Galaxy V4 - All newbie

[David]

All newbie drives are always fun, very nice to see all of the members from different levels on attendance, plus the always abundant support.

Drive organized by Optimus, 3 convoys, I was in convoy 2, lead by Daggerfall and supported by Mghoneim, Galindakis, Kimoz, Ehab and myself.

Mixture of drivers with different number of drives which always makes it a bit harder for the leading driver, Daggerfall made it clear, we start "easy" and we increase the level if the convoy moving well.

2 main topics for improvement that in a sense are joint together, distance and radio communication, Daggerfall explained in the half way briefing that these 2 needed to be improved.

These 2 factors are the basics of being able to drive safely in an Almost convoy, it is not about your individual driving skills if not your driving skills as part of a group, we are all responsible for each other and if we want to safely have fun we need to make sure we stay concentrated and we pay attention to these 2 points.

Distance - Not too close and not too far. Very busy area with the other 2 almost convoys moving nearby, hence plenty of tracks in all directions, it happened a few times that the track was lost, if you can not see the car in front of you there is always a risk of this to happen and you ending up following tracks that are not meant for your level and that could get you into very serious trouble. Additionally, the car ahead gives you very valuable information regarding the obstacles ahead.

Radio communication - this refers both to receiving information and passing on information, this is critical for everyone involved to know what is happening around us, if a message is given to you please acknowledge that you have received it and understood it, if you have not please ask for clarification, always better to be safe than sorry.

Special kudos to a member that, when facing obstacles that he did not like for whatever reason, asked me to find him an alternative easier route. Please please please, always, it is your right to say no, Marshalls will always try to take you safely in the selected driving area but if for whatever reason you don't like something it is always your right to wisely ask for an alternative.

Many thanks to Optimus for organizing, all of the Marshalls that attended, specially Daggerfall for his lead in our convoy, all of the support Team and all of the Members that made this very enjoyable afternoon possible

See you on the sand soon.

[galindakis]

Good afternoon,
Yesterday we do enjoy the nice and hot weather of UAE during the summer. I do enjoy the sand more though.
The attendance was high, Optimus divided the car into 3 convoys.
I was assigned to convoy 2, lead by Daggerfall and supported by Mghoneim, David, Kimoz, Ehab and myself.
Newbies had the opportunity to experience some safari style and big arches but the mix of levels made it difficult.
As David said the 2 main point to improve were communication and distance (not too far not too close).
I thought I was missing the water melon but during the inflation I received a piece which is always nice.
See you soon again.

[CARLOSS]

Hi everyone!

Another All Newbie drive another success. Plenty of people (+30) gathered in “Nahil’s grill” with enough heat to cook lamb chops without charcoal

I was assigned to master of master @alshamsi_m ’s convoy along with general @Barish supporting the convoy with three interm colleagues @mpodroid , @nidal78 and Ahmed. Thanks @optimus for organizing such a magnificent event! and remaining Marshals present @Daggerfall , @Rashidjass

Playground selected was super with a nice combinations of small-medium sizes dunes perfect for safari still and decent pace. Our professor gave us a good combo of that covering the 2 chain dunes. Long time I did not visited the South one and clearly, we did not make the big ones and Nahil bowl on purpose …our newbie members will discover them soon if they keep on improving.

Floating & taking care of the convoy seem easy but believe me, it is quite complicated, so I really appreciated Barish’s tips and recommendations given on the stop. It is a privilege being taught by so experience marshals.

The convoy did well with expected minor issues such as lack of proper distance and communication but nothing major I would say.

Deserved couple of breaks for exhausted drivers and some overheated cars allowed us to enjoy the scenery including one of our other convoy’s driver getting stuck in a funny position…good to see how others work hard while you are refreshing yourself

I cannot wait for the next one. See you all then
Carlos

[King]

Galaxy V4

If you know …. You know
It is always good to study before exam, and to read previous trip reports to get an idea about the drive, specifically when the drive is a corner-stone at ALMOST training programs.
GALAXY is a drive to wrap-up all your previously learned skills and to bring all levels together to enrich communication and team spirit.

3 Convoys…. More Fun
As the registration was open to all levels, it reached to 41 participants including Marshals and Rescue teams.
After warm reception at meeting point under magnificent sun, the organizing marshal @optimus brought out this hand written drive plan with 3 convoys !!!
I was lucky enough to join convoy no.1 with @Rashidjass as floating marshal and @brett as second lead with @optimus as leading marshal and support team @Aljamhi @Mostafa with @Mahdi as sweeper.

Go high … or go home
The drive have unmatched adventures theme, with several high climbs and deep descending… for a while we felt it is high level for us, but with support of intermediate drivers we kept the pace and move up except for few second trails.
When we reached high dunes, the marshals decided to give us chance to practice climbing up and to reach the top and turning to the top of next dune. Few weeks ago, I could flee away and drop the drive if it includes such climb, but I did it successfully, and received great shout out from @Aljamhi and @Rashidjass with his passenger @ahmedmafia.

Best to Rest
At the top, I enjoyed the break with the rest of the convoy. However, the usual hospitality demonstrated by @Mostafa the chilled mandarin and watermelon make it enjoyable memories. Then we moved to massive drop, but confidently we descended smoothly, then enjoyed the rest of the track till end point.

Points for Improvement
I have notice the progress in my driving and endurance, but still need to work on developing the car control to avoid Fish-tail issue. I guess our reference and group Founder @alshamsi_m will help me in next drive.

