Solo Bats 7.0

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Yazan Ali
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Hello Almosters

this is not the 1st time i drove Solo Bats drive but it was the 1st time i drove in the opposite direction, (the start point were the end points in the previous solo drive).

we met all on time, [mention]Booy[/mention] give us the briefing and we are good to go.

the 1st point were in the high dune and on the crest it self, it was little bit challenging since all marshals they can see us who ever was able to do it or not, the thing is from where you have to start climbing the dune, few of us were able to do it.

the total points was 7 points [mention]Booy[/mention] start to send us one by one with interval of 2 minutes, since my name is start in Y so as usual i have to be in the last names to start.

the area were deferent for me since this the 1st time I'm driving in this direction in night time, between points 2 and 3 i get crested while I'm trying to do small side crest suddenly i saw all marshals stop beside me and looking killzonesmiley to me while I'm doing self recovery OSMILEY , i were able to do the self recover with little hand push from [mention]Booy[/mention] brigade.baka-wolf.com which mean we are always in safe side and under marshals eyes , the rest of the points were smooth with no issues.

it was really nice drive and its really improved the driving skills.

thanks [mention]Booy for organizing the tripe and thanks [/mention] [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] [mention]Solmaz[/mention] [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] [mention]Scorpio[/mention] [mention]ALKHATIB[/mention] and [mention]Agalon[/mention] for the support.

see you next time

Regards.
Last edited by Yazan Ali on Sat May 25, 2019 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Booy
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Hello everyone,

As soon as the PM was sent for this drive, I started getting messages and phone calls. "We think you made a mistake with the meeting point." "Are we really meeting at this point?"

Yes, the meeting point was correct, and we had a surprise, especially for the members who have done solo bats before. You will be driving up the soft sides of the dunes to reach the given points.

It was interesting and entertaining to see how everyone chose different lines to climb Iftar dune. Some tried from every side of the dune to reach the top, others gave up eventually and went around it. Some listened to Marshal's gossip and tried to go straight up the middle :) Thanks for the show.

I believe everyone's comfort levels were pushed a bit by this drive, and it is only then when we learn and improve. Everyone did exceptionally well and we managed to reach the final point on time to enjoy the Suhur event with good company.

Looking forward to seeing you in the sand soon - stay safe.

Regards,

Booy
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Abu Odai
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Hello everyone

Usually i do my best to attend those kind of drives such a (solo and all lead) where we can polish our skills, improve self-confidant and find our weakness points.

About the drive:
I started to deflate my tires on the Sapkha road, in the meanwhile other drivers has arrived , then we made a small convoy to the meeting point . After [mention]Booy[/mention] ‘ briefing, the priority of the starting was given to first timer as alphabetical with almost 3-4 minutes interval, so the last three competitor where me, [mention]Yazan Ali[/mention] and [mention]Youssef.Abdelhady[/mention] .
The first point was located at top of iftar bowel, it was so nice to see how everyone trying to approaches in different style and different way.
I was so excited for the drive, so I deflate till 7 psi deciding to enjoy the drive to the max . everything’s goes fine until I drove towrds point #3 then the front right tire got pop out , I was trying to report over the radio but for some reason no one could hear me , so I call [mention]Yazan Ali[/mention] via mobile and gave him my coordinates in order to report the marshal . Later on I started to fix the pop out quickly, in the mean while [mention]Daggerfall[/mention] , [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] and [mention]Yazan Ali[/mention] arrived while I was almost done and tire inflating in progress , here I would say thank you @daggerfall for your usual MARSHAL MAGIC TOUCH.
After that, everything goes fine, I managed to reach point 6 by 11:15pm then I cross to other side of the main road toward to the last point, and here I have to say that the opposite side was much easier. I reached the last point at 11:45 where the Suhur event was on. (And there my family was waiting me).
All in all, it was fantastic drive. Thanks for for the organizer, marshals and all the participants.

Till next time, stay safe..
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Hi Almosters,

We arrived to the meeting point with [mention]Agalon[/mention] and [mention]Solmaz[/mention] . The weather was perfect and most of the drivers were already there and very exited.

The route between the points designed by [mention]Booy[/mention] was very interesting . Going against the wind direction make the drive more challenging and fun so I really liked this version. thumbsup

After sending all the drivers we started sweeping the points . First we found [mention]Yazan Ali[/mention] testing his self recovery skills you're kidding, right . He was doing well but [mention]Booy[/mention] did not want to loose too much time so he went out of the car and pushed it down the crest and showed some Marshall power yuush (These are special super powers you will have if you become a Marshall in Almost4x4) grin

After that we went to [mention]Abu Odai[/mention] as he mentioned in his report and after he has done all the hard work I just touched the tire to fix the pop out grin

The rest was a nice ride to the meeting point and we saved a stuck family on the way .

Hope everybody enjoyed it and learned new things.

Best Regards
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giorgio
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Hi Almosters,

Solo Bats 7.0

I was the first to arrive at the meeting point with my passenger so i had the chance to enjoy the nice evening and the quietness of the desert.

