All Stars - Limited Edition IV

David
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What a drive that one was ... Barish, with some superhuman power decided to time to perfection the start of the drive so just after the briefing the convoy was hit by a massive sandstorm, plenty of rain, lightening, absolutely gorgeous ... well, until I came out of the car to assist with a recovery and got soaked in seconds ... but let's start from the beginning.

Al Faqaa area, on the AD side, good attendance, 2 convoys, + and - 10. +10 with Presa and Solmaz, I was allocated to the -10 lead by Shamsi, additional Marshalls Barish and Rashid. Mahmood Yasin as "floating" support with Jasper, Sorin and myself positioned inside the convoy and Tom in the stolen big red truck closing the convoy.

Conditions were not easy to start with, very poor visibility that easily leads to one of the most important lessons with offroading, keep the right DISTANCE in between cars. You will always have to adjust the distance between cars depending on the conditions, terrain, speed, ... you need enough space to be "safe" but at the same time you need to be able to see what the car in front of you is doing. Little piece of advice for those Newbies that might read this, use the flat areas to catch up with the car in front of you after clearing a bigger dune/obstacle, this is important both for your safety and to allow the convoy to flow with ease.

Shamsi used easy tracks on the first sector to compensate for the difficult conditions due to the storm, not many incidents, luckily, I came out of the car for one of them (glad I always keep the sand googles in the car at all times) and I got sand and rain everywhere, enjoyable though, I guess one of those things that annoyed you back home where it rains all the time but you find enjoyable since living in the UAE ... Psmiley

Once we crossed the road and the visibility improved the convoy approached some more complex obstacles, straight crest and drops, generally good performance, just remember, yes, you do not want to get stuck but at the same time if too fast you fly over ... (saw a couple of cars crossing with a bit too much speed), another trade to learn, the ideal situation is that you cross but just with the minimum speed needed, remember, newbies are supposed to get stuck so do not worry, there is no shame on it. thumbsup

I do love the dessert, mainly at sunset, there is only one scenario that beats sunset in the desert, and that is sunset in the desert after a sand/rain storm ... I have been lucky enough to be there a few times and it is breathtaking, the colors are so unique, absolutely love it, it was the same yesterday, those 10/15 min at the end of the drive were amazing, I would turn at every possible moment to look at the sun (mainly on our backs). in love

First time driving with the new newbies after the last CM, welcome to the Almost family, looking forward to many more drives together, last piece of advice, be patient, trust the Marshalls and you won't believe how much your driving skills will improve and the amount of fun you will have!!! pacman pacman

See you on the sand soon.
Last edited by David on Sat Sep 25, 2021 10:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Sorin
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Hello Almosters,

I had the chance to assist in yesterday’s drive in the 10- convoy led by @alshamsi_m along with @Barish , @Mahmoodyasin , @Jasper , @David and last but not least, super-sweeper @Tomvanhouten driving the most famous car in the club, Big Red thumbsup

After more than a year and leaving a global pandemic behind us, we returned to the area near Al Faqaa road where we used to start most of the drives before. It was a surreal feeling to cross into AD without a PCR test :))

The weather was hot on arrival and we were expecting another scorching day in the sand but alas, it was not to be grin

As soon as we ended the briefing strong wind and dark clouds arrived and it was to signal the beginning of a rainy adventure drive.

We got mud on the cars at first then the heavy rain washed them clean.

It was much better conditions to assist with recoveries, second tries or poputs.

The drivers were a bit affected by the meteorological conditions but did ok overall.

For the new newbies I would advice to focus on the distance between them and the car in front, not to far but not to close either. As well as understanding that a climb is done in first gear always and don’t slow down when you’re doing an arch except after you crossed it’s apex.

If you’re in this for the long term and serious about off-roading, try to attend as many drives as possible and try to improve from past mistakes.

Having a car that is setup for off-roading and the mandatory tools also is very important.


The end of the drive gifted us with an amazing display of colors and a sunset that’s out of this world.

