Almost4x4

Hello Everyone

After almost 3 weeks waiting I was excited to join this big trip and meet the new club members who has joined recently

I have reached around 2:20 , but before that even i meet many of the members at the Petrol station

As the number of cars was big ( I think +35 cars) we had to 3 convoy -5 , 5-10 and +10

I was in the + 10 convoy with Marshals Rashed and AbuBaker ( my CM marshal )
And it was in the same area of my cm drive
(So I have really noticed and felt what I have learned from the club )

The track by AbuBaker was really nice and challenging as included speed , technical and high dunes
Rashed was doing amazing support with all the support team to insure the smooth and safely moving for the convoy

In the end we reached to open safe are to set together ( all convoys ) , wither was really nice that time , sharping drinks and snacks with very nice friendly talking

So it was full package trip

Thank you so much Giorgio for organising the trip with BuSalem and all other Marshals
Thanks for the support team who has great effort
Thanks for all the members for the great time

See you all soon

Moustafa Selim

Good pm everyone!

Apparently this trip report will be very different from all previous ones. I will write it from the real me, I want to sincerely express my emotions, experiences, satisfactions, mistakes and fears, considering the danger and the cost of our hobby. I am more than sure today and now that it is very important for our marshals to know not only how much we are grateful, but also what we truly experience during the drives

Well. Despite the end of September, the weather turned out to be quite hot. I haven’t participated in the grives since the summer, and let them say that off-roading is the same as riding a bicycle, once you’ve gone, you’ll never forget, I fundamentally disagree, especially if you don’t do it all the time and at first stages. Each time you need to remember and catch up in order to be on the same wave with your buddies.

Today's drive was dedicated to all levels of Newbeis and was a division of three convoys. I personally took part in convoy 10+ under the leadership of Mabubaker, accompanied by Rashid, with Brett, Orlantsev, Giovanni as support. I really liked Mabubaker's approach, he slowly warmed up the convoy, leading us along medium dunes with arches, when he felt that the convoy was ready in general, he began to increase the speed and complexity, moving from medium bowls to larger ones, quietly introducing sidecrests, increasing speed. Overall the convoy moved with a constant flow without any incidents.

For me personally, I have heard many times that I am not a very safe driver, since I am used to the speed of being a passenger. What I have to admit is that my body language does not match my skills and I made the decision to get a feel for my car at lower level. Yes, I had second attempts, but I didn’t fly anymore, as it was earlier, which is safer, according to the club rules. I apologize, Rashid, but I still don’t know where is left and where is right, when I need to go down in reverse, I’m just a girl, but this does not give me the right to make such mistakes as an off-roader, otherwise girls should take care of the kitchen)) )) I took note, I will work on it, I promise))))

Next, it’s always to stop and give the professionals the opportunity to show how it should be, to inspire us and again to realize that 10+ is so far from the limit, leave your EGO, we still have to work hard.

Team spirit, the opportunity to communicate and share experiences are always inspiring. Moustafa19 is our watermelon brother, my passenger conveys her deep gratitude to you, she has never eaten such a delicious watermelon. Danila Orlantsev, thank you for a worthy excursion, and for Yana’s safe return.

Yes, I had a very active and emotional passenger with me today. I tried to find an excuse in my second attempts as the expense of the watermelon )))) and the screaming passenger, but then Brett stopped me and said, "of course, we all make excuses and try to blame someone for our mistakes" and he is absolutely right. I have such a respect for Brett for his opinion and sincerity. So, I can accurately admit that all my mistakes are only mine, NOT ANYONE'S ELSE. I accept and I will WORK HARD to become better!!!
Also, I heard the fact that on difficult elements I really drove well, but on simpler ones I relaxed and began to make mistakes. I thank my brothers Aljamhi and Rashid for showing me that.

Having heard and absorbed everything previous, at the end of the drive I completely focused myself and really got high. It was incredibly .

The epilogue to the drive was communication with the best offroad friends.

Thank you Giorgio for organising, Mabubaker for an absolutely different and unforgettable experience. For each and everyone, who participated.

With love

Yours Vika

Hello Almosters!

I was looking forward for this All Newbie drive as it allows Newbies of all levels and intermediates to gather up in one drive. It was great to see new and familiar faces at the meeting point.

Arriving a bit early around 2pm to find Brett at the meeting point. Deflated and waited for others to arrive. The weather was hot, so I decided to sit in the car till the briefing time.

3 convoys were made from Newbie 5-, 5-10,& 10+. I was assigned to support the 5- convoy along with Deadpool & Nidal. This convoy was led by Busalem and scorpio was floating.

As we started rolling , it was evident that the new members was leaving bigger gaps , spreading the convoy over a big area. At our first break , a member got locked out of his car, we stopped there for while trying to open it but we were left with one option which was to break the passenger window. During the window breaking process , Nidal’s AC compressor blew up and leaked oil. Now we are short of a window and a conpressor after 20mins .