Next in line was [mention]Rooies[/mention] to arrived followed by [mention]Booy[/mention] with the rest of the drives joining us soon after.

The Organizer had a short briefing explaining the game and mostly highlighting the importance of playing safe. The order of the convoy was based on alphabetical order ( i still dont understand how G comes before A) so i was the first one to take of.

The drive:

From the get go while driving night you notice immediately the difference of limited range of viability. During the day time drives your peripheral vision and the day light gives you the opportunity to work on a 160 degrees canvas of the landscape and plan your lines and track that will be most convenient for you to reach your destination. Well this is not the case during the night.

In night drives your vision is limited to where your light drop and you see only directly in front of your car with small deviation left and right, you peripheral vision goes down to 0 and you lose the ability of planning. To coop with the later restrictions your senses are in a full throttle and you are constantly on a full alert something that makes you tiered quite quick.

Between following the gps, scanning the area for the best possible effective route watching for hidden dangers you have your hands and mind fully occupied.

As others already mentioned driving against the wind make the drive even more challenging. I started my first point like every one else on the top of the Iftar bowl which according to my GPS i nailed it and quickly continue to point no 2. The drive was going pretty smooth but on a slow paste when at one point i found my jeep on the bottom of a nice smooth looking big dune where my point was right after it. Looking around to see if there is an easier way to by pass it i realized that going straight up was my best case scenario so i took the decision to go straight up.

So 1st gear full throttle and off i go for the climb when suddenly i got to experience from first hand the phrase WHERE DID THE DUNE GO. Yes it was a hell of an experience, suddenly that big dune or what i thought it was a big dune came to a sudden end. Realizing the situation i had the chance to say Ohhh f#@$%& hold tight i push my brakes as hard possible i manage to slow down dramatically but not enough to keep the jeep on the dune so straight cresting it was inevitable.

On the other side:

Clearing the crest now i had to deal what reality. The other side was sharp it actually felt that it was a cliff. My front wheels touched no ground. I felt my seat belt locking me in. My passenger's voice was echoing in the car on my native language words that i have not heard for a long long time. We dropped straight down and we got a major impact with the front bumper. I really do not know how vertically we landed but i am sure it was quite vertical. All i remember was that as I was dropping i recalled the phrase ( it is someone's signature) if you hesitate accelerate. Taking the impact heads on i push full throttle and i felt the front of the car pulling me forward and the back landing fairly smoothly on the sand again. With 4 wheels back on the ground i said to my passenger WELCOME TO ALMOST 4X4. I got no reply for the next 5 min where i stopped to check the car and have a smoke and release the tension.

As i mentioned after the landing i did not stop i continue driving hopping that Scarlet will not leave me stranded in the dark desert. Five minutes later and having already got the feeling that there are no issues with the jeep i stopped and took a look of my front bumper.

All looked good so i smiled and moved one.

Reaching at the 6 point i saw [mention]haider alnuaimi[/mention] on my bumper and after we both reported the we arrived we cross the road and we both moved towards for the same destination on different directions.

That side of the desert was friendlier and the rest of the drive was smooth fast and enjoyable.

I reached the camp quite tiered and i set up my BBQ station to prepare a nice dinner which i enjoyed with the rest of the family.

Overall it was a major and enjoyable experience that i would love to try again. It make me realize for one more time of how many things i still have to learn and made me more motivated to keep driving and improving.


Thank you all Organizer, rescue and drivers for the nice night drive and looking forward to see you all in the sand soon.

Until next time drive safe
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Jasper
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Hello everyone!

This Solo Bats drive really tests your nerve and skills in a different level. This is the first time for me to participate in this kind of a challenge and I must say it is all worth it. When the drive was posted and I got newly promoted as Inter I was thinking if I’m going to sign up or not. I was thinking am I experienced enough? Well sign up and let’s find out.

When I got the PM from [mention]Booy[/mention] for the coordinates I immediately plotted them on my GPS (android app only) and checked each point and saw that the place is in a familiar area of Al Badayer. But to my surprise it is totally different in the night (read [mention]giorgo[/mention]'s report above). grin

Come the drive night, which is also our company’s Iftar night, was stressful as I thought I’ll be late and I don’t want to miss this chance. Before the meeting point (which is Iftar bowl), I’ve planned to deflate before going inside the desert. To my surprise a lot of guys also have the same thought. We deflated and had a small convoy going to the meeting point.

