High Octane II

[Sanadshaikh]

Vrroomm, thudd, crankk, vrrroooom, thudddd These sounds are still ringing my head Not only was the drive high octane, but also high adrenaline and high bpm..

Jokes aside, this drive for me was a new syllabus - understanding driving conditions in wet sand, balancing speed control & distance, being extremely alert, bailing out at the right time, maintaining safety and following instructions to the dot. From start to finish this one required utmost attention! First few dunes, I made bad calls but got out luckly, a subsequent one got me dug in pretty bad - Mohd Yaseen & Rooeis were quick to the rescue and got me out safely

Later followed Rashid back to the convoy and had some second attempts. That point onwards I tried as much as possible to avoid sliding and/or being stuck. The terrain was unforgiving and my bone stock FJ and I were struggling to keep up. Wet/hard surface + bushes made the ride pretty harsh, especially around technical areas.

Throughout the drive, it was amazing to see seasoned marshalls spring into action and help those in sticky situations (...and there were many sticky situations...).

In addition to the thrills and action, High Octane had its fair share of relaxing and socialising. It was great to meet folks from CM 2022. Drive ended a little later than anticipated and all got out safe, with one comrade needing extra support.

All in all, it was a great drive with great company. I will remember this one for a looooong time

[alshamsi_m]

Hello Everyone

THANKS @Scorpio for organising the drive and @optimus for driving the drive

Well our dear newbies, now you can see what is coming for you, once you pass the 10 drives with the club the speed changes dramatically because this a preparation for the next level drives.

The idea is to train you to have higher endurance and focus and that is the name of the game

We were lucky to have one more Founder with is in the drive @zico who was my master for rescue training .

At the end of the drive who had to say goodbye for our Hungary newbies since we have preparation for next long weekend drives.

Till then, Stay Safe and keep the sand flying

Cheers
Shamsi

[brett]

Dear Almosters,
I a writing a quick report today as I am finally heading away for a much needed vacation tomorrow

High Octane II was a morning drive in the now very familiar Al Faqa area. I arrived almost an hour before the meeting time surprised to see @aljamhi - he has a longer drive than most of us as he is coming from Abu Dhabi. Soon enough other drivers and marshals arrived, almost everyone turned up ahead of the meeting time - obviously very eager to experience a new level of driving in their off road journey.

Thanks to @scorpio for posting the drive, who was unfortunately unable to join. A big thanks to @Optimus for stepping in as lead marshal. There was a large contingent of founders, marshals and advanced drivers on hand to keep a watchful eye on the members. @alshamsi_m, @zirco, @giorgio @rashidjass @mahmoodyasin.
Intermediates to assist with recoveries and of course media crew to capture all of those moments on film @ehab @nidal @rooies.

The briefing was completed convoy order set - @ehab 2nd lead, myself and @nidal within the convoy and @rooies sweeping

As mentioned the sand was going to be very different due to the recent rains - hard on top but once cut up by the leading cars it was like driving in heavy unforgiving slippery, but at the same time sticky Gluck !
As promised the drive was fast - given the nature of the sand conditions and the vegetation it made for a bumpy and unpredictable drive.

Full concentration was required and all the previous skills learned needed to be put into practice while at the same time adapting to these new and unusual conditions.
Some of the arches were extremely tricky for those of us following after several cars before had chewed up the line completely, with the bumpy approaches to the arches and the chewed track I found myself on many occasions having to turn down to a lower line so as not to get in a situation of fighting gravity and or being pulled in by the unforgiving wet glue like sand.

During the drive we had a number of breaks to allow drivers to calm their nerves, chit chat and enjoy karak and coffee. Before continuing on to face more demands and challenges

Finally the time had come to end the drive and we headed out to the gate.

I am sure many drivers were feeling mentally drained by the end. Building mental stamina is a key part of the learning process. Towards the end of a drive it is extremely important to remain 100% focused. If you are feeling you are loosing focus there is no shame in making it known to the marshals that you need to take a break or ease off the pace, so that everyone remains safe

Unfortunately I will miss the Hahmeem drives next weekend. Stay safe and enjoy the experience. I will be there in spirit as I have supplied a bag of wood for the camp fire ! Enjoy.

[Moustafa19]

Hello Everyone

The day started with beautiful morning and light rain in my way to the meeting point.

I was expecting new level in this trip as that was clearly mentioned in trip description.

Trip speed was higher what we used to drive and the track was more harder .

In some areas I couldn’t follow the original track so I have chosen to go lower and to not risk it ,
But in general I can say I was doing good in following the track, maintaining the distance, keep myself safe and proper communication.

Big thanks to Scorpio for organising this drive , Optimus for leading , Our founder and all marshals for advices and keeping eye on us

Can’t wait for next week to see you all in Liwa

Regards,,
Moustafa Selin

[Vika]

Hello everyone!