We continued to drive which consisted of mainly drops but as we are coming back in the other side of the farm, we had to do minor climbs. As members are getting used to their cars and its momentum, I saw multiple flyings and we ended up with a nose dive 3-4kms before we end the drive.

As the car leaked all the oil in the engine, we had to tow it back to civilization through an easy track.

Thankfully everyone was out safely from this eventful trip.

Thanks to Giorgio for the organization, and all the marshals for their support.

See you on the sand
Mghoneim

This trip marked my very first outing as a newbie, and the excitement was palpable. Despite the relentless September weather, my enthusiasm knew no bounds.

I arrived a tad late at the meeting point and spotted the gathering across the road. Given the substantial turnout, we were divided into three convoys based on experience: 5-, 5-10, and 10+ newbies.

Since it was my first drive, I found myself in the 5- newbie convoy, alongside seven fellow newcomers. Our convoy was led by the capable @alshamsi_m, with @scorpio providing support on flank and @Deadpool watching our backs. To say the trip was eventful would be an understatement.

Initially, I held the rear position but quickly realized that I couldn't keep pace with the convoy. Shamsi kindly stopped to let me catch up. He and Scorpio adjusted my tire pressure and moved me to the fourth spot behind Taimur to help me keep up. Shamsi saw that I was hesitant with the accelerator, so he hopped in the driver's seat of my car and showed me the full potential of a stock FJ.

As we got ready to roll again, Taimur found himself locked out of his X-terra, an unusual predicament. After trying various solutions, we resorted to breaking the passenger side window. With the window sealed using Arun's trusty gorilla tape, we were ready to get back on track. But this wasn't the end of trifles with this pitstop. The Pathfinder busted it's compressor and it took a couple of minutes finally figure it out. Although the delay cost us a few minutes, Shamsi picked up the pace, and the fun resumed.

Predictably, I got stuck a couple more times and received guidance from @scorpio to break free. However, as we neared completion, about 2 kilometers from the farm fence, @arunjoseph tackled a climb too aggressively, resulting in a jump that damaged the undercarriage, causing an engine oil spill and a broken steering rake adjuster. This was a tense moment since we were still in the sand, but luckily, the main road wasn't far. We gathered to push and reposition the car so that @scorpio could tow it out, and I got to witness the Viking rope in action. All in all, it was an incredibly eventful and exhilarating drive, and it has me completely hooked. Looking forward to more drives in the winter.

Pratik

Hello Almosters

My first time in sweihan and driving after a 5 month break, last one being Smooth Operator. And the long haul meant I had to brush up on my skills

Took off from Dubai well in advance but had to take a 20 min detour to refuel on Truck road. Reached the meeting point at 2:45 pm and it was a big convoy! Was great to see the usuals and new members. Another first being peak summer drive (baking oven feels), changes the drive dynamics completely - every step of the way .

Members check-in followed a detailed briefing by Abu Salem and Giorgio. We took off, first few tracks slow and low as told by Marshall, followed through with high speeds, and bigger dunes and smaller technical areas too - a holistic experience!

My 5 month slumber kicked in, got stuck a few times, lost momentum where I shouldn't have but Marshalls and rescue team was quick to jump it and solve the situation- a special thanks to Daggerfall, Petr and other members who were very patient in multiple sticky situations. As the drive was coming to an end the sunset colors made Sweihan allthemore beautiful. Hope we can drive there again in a much cooler weather.

Drive ended well. Did not break bumbers and bones . Although it was scorching hot out there, spirits we high thanks to the leads, rescue and other members. Couldn't stay for the post drive chat. Will definitely the next time.

As they say, consistency is key! Looking forward to future drives.

Hello everyone

After my little incident with my Jimny. It's back with another color and name " MacLoud Joinior ". So time to test the car .

I was lucky to be appointed in the 5- so I had an easy track the area was so beautiful, regardless the previous trip reports above

Desert offroading is a serious hobby, we like you all to be safe and sound but if anything happens you should understand " It's part of the game ".

The gathering after the drive was the on the cake. We had Ely Coffee which was nice for a newbie .

Thanks for all the marshals who joined and made another successful event. October is coming and we will more sitting after the drives.

Looking forward to see you in the sand.

Cheers
Shamsi




All credits for Rajalingam

Dear Almosters,

"Lets Rumble" was set to be an epic drive for All Newbies, unfortunately a few members dropped out prior to the start, but there were still a good number who arrived at the meeting point. Enough to enable 3 convoys.

Thanks to @giorgio for posting the drive and to @Alshamsi_M, @Scorpio @Daggerfall @RashidJass and @AbuBakar marshals for agreeing to join the drive.

I arrived around 45min before the official meeting time and took my time to deflate and wait for the others to join. Since moving apartment recently Waze decided i should take the truck road to Sweihan ! not my favorite route to take but having fueled up before leaving home it was a pleasant enough if some what slow drive to the meeting point.