[mention]Booy[/mention] gave the briefing and the order of the challengers. Majority of the challengers are first timers also. So I was assigned as the 3rd car. The first point was on the top of the dune and I’m thinking how the hell I can climb this in the night. Did some circles around and was able to do it. Going to point 2 I had fallen in a bad V ditch. Missed calculated the shape of the dune and I have hit my bumper hard on the right side. I was side cresting from the left going down and up again on the right side and boom. A quarter of the right hood was inside the soft side of the dune. I thought the drive was over for me. Tried to radio to report what happened and I’ve got no response (I remembered [mention]Rashidjass[/mention] also mentioned during the briefing that if you don’t get any response, get out and try to go up the dune to have the signal). Well I am planning on doing that but let me try to self-recover first. Did 4L and Diff Lock and I was able to reverse out and stay inside the bowl. I’ve checked for any fluid leaks and it’s all clear. Now decision point – stay in the course or give up. Well I did stayed and followed the course and completed the rest of the points until point 6, which is near Al Badayer shops. It added more challenge as I was rubbing the right tire to the torn bumper on every dune I go over and my front LEDs on the bumper were bent pointing up. So the visibility is quite low.

From point 2 to point 6 I’ve made sure not to have any more issues. Did several tries on some of the points as most of them are on the top of the big dunes in Al Badayer. I’ve stopped at one of the shops in Al Badayer and reported the incident to [mention]Booy[/mention] via Telegram. [mention]Saeed FJ[/mention] arrived and saw me and offered to accompany me until point 7 and I said I’m done for the night. Thanks bro! After sometime [mention]Yazan Ali[/mention] arrived and he planned on finishing on point 6 as well. He mentioned that this time the course was different as we were driving on the soft side of the dune, which is more interesting. It made me think that yes this is really hard and I’m happy at least I’ve completed it. Looking on the positive side maybe it’s time for a new bumper ORLY (already in progress of searching cool ).

Thanks again to [mention]Booy[/mention] and our Marshalls for creating this amazing exercise for us.

Take care and see you guys again soon!

Jasper
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Hello Everyone,

Solo bats is a special drive and provides the opportunity to learn and apply the skills that are taught by marshalls at both newbie and intermediate levels. This Solo bat drive was designed in a way that the participants will travel against the wind direction arr. and face the soft side of the dunes.

For majority of the participants, it was their 1st solo bats drive and I would like to congratulate them for adding a new experience feather to their cap thumbsup . After sending all the participants one by one, the marshals and explorers started to sweep and touched all the gps points. I saw some stuck with self-recoveries, pop-out fixes on the way but was happy to see intermediates crafting their way through those dunes safely. It was a good show and everyone did well.

Thanks to [mention]Booy[/mention] for arranging this drive and all who supported and participated.

Hope to see you in the sand soon..

Cheers 8-)
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I was one of the people asking @Booy about the meeting point OSMILEY , it's already in the desert. @Booy just laughed & said that was the first part.

I headed over to the meeting point, going up & down the dunes looking for a way, I got crested but managed to get out, I laughed thinking to myself that it was going to be an interesting evening. I reached the meeting & found @giorgio already there. We chatted then heard a vehicle approaching at speed, it was @Booy. Not long after he stopped a convoy approached us, it was the rest of the "bats".

@Booy took us through the briefing, told us the convoy order & set us off. I was #6 to go. Yes, I was the one listening to marshal gossip hidden (believe @Booy did it on purpose grin ). I tried the inner route to the delight of the rest of the people, after try #3 I realised this was not going to work. I headed out of the Iftar bowl & headed round the dune looking for the road to the top. Eventually I found a way up to the first point, I made it, one down 6 to go Psmiley . The next point was against the wind direction, again it was part of the plan to make us work, thank you @Booy. It was not so easy to reach the point, but eventually I found a way have a nice day . Off to point #3, this was a little bit "easier" to reach, heading to point #4 I did a left side crest just to find nothing on the other side. I took a big knock & thought I must have broken something O_O . I stopped on a flat area, grabbed my flashlight & went to inspect the damage....nothing, the Patrol took it on the chin & was still standing thumbsup .

I used the point & shoot approach, keep the line straight to the next point, some places it worked & other places I had to make detour to get to the point. I reached point #6, then headed to point #7. Where was the hole in the fence pissed off , I could not find it, I know it is there somewhere, but just could not find it. Eventually I found it & headed towards point #7, over the highway into the desert. I saw some tracks heading in the direction of point #7 but decided to follow my own route. Eventually I saw the lights of the other cars & headed in that direction. I got to point #7 & some of my bat buddies were already there.

It was a very interesting drive & l learned a few new skills (don't hesitate, accelerate grin ), if all else fails floor it. Point & shoot works up to a point then planning has to be done to reach were you want to be.

Thank you @Booy for the route, the rest of the marshalls & people looking after us. It was my pleasure providing the entertainment with my 3 attempts to get to the top of the dune pacman . I will return in the daylight & redo the track to see how it's done in daylight.

Till we meet in the sand again, take care.

Greetings
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Saeed FJ
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hello every one

never been late to write a trip report
I was waiting to see the record from my camera and edit a video but after seeing the records nothing is clear.

I would like to thank the organizer for this opportunity.

this was my first-night solo, we start in iftar bowl as explained, the new experience added how to read the dune in the night, the visibility was limited taking care while driving is very important.

till next time stay safe.

see you on the sand
Abu Madi
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