At the end point, everyone was happy and loaded with adrenaline, big thanks for the Founder, Marshals and support team for this successful drive. It was fun and we enjoyed it despite of summer heat.
Till next time

[brett]

Galaxy V4 All Newbie

Dear Almosters,
The Drive that allows all the different level Newbies -5, 5+, -10, 10+ to come together and meet up is a great way for the drivers to meet with other members they might otherwise not get the opportunity to drive with. Thanks to @optimus for arranging the drive in our now very familiar Nahil area.
There was a great turnout of Newbies with some 20+ drivers registered. Fantastic support with Founders, Marshals, Explorers and Intermediates. So there were around 38 cars in total.
The weather was pleasant for this time of the year and starting at a later time around 4pm the intense heat of the day was starting to ease off.
@optimus did the attendance, a general briefing and divided the drivers into 3 Convoys.
I was placed in the convoy, lead by @optimus with intermediate support from @armin @Aljamhi , @Moustafa and myself of course in 2nd lead @King I am certainly not The Legendary General . And @Rashidjass floating marshal to keep a watchful eye.
@optimus took off at a reasonable pace and as I expected it was going to be a quick drive with a mix of safari style and some great arches, straight crosses, a few switches and some very technical areas.
The Newbies were taken slightly out of their comfort zones which became obvious very quickly. Most of the drivers adapted well to the style of the drive, with of course the expected 2nd tries and refusals. There were a few times when lack of communication resulted in the convoy being detached and time being taken to reconnect the convoy. Toward the end of the drive @optimus encountered a rather sharp straight crest resulting in the need for him to back up and make another attempt (successfully) to break the crest and make the cross. As second lead it is important to try and anticipate the line of the lead car and allow the correct distance to allow the lead car space to manoeuvre. On this occasion I had come a bit too close to @optimus as a result after his successful cross I was unable to get enough momentum in the soft sand on the approach and ended up crested on the dune. I was quickly recovered by @Aljamhi (thank you). At which point @optimus changed the track to avoid this particular cross.
The drive consisted of some very nice arches and climbs challenging the Newbie to test all the skills they have learnt on their journey with Almost4x4.
My take aways for everyone on the drive – The Basics are extremely important
Communication – can not be stressed enough call your situation, and listen to instructions
Following Distance – not too closes, not to far
Momentum – a moving car is a safe car
Gravity – never fight gravity if in doubt turn down
Tire Pressure – just a couple of PSI will be the difference between successfully completing a climb and having to retry.
We completed the 30km at around 7pm where we enjoyed chilled water melon (@Moustafa )

[massaleh]

What a day in short ..

Galaxy Drive took place on June 21, 2025 which is officially the first day of summer and we definitely felt it on our skin ..

Joining me on this adventure were my mother, my sister, and my son Adam the friend of Yousef, Kimoz's son.

After gathering for the briefing led by Optimus, I was with Convey 2, led by @Daggerfall and was supported by an awesome team @Mghoneim , @galindakis , @KIMOz , @Ehab , and @David .

The drive itself was full of “wow” moments We pushed ourselves as drivers to the limit climbing high dunes, dropping into steep descents, and cruising through beautiful sandy arches.

On the first climb, I went in pretty aggressively full speed ahead and for a moment it felt like we were about to fly Luckily, we made it through by heating down a bit hard up rather than flying over or rolling. Right after, David came over, helped me down, checked that everyone was safe, and gave me some great advice: "It’s always better to take a second try than to hit it hard or go airborne." Point taken ..

From then on, I managed the rest of the crossings smoothly and safely. My mother enjoyed the trip, although I could sense she was a bit nervous during some of the harder climbs. So, I tried to balance the route wherever possible. When it got tricky, David was always nearby with a friendly smile, helping me find safer paths, thank you @David

By the end of the drive, everyone in my car was asking, “When’s the next drive?”

Not to forget @Mostafa too, with so many drivers, we were lucky to enjoy his refreshing watermelon at the end of the drive ..

Thank you all for such a hot drive in both temperature and skill.

Looking forward to the next adventure!

Mohammad Assaleh (العسالة)

[ahmed77moharem]

Summer's here, hitting 50 degrees! Fun and challenges galore, a new trip for all the newbies – 39 cars! @optimus organized it, with tons of marshals (@alshamsi_m, @Barish, @Daggerfall, @Rashidjass) and explorers (@Carloss, @David, @Ehab).
We split into three convoys; I was in convoy one, led by @optimus and @Rashidjass, with @Brett, @Moustafa, @Aljamhi, and @Mahdi supporting.
The drive had some crazy arches and tough climbs – a real test of our skills.
We finished the planned route safely and happily.

[rbarbier19]

4th drive for me, joined by my 2 youngest kids.
we had lots of fun despite the heat and a struggling aircon.
Part of convoy #3 led by @alshamsi_m i felt that the pace was relatively fast with only a handful of second tries (none for me this time)
I was reminded to keep a longer distance with the car in front and also learnt not to fight gravity & to 'enjoy the music' while the car slides down a long descent.
First time driving on a few short crests - i must say it was a bit intimidating - specially once when i lost sight of the car in front of me and had the sun direct in my face. Decided it was safer to stop & wait for guidance from @brett if not mistaken, to get down.
For sure my most enjoyable drive so far & look forward to the next one - after our summer break.