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alshamsi_m
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First of all, I would like to thank @Barish for organising this drive, even when he is sick he was still helping to finalise the list and dividing the convoys thumbsup . Also @Scorpio for joining to support the drive and the Explorers. So hat off for you gentlemen. blank.

The drive started with big dunes and safari style all the way to Iftar Bowl then had to drive the technical area to the Ghost 👻 Town where we sat to chitchat and have hot drinks while watching the SUNSET 🌇.

Thanks to @giorgio , @rapailo and the support team who showed up to help the newbies .

Finally I am looking forward for the fast newbies who are going to make it to Liwa.

Until then stay safe and looking forward for your trip reports.

Cheers
Shamsi
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AntonT
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Good evening, Almosters!

Definitely, it was not my day… Due to unexpected work issues, I was stuck in an office and arrived to the meeting point at the last minute. Being in a rush, I forgot my radio, wallet, etc. Our team leader and co-pilot, Maria, was too worried to miss the club drive. Thus, we had to push with a speed of 140 km/h to reach the Big Red area in time.

It is always great to see club members again, especially after four weeks break. @brett shared his spare radio as a usual sign of family support at Almost4x4. The short briefing is done, and we are ready to go into a new adventure.

@alshamsi_m led our 5- convoy with @Tomvanhouten , @rapailo , @dorudoru , @Stephan and others as a support team.
I found the area on the way to Iftar Bowl is somehow unique, particularly good to train pathfinding skills. Being poisoned with my negativity, I lost control almost at the very beginning of our drive; as a result, I got tire pop out. Summary of mistake: high speed at a sharp turn with bumpy top of a dune. In a few minutes after the accident @alshamsi_m and intermediate drivers started demonstration how to fix such a case. Thanks to them for the masterclass and lifehack (new for me) of anchoring the back wheel from a car sliding while jacking. The drive was relatively smooth with some minor cresting and gravity fighting situations. The final stage of our journey went thru technical dunes before we reached Ghost Village.
Pleasant chat, sunset, Karak tea with dates near abandoned village helped me to forget entire mess happened with me today and fully relax…. that is one more reason why I love almost4x4!

Excited to see you all again next week.
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Tomvanhouten
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Hello everyone,

lovely afternoon drive with good company!
One sentence, says it all.

Enjoyed from beginning till end, with a very smooth flowing convoy and a very minimum of situations. And if so, they were sorted out very quickly.

We drove towards Ghost town, leading us thru the big dunes of badayer, which is always a great experience. Although the area is chewed up, due to the many convoys passing there, the dunes are high and certainly make an impression. This last bit can be intimidated, but no worries, we have all been there and this only makes you alert and on the edge.

Thanks everyone for having me and hopefully see you soon,

Tom
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giorgio
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This drive took place in the Badayer area. More specifically we drove from Badayer flyover to Ghost town.

The wet sand made the drive way easier than usual but still we had a great time.

The two convoys one led by @alshamsi_m and the other by me had a big participation.
The drive started on a moderate pace encountering big (for the area) dunes with climbs and arches. After the first half of the drive we entered a more technical area with more bumps and less comfortable terrain for the drivers.

Overall the convoy did a great job. We had minor delays ending up in the Ghost town area over tea and coffee.
Areas that the drivers will need to pay more attention with room for improvement were as follows:

i) Radio communication: it is important from early stages of your off-roading journey to maintain accurate and quick radio communication
ii) proper distance: Maintaining the correct distance is extremely important as it dictates your momentum and keeping you always in visual contact with the car in front of you resulting in less chances of losing the track.


I would like to thank, the supporting team as well as the organizer @Barish where although sick he still managed to organizer an impeccable drive
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brett
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Dear All,

I arrived at the meeting point a little earlier so got to work deflating and greeting the others as they arrived. Was great to see everyone eagerly awaiting the drive ahead - despite the possible threat of rain. there was a decent breeze blowing the sand around already.

As mentioned unfortunately @Barish was unable to attend but still managed to organise the drive (thank you), Proving the closeness and support we attribute to Almost4x4 family other members stepped up to guide us on the journey a special thanks to @alshamsi_m @Scorpio @rapailo @giorgio @orlantsev

@alshamsi_m gave the briefing and split the group into 2 convoys, with him to lead the 5- drivers and @giorgio leading the 10- group.

I was positioned in @giorgio convoy in the now familiar sweeper position. We had plenty of support with @Laarni in second lead, @osman in the middle of the convoy (in his new FJ !) and @NahorJP. Floating we had @orlantsev and @Scorpio was buzzing around in Big Red.

A great Lead by @giorgio at a medium pace through the undulating mid size dunes creating a bit of a rollercoaster ride for some - we had one pop out (due to the unfamiliar sand conditions) that was quickly fixed while @rapailo came to spy on from the crest of a dune. We also had a passenger succumb to the conditions resulting in motion sickness. unfortunately the lone Xterra suffered an issue with steering and needed to be escorted out by @Scorpio together with @Laarni with her incapacitated passenger. At some point I looked and my mirror and our convoy was being tailed by @alshamsi_m and his entire convoy - Was I leading a marshal ? no wait I was still sweeping our convoy :have_a_nice_day: eventually the other convoy peeled off and followed a different track.

We entered the technical area before reaching the ghost village this area certainly shook up the drivers and pushed some out of the comfort zone, but we manage to arrive at the ghost village without further issues, to sit relax and enjoy comradery, kharak and stories. I had to depart early

But all in all it was a fantastic afternoon in the sand with our Almost4x4 family

Regards
Until the next Adventure

Brett
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Mghoneim
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Another smooth drive under @alshamsi ’s lead. Arrived early and it felt home meeting my fellow Almosters. Had short chit chat before gathering up for the briefing.

As we lined up, i was called to have my 1st second lead with ALMOST4x4. It was really enjoyable as i hate driving in the middle of the convoy with wet sand.

Great scenery with each stop, and finally relaxing a while at Ghost town. I have to admit that @Shamsi ’s karak beats @rapailo ’s wanna be karak 😂


See you all soon
orlantsev
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Hello all,
it was a good relaxing drive. Glad that rain got delayed which allowed us to drive in pretty conditions with a slight wind. There were still patches of wet sand, but mostly it was dry, and sometimes quite soft. The area was expectedly busy and we always had to be mindful of other convoys crossing our path. I was floating in a convoy led by @giorgio . The flow was good with just few second tries and one pop out. As it has been mentioned one area of improvement is distance. At this, not super fast pace, to have a disconnected convoy is unusual. Think of the scenario when convoy starts to move faster. The last time I was in Ghost Town was maybe 4 years ago, and I was surprised to see that 2WD cars can reach it now without issues. If it was not for the traffic this area would be one of the best for beginners as it allows to practice in technical areas, but also get a feel of bigger dunes.
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