ChrisW

Thank you @GauravSoni for an exceptionally well led drive, and shout out to @Alexanderrr for finding a path for the convoy. The first part of the drive through Qudra was definitely a test of patience and determination. The terrain there is technical enough to need concentration and focus, and so bumpy as to beat you up a bit. The following sections through Ajban and into Sweihan were the reward however, with many long flowing lines for us to enjoy. The stats speak for themselves - everyone did a great job keeping the discipline and pace, and you all demonstrated the high level of skill and ability gained for a great many drives. Was a pleasure being out with you all and hope to do so again soon. Here’s a quick selection of clips from our day out:

Thanks everyone, was a real pleasure driving with you all last night. We had some excellent driver discipline on show, with everyone being patient, helpful and driving well. We had some excellent lines through the desert which allowed us to practice side-sloping, up and over crossings and some easy ridgelines. There was a few reminders to us that traction on soft sand and the soft edges of ridges requires more attention to steering and directional control and less use of power. We also at the end of the evening got to practice lots of practical car maintenance! 😄 I hope everyone made it home safely and I look forward to seeing you again soon. In the meantime here’s a few flashbacks from the drive…

And my view!

A great morning out with a top group of off-roaders! Thank you for leading a very relaxing drive @Luke K P. We quickly found the promised long-range dunes and entered a collective flow-state…everyone focussing on driving, enjoying the terrain, minimal radio chatter. Your brave attempts to cut a path through a few ridges gave us the opportunity to shovel…which actually gave some natural breaks and a chance to stop and enjoy the desert a few times. @Aser Congrats on the 100! Great to see it. @Ahmed Farouk It was a pleasure to follow your new Jeep! I’m biased, but it looks great and you’ll be zooming on the dunes before long. @JC_E it was good having you with me in the middle of the convoy too - good driving today, you make that LC move very well on the tight terrain. Finally to say, whilst I was further away, @Soap your driving today was good - it’s excellent to see the skills coming along. Couple of PoV videos from earlier…

That was a tremendous IM drive @GauravSoni - really nicely led. Good lines, supportive vibe in the group…a good skills refresher to start 2026 with. I especially liked the format we used in the later part of the drive - navigating point-to-point, minimal radio, maximum emphasis on each driver using their initiative. To me this is the essence of an IM drive - each driver and car taking responsibility to conduct their best individual approach whilst moving in convoy. It would be good to see more drives like this to help further consolidate skills. Was a pleasure being out with all of you, and hope to see you again soon. Sharing a double-perspective video of slightly creatively using side-sloping to intercept a descending ridge-line. I wouldn’t usually attempt this (and it was hard on the engine), but the particular shape of this sand and line brought it together: And then a cut together of a few clips:

I’ll be there supporting ✊🏻

Hey guys, was a pleasure being out with you this morning - and specifically with @Frederic’s convoy. The low visibility didn’t hold us back and we enjoyed a gentle drive through the rolling dunes, giving us a chance to simply enjoy being in the desert and practice driving in convoy. The sand was firm and generous to us today, meaning we only had a small handful of refusals and one stuck. The fog was unusually persistent today, not really lifting much until at least 1030. The main feedback I would offer as general takeaways would be: - If you have a refusal, it’s good to announce on the radio quickly and succinctly so the convoy doesn’t get too far away from you - Following the line of the car ahead of you is important; however you will still need to navigate the path for yourself (avoiding getting too close to a soft ridge/edge, or churned up areas that become difficult to cross) - Each of us will come to learn the details of driving our own car and the techniques it requires, for example with an “up and over” ridge crossing the longer cars may require slightly more momentum and to lift off the gas later to avoid cresting. Overall nicely driven and I had fun being out with all of you. I very much hope to see all of you again, where we can test ourselves and learn from less generous sand! @Jabir

Hey guys, hope you all had a good new year’s last night! Was a pleasure driving with you, and thank you kindly to those generous souls who brought refreshments for us all to share. Looking forward to more in 2026!

All good, all in.

Sorry @DP1011, I’ve had to drop - have come back from travels in Europe with an unwelcome cold!

Excellent drive this morning @Ale Vallecchi, thank you for leading us through the quite varied terrain and achieving our goal of the express crossing! You all made it very easy to be a support team member today…everyone drove well, good use of the skills and consistent approach to the different terrain types we encountered. Well done! Also @Hani crest king do you want your air miles added to Emirates Skywards or Etihad Guest program…? 😉😂