May the crest be with you

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David
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Old Sweihan, afternoon drive towards the sun, you know just when receiving the MP that it is going to be fun.

Great attendance of intermediates, fantastic group of friends & drivers that always join in good numbers. First doubt cleared, 2 convoys, Optimus taking the "less experienced" with Bu Salem as support (congrats Optimus on your 1st interm lead, no doubt many more to come!!!) and the 2nd convoy lead by the organizing Marshall Mabubaker supported by Rashid and his copilot Scorpio driving Singh's car (don't worry Singh, Rashid was careful, he drove it like if it was his own ... OSMILEY )

So far all ingredients perfect, to top it up Mabubaker gives me the 2nd lead (thank you so much!!!), I guess being noisy in the chat paid off ... OSMILEY

We all know the area quite well, biggest bowls around without having to go to the "big dunes", always curious when being 2nd lead to a new Marshall for the 1st time in a drive where he/she will push a bit, Mabubaker made it clear from the start, we are going to make the most of the dunes and started with some fast paced hard side crest on the way to the 1st bowl, a lot of fun, my favorite move. cool

If one thing was evident from the start is that Mabubaker likes to drive the side walls ... plenty of those!!!, glad the snorkel and the sock are IN!!!!

Conditions were hard, hot, bushes, ditches, good pace, ... loved it. My only problem was with the gearbox towards the start, those continuous side walls required excessive use of 1st gear and we all know what happens with the Jeep, twice 1st gear would not engage, "safer driving mode" had to be "activated" until temperatures dropped a bit, trying to find any possible opportunity to give the gearbox a rest by using 2nd and even 3rd when and as much as possible.

One car with mechanical problems had to be taken out, afterwards one pop-out (not much for that area) was the next noticeable incident, later when we were on the way out Mabubaker noticed he had lost his GoPro so we went back on the same track, very bad luck for him, for us to be honest good luck, we were 3Km away from the exit and now we were going to do the full track on reverse!!!, unfortunately the camera was not found, that was not all, the "tire party" started, our convoy left with 4 damaged tires, I believe that the other convoy 2-3???, not a bad rate for one single afternoon ... "hard on the engine and soft on the tires" came to mind while driving back home.

We finished late, last tire change by the gate where we started, I think it was around 9:15/9:30 by the time I started my way back to Dubai, perfect time to reach home, shower and watch Madrid winning the 14th CL, perfect day to be honest.

Time to say thank you, 1st of all to all of the Marshalls/explorers, Optimus and Shamsi for taking care of one convoy (alongside Orlantsev), Mabubaker for organizing and leading the 2nd one with Rashid/Scorpio as support. Secondly to all of my fellow intermediates that always show up for the fun drives. in love

See you on the sand soon!!!
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Tomvanhouten
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Hi all,

Round 2 was for us to being challenged in Old Sweihan, this area is really great!!! Hoping for a lot more drives in there during "hot summer"!

I was assigned to the convoy led by @Mabubaker and supported by the brilliant combo @Scorpio /@Rashidjass .
About one hour in the drive, one car had to be brought back to Sabkha, but the driver didn't leave (I love that mentality), so I was one passenger richer and I have to admit; I needed to get used to that again, driving alone nowadays have a nice day .
That meant chitchatting, trying to focus and off course the balance in the car..I needed to adjust, but enjoyed the company a lot and good exercise for myself.

I was making a stupid mistake in one of the bowls, running on the (already made) tracks too aggressively, resulting in the pop-out mentioned by @David . A quick fix and off we went again!

The rest of the drives consisted of fast pace crest after crest, bowl after bowl, pushing the car to where it is suppose to perform and a lot of plants, but man I enjoyed!!

The tire party, really called for some improvising and team work with borrowing tires here and there, jacks not being able to lift the car high enough, tires needed to deflate to bring them in position and the valuable lesson of how to create a 'new' tire nut when the old surface is gone.

Tired, but very satisfied, I arrived home to find dinner served at 11pm pacman .

What a day!