It was a pleasure being part of the drive and hope to be able to assist in the future as well.


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CARLOSS
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Hi everyone!

What a drive! OSMILEY The latter expression summarized the whole trip report so thanks for reading and see you next time. Psmiley

Now seriously, the weather itself has been perfectly described before by @Sorin and @David so I will not bother you too much with that…The important thing: How did I dare to bring a brand-new FJ in this weather conditions? wtfsmilie I have been in the club for almost a year, close to 30 drives with no weather issues at all: Most of the time sunny, hot, foggy in winter early mornings and a bit sandy from time to time but nothing compared to last Friday afternoon. So, it was an unforgettable car baptism. thumbsup

Still, I managed to get my first car driving test on sand and same as I said before: What a car! cool I remember myself with a smile in my face like a “kid with new shoes” while driving this still stock beast and the feeling was amazing. You point north the car goes north (same with the rest of the compass options), you want to climb that dune the car does that with a bit of gas, soft sand the car goes over that like that like a piece of cake. Oh man, what a feeling! ORLY Can’t describe that in a few words.

Forgot to mentioned (sorry but a bit excited about the new toy), I was position in @presa convoy and recognized the difficulty of leading that drive with those weather conditions and Presa did it super right, stopping when it was impossible and making nice and clear tracks for the rest of the convoy when doable. 10 out of 10 for him! And same thing for @Solmaz , @Petr , @orlantsev and @mpodroid "having some fun" from time to time getting out of their cars for supporting some struggled cars.

All in all, it was an amazing & unforgettable afternoon plenty of fun and challenges. thumbsup

And thanks a lot @Barish for organizing this All Stars L.E. IV and the rest of Marshals, Advance and Interms for making that happened.

See you in sand.

Carlos
Last edited by CARLOSS on Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Daiyaan
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Greetings everyone!

Felt good to finally be able to drive in the desert with the group. Having done the CM drive in Dec 2020 and then one incomplete drive in August (due to brake failure) and being a passenger almost every drive with @ZainHassan, this was refreshing.
The weather couldn’t have been any more surprising to kickstart my drive. Starting off with strong winds and then a downpour, making visibility challenging and driving on semi-wet sand an experience.
I was positioned in @alshamsi_m ‘s and @Barish’s convoy, the drive initially had hesitations expectedly due to weather conditions, but gradually moved up to a medium pace and nice few crest descents which are always fun. Thanks to the lead and supporters for always taking care of us.
Had the chance to meet the new members of the group while at the same time knowing the familiar faces from my CM drive (although most of them are in the 10+ level now lol).

Every drive is a learning curve and therefore hoping to learn much more.
See you all in the sand soon! :)
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Hi Almosters

Sand storm, rain, rainbow, thunder, lightning, temperature above 46 and then below 30, all within 2 hours, we were just waiting for snow, that was amazing.

We arrived to the meeting point and big red was there, i was terrified, @alshamsi_m leading in big red for 10+, we are going to suffer, then we realized its @Tomvanhouten who is driving big red, what a relief.

I was the third car in 10+ convoy led by @presa , we left the meeting point and the extreme weather conditions started, presa tried to go through an easy track and decided to stop for a quick break when he heard my kids 😱 screaming after a double unintentional jump, yes we crossed a small dune to what seemed like a flat ground which turned to be a lot of sand moving in a small pocket to hit another very small but nasty dune, the car bounced and most lose items flew and my kids screamed with excitement. We alerted the rest of the convoy to slow down on this dune and then we had a break. Everyone came out of the car for a chit chat, less than 3 minutes and all are back to their cars, a very strong sand storm mixed with rain hit us badly making it almost impossible to stand out of our cars, few minutes later i felt the car is sinking, looked underneath and the sand already accumulated in front of the tires, we usually see such sand storms only in may, to see such a strong sand storm with little warning making driving conditions hazardous was not expected in last few days in September.

