behind the town. Not so tall dunes, some shrub and vegetation, but also some soft pockets and a few crests, challenging for the long cars. It required everyone to be fully awake to follow the track, and we had the first tugs of the day. We ended this portion with a small stretch of real technical dunes that the first half of the convoy crossed with great control. Then a car was stuck from the middle, and as it happens in these areas, once the momentum is lost… it becomes difficult. With the support of @Rob S, @Imteeaz, @Chaitanya D, the cars were regrouped together on a sabkha were we enjoyed a small break. The second portion was a sort of link to the next area, using the natural routes of the desert. Wide open dunes, flat sabkha, and a track crossing this very difficult area between Lisaili and Solar Park. As expected we crossed also desert inhabitants : one convoy of cars, and 2 convoys of camels. We left the track to take north through the dunes, and crossed a beautiful portion of virgin sands. I enjoyed really drawing lines from one dune to the other, crossing the ridges, driving on the crests when they were suitable. Still the progression against the slip faces required concentration to keep the lines, especially at the end of the convoy when the track was becoming churned. A nasty stuck with a steep angle required a combination of shovelling with a delicate tug perfectly executed by @Looper. Finally we reached one of these high long dunes of Lisaili, in perfect condition for a long side sloping. Two runs were barely enough to push the engines and release the tension accumulated in the technical dunes, but it was already time to exit the sand. Crossing a last small technical portion we reached the pylons track, and reached the tarmac close to Lisaili town. @Daniel Rodas you were a great 2nd lead, @Rob S @Imteeaz @Chaitanya D, amazing support, @Looper, great addition to the support, but don’t steel the slot of your wife anymore ( @Sita Sharma, we missed you) @BHANU PRAKASH VISHWANATH @Suresh K @Paolo Morresi @Peter Hager @Jose Thomas @Abdul Basit Khan @Nathan, great driving and company, with an excellent team spirit. See you soon, and enjoy the rest of the weekend !

Dear Desert Drivers We are all getting ready for tomorrow's drive ! @Daniel Rodas @BHANU PRAKASH VISHWANATH @Suresh K @Sita Sharma @Paolo Morresi @Peter Hager @Rob S @Jose Thomas @Abdul Basit Khan @Imteeaz @Nathan @Chaitanya D Meeting is at 5:30 am at https://goo.gl/maps/iVx8Rx8BBKXk6SNB8 As you have seen, it is inside the small town of Murqab. Please refrain loud enthusiasm demonstrations and any horn. The Convoy order will be as follows We will use Carnity Frequency 3 Looking forward to see you tomorrow morning. Have a nice evening !

@Jose Thomas, you have been added to the drive as there was a drop out. Please confirm your attendance for tomorrow. @Abdul Basit Khan, you are now WL1, let's see if there is any drop out until the end of the day

Congratulations @Rob S, very well deserved !

Congratulations Buddy 👏👏👏 !!! Big Bravo @Gaurav Soni !

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 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 Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie and above (all levels) Meeting time: 5:30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Murqab https://goo.gl/maps/iVx8Rx8BBKXk6SNB8 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 09:30 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. Please RSVP on below calendar:

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi for initiating the drive, and giving me the opportunity to lead the second part. You were great support and inspiration for the preparation and during the drive itself. From my Absolute Newbie drive that I did with you until today, i have always appreciated the care you take in the selection of the itineraries and the execution of your drives. The first part was a flawless warmup through the high dunes of Quadra around the crescent lake. Perfect start under the lead of @Ale Vallecchi to enjoy the morning light and the virgin sands, but already requiring full awareness of the drivers. A only a few gazelles and cyclists (wildlife ?) were around at this early time. Then we crossed the pylon track to reach the Ghantoot area, and Ale handed over the lead to me. This second portion of middle size dunes is challenging as they are quite tight in places, and present steep slip faces closing the way. But it is the perfect terrain to exercise our driving skills, and it was a pleasure to find a way through the sand valleys, crossing the ridges, riding the crests. There were some traps in the form of soft bowls, sand pockets, or sharp crests leading to a few stucks and refusal, including me being crested, all of them sorted without issue with the support of @Davie Chase and @Waqas Parvez. Then came the third portion, more open with wider dunes and some hard flat sabkha surface between them. Driving there might have been easier, but we were facing another challenge, finding the mighty oryxes, purpose of the drive. The beasts had left their home vacant, with only one of them guarding the place, and we had to wander the area to find the herd. I could finally spot them atop of a crest and we had our 10 min of literally « chasing the oryx », the front cars driving on their side or just behind them, keeping a reasonable distance. The oryxes being clearly superior to our cars in the sand, we turned our way back to reach the exit, to the relief of the passenger of @Harshal. @Ashutosh Garg @Paolo Pellegrini @Vaibhav @Paolo Morresi @RiaanJH @Davie Chase @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler @Pascal @Waqas Parvez it was a pleasure to have you in the drive. Thanks again @Ale Vallecchi for the guidance and support. Enjoy the long weekend and see you soon on the sand !

Thanks a lot @Ale Vallecchi for another memorable Rush Hour drive. I love the concept as it is a real Team challenge where of course the Lead is prime, selecting a suitable route, but every driver skills are required to stay focused and concentrated for the duration of the drive. We had the chance to have virgin dunes for most of the drives, even if the tracks were becoming churned for the end of the convoy, and it was a pleasure to drive with this late afternoon light and watching the Oryxes. Thank you all for participating, and @Gaurav Soni for the support and sweep !

Welcome to support team @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, you contribution will be very much appreciated !

Bravo @Fabien Monleau, well done !

Congratulations @Gertjan ! Always a pleasure to have you in the drives