Once everyone assembled and deflated the attendance was taken - a few late commers. the members split into 3 convoys according to there previous drive total.

I was positioned in the 10+ convoy with @AbuBakar to lead, @Orlantsev as floating advanced driver. Myself and @Giovani as intermediate for support and recoveries. so all set for what should be a fast and interesting drive in the infamous Sweihan dunes.

But as always there was a twist to how the drive would pan out - I was appointed as sweeper - a role I becoming familiar with recently - the Twist - I would have a VIP passenger in the form of the dune master himself @RasidJass ! so this would be a first for me - typically I do not take passengers, let alone a Marshal !! and I must admit it added another layer of stress for me - would I scare the shit out of him ? would I f%^# up ???. Of course the plus side was I had the master beside me to give any guidance and advice to help improve skill set.

The drive was a mix of fast safari style, some great arches, drops, technical areas, climbs and BIG bowls. it was interesting to have Rashid beside me and hearing him giving advice over the radio to the hapless drivers who needed encouragement and the correct directions to master the backing down safely to make a second attempt at the more difficult climbs that took a toll on almost all of the drivers at some point.

As sweeper there are always times when you find the main convoy has got well ahead, and it is then necessary to really push it to catch up to the convoy - and find the right track - for this I had Rashid helping to identify which track to follow this was done with both verbal and pointing gestures. my apologies to @Rashid I think I only hit "HARD" on 2 drops that caught be by surprise while I was trying to catch the convoy or looking too far ahead.

we eventually arrived at Nagra Dune, I have been there many times but now I am more confident of my own ability to really enjoy the big climbs and arches of a dune like Agra. @Rashid waited at the base of the dune while I played a bit - he then got behind the wheel of the Wasp II on his own to play ! he made it look so easy, once we moved to the back side of the Dune @Rashid went for a second play even taking @LuckyM passenger to give him the experience of being in an FJ with a expert behind the wheel.

It was great for me to watch from below what @Rashisd was able to do in my car - there is no way I can drive anywhere even close to the level, even if my car can do it ! so to clarify the comment to @Victoriia was specifically to the point that it is the skills of the driver not the capability of the car.
I know personally I still have a huge about learn and sharpen my skill set

The drive ended at sunset and we met the other 2 convoys for coffee - thanks @Ely and cookies Thanks @Alshamsi_M.
All too soon it was time to hit the truck road for the slow ride home
See you all again next Saturday

Let's Rumble

Events such the All newbie in drives are one of the most loved ones by all because it gives the chance to all members to get together and socialize something that during the hot months it is so difficult to do

I was very excited to see such a big participation from our members and I really thank you all for attending

I was leading the 5+ convoy with @padi as a second lead @osman as sweeper and @mandroid @butuma supporting. @daggerfall as a floating Marshal

Over all it was a relaxed drive with all drivers performing above average.

Points that need to be consider from this drive were:

a) maintain proper momentum (specially on the big dunes you will need to have to space to increase speed. If you are too close to the car in front of you it will jeopardize your chance to gain full speed to climb.
b) keep proper distance (in many cases the distance kept was too far)
c) pay attention to the car in front of you (this technique is very useful once you get to understand how it works so please keep practicing)


Closing my report I would like to thank all the members and supporting team for their participation on this hot day drive

Looking forward to see you all soon again. Until them drive safe

Hello Almosters,

Drive day was special to me and @mostafa .. we started our off-roading 10 months back in big fatty cars F150 and Landcruiser at that time we were not sure that we would reach this level and test our self again the same area with mor challenging track under the same marshal who took us to desert 1st time.

Given the substantial number of cars (I believe there were around 50+\- cars ), we divided into three convoys: (less than 5, 5 to 10 drives, and 10+ drives ). i was with 10+ group. led by Abu Baker as leading car and Rashid in sweep position along with Brett.

Abu Baker gave me the chance to be in second lead position behind him.. and yes I made it. at the beginning i wasn't sure if you could meet Abu Baker expectations; but once the drive starts i was enjoying every second driving behind him .. thanks Abu Baker for the trust and for choosing me to be your SL.

The track was truly exhilarating, combining speed, technical challenges, safari style and mid-large dunes. Rashed and the support team did an incredible job ensuring the convoy's smooth and safe progress.

In the end, we all gathered bringing together members from all convoys. The weather was delightful at that time, and we enjoyed Coffee (thx Ely) and BuSalim cookies (we called it Ka'ek in Arabic.. thx Bu Salim) with our friendly fellow members.

In short another amazing drive, well organized and well managed by really experienced Marshals (Giorgio, Rashid, Abu Baker, Scorpio and DaggerFall) along with the the big master Bu Salim. also big thanks for the intermediates and support who joined and make this drive executed in that magnificent and enjoyable way.


Looking forward to seeing you all again in the dunes!

Warm regards,
Ahmad Mohammad