Tom
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Hi everyone and welcome to the tires’ show!!!

As I said on the chat group, the drive should be renamed as “May the cut tire not be with you” as clearly the tires and rim’s issues were the main character of that one! But let’s start from the beginning...

I was very excited about this drive because my last inter one was a long time ago, on the 23rd April to be precise with Rapailo “Side effects” and missing a lot the sand adrenaline rush so, I was decided to secure a seat in the convoy: Alarm set at 17:59 pm and looking at NASA clock Psmiley for clicking in the right moment. I finally made it and counting the hours since Monday 18pm till Sat 13pm for leaving home..a long wait.

As such, by the time I was reaching the meeting point I was already tuned and ready to go! cool Sweihan was waiting for us and it never disappoints.

Two convoys were made and I was invited to join the “baby interm” with some of the usual suspects. “Sand dancing Master” @optimus took the lead and “Master of the Masters” @alshamsi_m was floating & taking care of all of us. I was honored to be the second lead (thanks Optimus( but I managed to “eat” a nasty ditch only a few minutes after we got started and voila! Pop-out and cut tire :yuush: . Still, I had time to alert the rest of the convoy on the radio so I am glad to be the only one getting caught.

All my friends got out of their cars to enjoy the good weather (around 43C) and helped me out with that. My gratitude to all of them thumbsup . This way, even though there was no time to warm me up on the driving I was completely warmed up from the physical :;^^: point of view, but I continued the drive with even more enthusiasm than before but this time in the middle of the convoy. Our advance colleague @orlantsev took the second lead and all I can tell is that after a few minutes another driver took that position… wtfsmilie

Form that point onwards the drive was fantastic, plenty of bowls, never-ending side cresting good pace and tons of fun. From time to time we met with the senior convoy in the distance, also having fun and making incredible maneuvers. As explain by Tom, we also had fun playing with tires & rims here and there like legos, it is good to know that we have a sort of mobile tires shop in our convoys. thumbsup

By the time I am finishing my trip report I registered myself in Salalah adventure 2022 and I can’t tell how excited I am with that…but this report is coming in a few months.

Thanks a lot @Mabubaker for organizing, @optimus for your great lead and patience with us and @alshamsi_m for…everything he always does which is incredible. And thanks @Rashidjass and @Scorpio for showing up too.

See you soon
Carlos
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Petr
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I recently ended my engagement in KSA and returned back to my base in UAE, so I was extremely happy that marshalls moved me from the waiting list to the main convoy, since I could not join inter drives for looong time. I just checked when it was the last time and I was shocked: @CARLOSS, you said it was long time for you since 23rd April, but my last one was on 16th April.... 2021! I couldn't believe my eyes when I read it in the Almost 4x4 app, I knew the time flies faster in my age, but that fast???

So, I was coming with mixed feelings - excited, but worried as well whether I am not too rusty to keep up the pace, and if my Jeep is going to be able to handle the heat and speed. I was put in the @Mabubaker's convoy and was happy to meet all my old buddies and some new ones too. Soon we started, and after few minutes of the drive I felt like sitting in an old, well shaped saddle that my ass still remembered. The horses under my Jeep's hood worked reliably, and the needle on my therm almost didn't move when I pushed the engine to high speed.

I got excited and thirsty for the velocity. Wherever possible, I speeded up, so the car sometimes jumped on the sods of grass and momentarily flied, but I didn't care, and my Jeep didn't complain either redbullsmiley. The drive went on and everything was perfect - the desert, the drive, the friends around handling everything smoothly. Abubaker got often into a nice flow and we felt it like a nice dance.

It was nearly the end of the day when @Tomvanhouten noticed my front tyre looked flat. I checked and found wires penetrating through the rubber inside, and there were gaping deep holes in the tread - it was gone. @Sorin, @Tomvanhouten and @David came to help with the replacement job, unfortunately after bringing down my reserve, we noticed the spare tyre was uglily swollen at one place, as if you overinflate a baloon and it starts to grow a bubble at the thinnest place just before it bursts. It was not there when I put this wheel off my jeep and placed it as spare two weeks ago. It was only shabby, but I am glad I did it early enough! Luckily there were other Jeeps and @Ehab gave me his spare.