I have to admit that High Octane 2 was a big challenge for me. Thanks to @Scorpio for creating this drive, it's a pity that you weren't with us.
Every time I hear that the drive was easy, regardless of the level and skills, I sincerely admire the courage and confidence of the members, who talk about it, which I cannot say from the word “at all”. Each subsequent step in an off-road adventure is a new challenge for me. Regardless of the number of drives I make, I still don’t know what awaits me on the other side and I never will
When they ask me why I chose this hobby instead of dancing, although dancing is my other hobby, I answer that this is the only activity ,where my brain acts rationally and is not based on my crazy emotions
This is the first time I've driven in post-rain weather conditions, and I have to admit that off-roading is called that for a reason. It was a completely different experience. I didn’t relax for a second, didn’t turn on loud music and didn’t try to have a laugh with my passenger, although she wasn’t in the mood for that either))))).
As for me the track was not easy, full of ditches and bushes, plus speed. Throughout the entire drive, I tried to feel out my car, what speed I need to use so as not to jump like a kangaroo, not to fly, but at the same time not to lose momentum. I tried this and that, but I just couldn’t catch it. Realizing that you need to speed up to climb, and then suddenly there’s a side crest even it'sa small one, and then there’s a ditch. Oh my God! With all this, it is necessary to keep the car in front in order to understand how to act, and also keep your focus on the car behind, so as not to lose the flow of the convoy.
I’ll make the story shorter: off-roading at a professional level is not easy, but I absolutely love it and will learn it just as much as necessary.
At one point I couldn’t stand it, I ran to @Optimus and asked: “Keeping the right speed, I jump like a kangaroo, so as not to jump like a kangaroo, I’m losing momentum, what should I do?” Optimus replied, in this situation, don’t be afraid to be kangaroo)))). Taking his advice, the last minutes of the drive were indescribably .
Conclusion: Learn , observe, and learn it again and don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know how.
Big Thanks to @Optimus for such a leading, founders, marshals and support team to keep us safe. All the drivers for attending and all and everyone, who made this event happened.

With big love and gratitude

Till the next time

Yours Vika

[Vika]

P. S. 🫨🫨🫨

Founders, Marshals, Advanced, Intermediates


How do you do it???????? 🫨🫨🫨

[giorgio]

Finally the good weather is here and from now on the morning will be fresh and cold

We had a high number of participants with hungry members ready to take over the wet sand
Yes wet sand is a new experience that requires a new approach. As this is a rare opportunity it was a nice lesson for all drivers to understand the difference

Overall the Leading Marshal kept the drive above average and the drivers did their best to keep up with the drive

couple of points worth mentioning are:

When you climb an arch go as high as you momentum permits you in a safe manner. Do not go higher than the leading car. Keep practicing the arches and slowly you will manage to nail every climb when you get the technique right.

Exiting an arch or dissenting, never stop even if there is a ditch that you will need to negotiate. For no reason you should stop your car. A moving car is a safe car so keep moving.

Last point for this drive is that during an arch you need to constantly monitor your momentum and speed. The sand may change behavior, and may suck you in and slow your momentum down. It is important to not hesitate and immediately aboard and try again. You need to train yourself to make sharp and instant decisions as most of the time the decision needs to be instant with no time for hesitation. A small delay aboarding may lead you to get stuck in a very tricky situation.


Closing I would like to thank all members Organizer, lead Marshall, support team, Founders and all drivers that attend this amazing morning

   Until next drive be safe and looking forward to see you all soon   

[Paddy]

"Driving in dessert is not same as driving on road" Thats been said multiple times by everyone I know, but driving in wet sand is totally a different experience.

I would like to start this report with a big thank you to all Founders, Marshalls, Supporting members and my fellow newbies. Because of you all I look forward to each an every drive which I can be a part of.

I wont say much, all the replies above narrated the day very well, for me learning curve is getting better and with each drive I am learning a little bit more about driving.

Not writing much as words can not explain the feeling of learning something which couple of months ago was just a dream.

Only advise I have is never stop dreaming.

~BR
Paddy

[Ehab]

Heavy rain during the week and a 10+ newbie trip in Faqa, that's something should not be missed.
Arrived on time to the meeting point, deflated and we were called for the briefing, Optimus informed everyone to be extra cautious as wet sand is difficult to maneuver and popouts can easily happen where we might end up in a nasty situation if we do not handle our cars properly.

Then i was asked to handle the second lead position, till then, all is as expected and normal. All drivers are lined up, then Optimus asked me to approach him, "Ehab stay close", hmmm now this is scary, what he has in his mind? its a newbies drive as i recall

And off we go, fast really fast, few minutes and we are driving alone, i cannot see the car behind me, Optimus reduced the speed a bit for the drivers to catch up, then off we go, faster than before, again, no one behind, catchup guys, faster, Shamsi changed the location of few drivers trying to let them adapt to the speed of the convoy, better but still below marshals expectations, quick debrief, again back to driving, faster than before, higher arches, faster and narrower maneuvers and that continued for a while.
One extremely important skill for this hobby is 100% concentration, if you feel tired or unable to concentrate 100%, then inform the marshal and do not continue, its impossible to be able to continue a drive if you are not 100% focused, losing focus will most probably lead to a tragedy.

3 hours of really fast dune bashing, the newbies were pushed to their limits if not beyond, this trip was extremely beneficial not only for newbies but also for more experienced drivers.
Thanks Optimus and all supporting marshals and founders.