We continue the drive after the weather conditions became less hazardous approaching a large dune where most drivers got crested, that was another situation where everyone heard my kids screaming with excitement when i had to report i am clear on the radio.
In addition to my 2 kids, i had a friend of mine whom i had to prepare with an easy drive the day before, he was smiling all night, asked him to come with an empty stomach to avoid any nasty situations in my Jeep, he enjoyed it. Whenever we did side cresting, he used to hold his breath and both hands are squeezing the grab handlers, the minute we cross he says with excitement “how did you do that??? Thats amazing, that’s real driving” even-though what we did was very easy compared to other fast pace drives. Now having an additional 150 kilos (2 kids and 1 adult) was not easy, i noticed at the beginning that the car is not responding as usual and had to push more than usual.
This drive was indeed a different one, it was more on how to drive with extreme conditions than dune bashing.

Enjoy watching



Great drive lead by @presa, supported by @Solmaz , @orlantsev and @Petr , thank you all and see you soon.
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Tomvanhouten
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Hello everyone,

Amazing afternoon in the desert once again!

We started off with @alshamsi_m comments: Tom, you better tie yourself down! And yes, it was quite an experience in this great car, shaking and vibrating all over the place in the high winds. When we started the drive, I actually went hiding behind @derrik316 and later on I figured, let's just turn her nose into the wind.
The mud was so thick covering the car, that my left window was blacked out and hoping for the lead car to switch directions, so it could get clean Psmiley

Once the weather cleared, it was an fantastic sight and the cool breeze was very much appreciated while fixing a pop-out.
Being at the back of the convoy is always a nice experience as you get to see most of the convoy passing obstacles, until you get disconnected cool

Th gathering afterwards showed so many smiling faces and happy people, that I believe everyone got his/her satisfaction out of it.

See you next time!!

Tom
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Hello everyone!

We had a priceless experience in desert and at the same time we never worried about the extreme conditions. This was my 3rd drive with ALMOST4X4 family. It’s not so long time literally but really we trust in ALMOST4X4 family.

Friday afternoon we reached the Al Faqaa meeting point. It was in Abu Dhabi (Al Ain) border. Once we started to get ready for drive, weather was hot. We had stickers and bracelets for free, appreciated for that! End of the briefing sand storm almost reached to our meeting point. I drove in @alshamsi_m & @Barish convoy which was -10 drive newbies.

After we lined up and drive started, Clearence almost gone, because of the sand storm. And later rain started. The moment was so unbelievable. After sandstorm was stopped, finally we were able to see the tracks of the convoy and driving at wet sand was like driving at normal road.

Later on we passed the road and we have done, straight crest passing and some small arches. We finalized this amazing drive with amazing sunset and nice conversations with all ALMOST4X4 family members!

Thanks for everyone and thanks for our club seniors to supporting us to be with you guys in the desert!
Looking forward to next adventure 😋 !
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Still feeding off the adrenalin from friday. What an awesome experience. Thanks to @Barish for working out the wild weather with Tengri, put on a show.

Great to see some familiar faces again in the newbie convoy and some decent challenges. Although watching Carlos Lead car 2 get stuck in an awkward position during the storm did make the heart race just a little bit, but it did not deter his confidence :).

I overall loved the experience and dealing with the multiple challenges the weather and sand throws at us. Big shout out to @A alshamsi for leading and keeping me entertained on the radio and all the support crew sweeping and enjoying themselves. This is the way.
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brett
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Dear Sand People,

All Stars Limited Edition IV

Where to start ?? all I can say is WHAT AN EPIC DRIVE !

I arrived at the meeting point in an unofficial convoy as I had bumped into @Sorin , @Laarni and @Tomvanhouten (in big red) along the E66. Across the border in to Abu Dhabi region with no check points in sight !

Everyone arrived and it was time for the briefing with very dark storm clouds brewing in the distance.
Thanks to @Barish for arranging the drive and the support of @alshamsi_m . The convoys were assigned a group of 10 – to be lead by @alshamsi_m and a group of 10+ to be lead by @presa .