It could be a happy end of the story, but not on this day, since another tyre appeared flat just when we gathered to leave the desert. I inflated it and hoped it will last at least till the gate, but the time and distance was against my plans - on the road to the gate the flat tyre passed away quickly. Due to all delays it got dark already, but @Scorpio, @Rashidjass, and @Tomvanhouten with @Mabubaker who came back, helped me to replace the wheel thanks to another generous wheel donor @mpodroid. It was not smooth this time, since the nuts resisted to be grabbed properly to be released, fortunately Rashid showed us a very useful trick - the nuts have quite soft metal foil coating that makes them vulnerable to surface damage, but the coating can be completely removed by sharp tools and force, uncovering nicely shaped facets underneeth, and we were able to finish the replacement quickly.

Apparently the tyres were at the end of their life span, and my fast excited bumpy drive plus Abubaker's favourite slope-sliding finished them off. At the end of the day I was leaving the desert with two friends' wheels and three dead tyres, RIP Psmiley. Next day I bought a set of new tyres, returned the wheels to the generous owners and started to practice the fast clicks on the registration app for the next inter drive :ninja:.

Thank you all for helping and I look forward to seeing you in desert again soon!
orlantsev
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Hi all,

I was so glad that I could benefit from my present location in Abu Dhabi as the drive location was just an hour away. I met @Mabubaker at a petrol station, and since it was still early we had coffee and chit chat there. Arrived at the meeting point and several drivers who supported the morning newbie drive were already there. The sun was very spicy, but still drivers preferred to socialize rather than enjoy the AC inside the car. The convoys were split and I was allowed to float in one of the convoys. Marshalls briefed to expect high level due to nature of the dunes. This is a very beautiful area of Sweihan which we 're-discovered' with @solmaz as a lead few months ago. It is a a narrow chain which allows for relatively easy exit to the flat in case of trouble.

Shortly after the start of drive @optimus asked me to take the 2nd lead role. We got to the first big bowl for a bit of play and this is where my drive ended. I did not exactly follow @optimus track and went a bit higher, so I got to the downward crest at a slightly higher position. Could not ride the crest and fell on one side which was both steep and soft. From there on the main task was to avoid rollover and everything else was secondary. The speed was still high and I could not do hard break as the car was not positioned straight. That's when you remember what marshals taught us ... minimize the damage, and not avoid it. I hit the hard ground with the front left wheel. The popout was obvious, but upon initial inspection no other damage occurred. While fixing the popout @alshamsi_m was quick to notice the rim was bent and air was leaking. Still not so bad, but this is where the 'fun' started. The spare tire did not fit the nut. I bought Patrol 2nd hand and it came with 4 "Fuel" rims which I was quite happy with. I only added one more rim as a spare since it was completely stock including a different sized tire. What I did not know is that the previous owner cut the middle of front rims to make them fit, but did not do the same for any other rim. In that sense the spare was only good for rear wheels. Unfortunately, I was the only Patrol and FJs spares were not fit.

If it was any other group this situation would immediately require a rescue call, but Almost 4x4 is never short of innovative ideas. @alshamsi_m took the damaged wheel on his roof rack to Sweihan while I transferred to @NahorJP as a passenger and radio assistant. At around 6.15 pm @alshamsi_m returned, and before we went back to my car everyone was treated with coffee and karak. Somehow he managed to find a tiny tire shop which did not exist on any map, and borrowed the stock Patrol tire (size did not matter as long as it could be mounted). My wheel was sent to Al Ain for fixing. When the drive finished he took me to the shop and made sure the agreed price would still hold as my appearance could open a door for renegotiation. Finally, my wheel arrived at 9.30 - all fixed and good. Still some alignment job needed to be done today, and appointment is set for later this week to deal with the rest of the wheels.

This misfortune was a bit hard to avoid as the car records were scarce, but if it was some other group it would have costed me way more time, money and stress to get out of this situation. Thanks to those who helped, and sorry of it stole some time from the drive.
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Sorin
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Greetings everyone,

Wasn't sure I'd catch a seat for this drive as I was rusty during the registration process but thankfully we have very generous marshals and I was allowed to join.

Old Sweihan is an amazing area famed for its sharp dunes and wide bowls and it was the second time I found myslef in this area in a convoy led by @Mabubaker

Started with a quick warmup & the fun began as the speed increased and the dunes got bigger. I wasn't in a good shape and I had a hard time keeping to the track. Multiple second tries and even a stuck (or so I thouhght, because @Rashidjass reminded me that I'm driving an FJ now and I got out of it un-assisted)

Still learning how to handle the car, and specifically how to drive fast on the walls and keep the line, a struggle for me yesterday.

Have to mention that part where @Mabubaker and @David literally defied the laws of physics by sidecresting a very high dune coming from a U turn and doing it on the extremely soft side-wall, leaving me, @Tom & @Petr in a loop of continous second tries until we gave up and listened to @Rashidjass & took another way OSMILEY

Unfortunately, the risks of trying to record the drive from nice angles manifested itself again and we lost another camera. We drove back to look for it but alas it was not meant to be. I hope future archeologists who will disocver the data in this camera and the camera I lost in Badayer, will draw some positive conclusions about the desert drivers's skills in the 21st century pacman

Many thanks to the organizer of this drive, it was fantastic and I can't wait to do it again grin
Many thanks as well to our support from @Rashidjass and @Scorpio


Video of the drive below:

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dorudoru
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Hello Everyone,

I was incredibly excited for this drive specifically since the last intermediate drive I did with the club was “The Long Scout” which held place on February this year. Interestingly, that drive started from the same point. Old Sweihan is one of my favorites if not the first in the nearby areas. I have very fond memories in this area and every time I re-visit it shows me another aspect of it. Or let’s change the wording, our talented marshals are always able to show us what you can do with the same dune formations.

This drive was also very important for me from another perspective. We had 2 rising stars as the leads. Where I witnessed their rise for a long time @Mabubaker and @optimus. In the early days of me joining Almost 4x4, I’ve been to Al Qua as a passenger in an intermediate drive. Which happened to be the Advanced exam. I saw the hard work, comradeship of these gentlemen where they further developed themselves in the club and became Marshal and Explorer. I believe @rapailo was also at this group and he is a Marshal too now. What a dedicated group of people.

Let’s leave the sentimental stories on one side, It has been nearly 3 months I haven’t been driving with the club on an intermediate level drive and I was scared to be rusty. I generally try to take the second lead honor but this time I wasn’t that eager. However the escape from the ditch which took one of the tires of @CARLOSS shaved off my all rust. It just needed a minute on the sand. Changing the first tire physically warmed us up and we headed again.

As @orlantsev explained, we had another incident which resulted a bent rim where even the spare was not a offering a solution. But we were so lucky to have @alshamsi_m with us, who is always extremely generous to take care of anyone who needs a help! He took off with the damaged tire and we headed back into the chain further.

The different leading style of different marshals are something we all know and experienced till now, however we somehow got used to their styles with time during our development from the CM till day. Experiencing a total new lead in a great area on an interm drive was brilliant. @optimus honestly blew me away. Bullet like sidewalls, very fast side crests with impressive precision and the patience! in love

There were several occasions where he made quite high crossings which none of our interms were able to cross but he always gave us to confidence with “we are here to learn and try, take your time to be able to find the correct speed and angle. I can wait till the night if you want!”

After a while I hijacked the second lead position, and man I remembered how much I love to be directly behind the leading car. Following the leading car with his/her speed and momentum, trying to keep it in your eyes as a target with full concentration. I love the feeling. Open call to all our marshals and explorers, I would love to be on that position whenever!