I had hoped to be in the 10- convoy as I still had a wounded wing (surgery recovery on my hand). But the was not to be - @Barish informed me with a smile at the end of the drive he know I preferred the 10- group but too bad he decided I was a big boy and dumped me in the 10+.

From the outset, even before the weather closed in on us, I knew it would be a challenge for me. @presa put me at sweeper (which was my first experience in this critical convoy position) the convoy lined up – I radioed in that the convoy consisted of a total of 16 vehicles including the floating support and lead car. This already was not a easy task as the wind had picked up and the sand was flying reducing visibility to about 100m. so ff we headed the wind got stronger the visibility reduced to about 50m. how on earth was I meant to sweep the tail of the convoy when I couldn’t see 50m ahead of me and the wind was so strong the track was completely washed away in seconds. On a couple of occasions I made my own decisions with fingers crossed that I was headed in the right direction at one point looking across to me left and catching a glimpse of @Laarni black FJ through the sand haze. I altered course and fell back in position. @presa made the wise decision to stop the convoy and regroup while we waited for a break in the weather – by this time the wind and sand where buffering us to the point our cars were rocking and moving as the sand was blown away from under our tyres! Then just for good measure add the horizontal rain – who could ask for a more pleasant afternoon !!

Eventually the weather let up and once again the desert and the dunes were a wonderful environment to be in., we had a few second tries but generally considering the weather everyone managed really well. Of course there is the now infamous “Japanese Dune” a fairly straight forward climb and cross steep dune that manage to claim many an FJ and the Xterra requiring a quick extraction by our support drivers @Petr @mpodroid both ironically in Jeeps.

Once everyone cleared that beast it was starting to get late the Yellow Xterra was having a stuck situation in the deep soft sand compounded by losing air from one tyre. The situation was sorted as the sun was setting so @presa made a bee (not wasp) line for the meeting point. This last section was fast paced, and I must say extremely fun

We gathered at the meeting point and enjoyed sharing the stories of the Epic experience we had just encountered. This drive will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Thanks to @presa for the lead. @duroduro at 2nd lead (great job). @Solmaz (thanks for the great photo) and @orlantsev for your floating support and watchful guidance. To @mpodroid @Petr for your recovery assistance to the many crested vehicles.

Thanks to the other members of the convoy for not getting lost, as sweeper I was worried one or two would go missing but I am pretty sure we all made it out
The usual suspects @CARLOSS , @Ehab ,@Andre Engelbrecht @Laarni ,

My Takeaways
- Invest in so goggles !
- At this level you need to put into practice everything you have learnt on previous drives
- Trust the convoy leader and supporting marshals – they have the experience you don’t.
- Radio communication in poor visibility is paramount to your safety as is the right following distance
Until the next Adventure

Brett
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alshamsi_m
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Hello everyone

I was looking forward for this drive because I missed meeting with the new family members in their first two drives. I asked @Barish to give me the lead for the joiners regardless the number of convoys he is going to make.

He gave me the heads up that couple of them might give me trouble but it seems that third time is a charm because all of you did amazing in last weekend exception weather grin.

The storm effected the original plan to drive 50 km to the sitting area so I had to adjust the distance and we arrived to the final destination ON TIME cool

The supporting marshals @Barish & @Rashidjass should extraordinary leadership skills by keeping the new members feel safe although they were in the middle of storm and this is a real value you find only in strong clubs or groups. Hat off for you gentlemen blank

The sitting area was a cherry on top of the cake with spectacular view of sunset and the surrounding trees.

Thanks @Adonisalsissi for sharing the Date Energy Balls. Also to all the new FJ fans " You know yourselves " thumbsup . Finally thanks for @David , @Sorin ,@Jasper and @Tomvanhouten for the rescue support 👏

Before I close, I promised to take the newbies with more than 5 drives to Liwa this December so my advice for you is to join all the drives to be eligible and to have as much training as possible because we are going to drive more than 90 kms in vast desert.

See you in the sand cool
Shamsi


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