I believe, in the short time we could drive we had a blast and I remember myself shouting in the radio “this drive should not finish!” and this was the only instance dear jeeper @Ehab agreed with me. ORLY

Many times after a side crest I saw “THE” smile in my fellow friend Carlos' face, that tells me lots of things as well.

Many thanks to @Mabubaker for arranging the drive, @optimus for amazing lead(I hope many more to come) and @alshamsi_m for looking after us. I had an amazing day after coming back from vacation and once again realized how much I love the desert with such great company! Thanks to my fellow interms!

See you on the sand!
Ehab
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What a day, the trip started with some footage for the media team, i am really proud to be one of them.

First intermediate trip for me with the new soft kumho tires, those are amazing.

Off we go, @Carlos second lead and i am car number 3, less than 200 meters from start point, a nasty ditch which we did not see due to sun light reflection, first pop-out and tire cut. Fixed quickly, @orlantsev is now second lead, i am still car number 3. Few side crests and we reach the famous old sweihan massive bowl, @optimus draw the line and we followed, second tire issue, popout and rim bend. Apparently second lead position is meant to me.
First climb on second gear, the car was almost out of control, fish tailing like if i am driving the old uncontrollable drifting BMW 340. Had to slow down until i get used to the tires.
@nidal.a-l-salti was my passenger, he joined me to enjoy and to capture some footage. The only footage he could make were from outside the car when he decided to record the action from outside, the rest of the time he was almost fully attached to the passenger grab handle. He refused to eat and had only little of water, very wise man.

@optimus did not leave any bowl until we access it literally from each side, left, right, front, back, each angle was approached. Bowl after bowl, crest after crest, some no one of us could do, yes he had to come back to us. It was an amazing trip.

From media point, i have more than 30 minutes of amazing climbs followed by side crests, so decided to make more than one video. 4 short videos and one long video. Will be publishing them one by one during the week. Enjoy watching.

First short Video

Second video

Others will follow.
optimus
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Drive : MTCBWY
Organizer: MAbubaker
Level : intermediate
Convoys : 2
Lead C1 : MAbubaker
Lead C2 : myself
Area : Old Sweihan
Support :
Convoy 1 : Rashid & Scorpio
Convoy 2 : Bu Salem & Orlantsev

It was my first time to drive in old sweihan.
The area didn’t disappoint me. I was already in the flow the moment the rubber touched the sand. I lost two braveheart 2nd leads back to back in first 15 mins. One car broke down. My guardian angel Bu Salem had to take the wheel of that car to get it repaired. With no support in an intermediate convoy in sweihan, I had to be extra careful but at the same time I did not want to disappoint our intermediates. Therefore the convoy was pushed to a fun yet safe level.

At last thanks to my brother @Mabubaker for organizing the drive and giving me a convoy to lead.

Thanks to all the intermediates for a good drive we had. Keep the sand flying Guys!

At last but not the least ofcourse thanks to one & only our mentor & guardian @alshamsi_m for deeply instilling in us the club values.

Until next time!
Optimus
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Mabubaker
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Was great to see the big turnout of intermediates to this drive. It shows how much you guys are committed to sharpen your offroading skills and enjoy the confidence while driving higher levels in the desert.

With @alshamsi_m , @optimus , @Rashidjass and @Scorpio support I was able to activate the second intermediate convoy.. thank you my dears…

As explained during the pre-drive briefing, old sweihan area is a good terrain to keep you familiar with big dunes and bowls areas such as wagan and quoa.

With @Rashidjass and @Scorpio floating,@David as 2nd lead, I started with a fast paced drive heading towards the first bowl, trying not to miss any good crest on the way..

Other than the incidents mentioned in previous reports, we pretty much had an acceptable flow. But need to highlight the following:
Reporting second tries is extremely important, there are several incidents when second tries were happening without reporting.
Be patient and don't rush things, do "as much as" second tries (T&C apply) but make sure you do it right. This is how we all learned.

It was a great day, and for sure we will re-visit this place soon!

Thank you all and see you soon!
M Abubaker
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