Falcon X

[Ehab]

Falcon X, unfinished business in Al Quaa area with Optimus.

April 2023 we visited this area with Optimus leading, very hot and soft sand where we all struggled and second tries were the theme. Optimus brought us back to the same chain but a bit further and non of us wanted to go out

Arrived earlier than #oralntsiv and played a bit before i reached the camp location, fixed my tent and settled in the camp MP.

Drivers started arriving one after another, chit chatting and camp stories continued till 11 pm when we all started heading toward our tents. Very pleasant and quite night with clear skies and shiny morning.

8:30 sharp we have the briefing and off we go, bowl after bowl, crest after crest after crest, magnificent area and extraordinary lead, in many maneuvers, Optimus avoided doing an easy but very nice crest made me frustrated for few seconds to find out that he seen a better one in the other side so sacrifice that one, same with many bowls, he did not go to medium and small ones and took us to those massive starfish dunes, oh god, that was mind blowing.

I remember my early intermediate time where making a single crest was an achievement, now 4-5 crests together is the minimum thanks to the learning and training done by our marshals

Lucky me, Optimus built-in radio seems not working and he was using the handheld which has limited coverage, yeah i heard the guys reporting many second tries and requesting to hold the convoy many times which Optimus seems did not hear and i acted dumb sorry guys.

Optimus did not approach these large bowls from one angel only, he made sure each and every wall and crest in each bowl is stamped with our tracks not once but in many cases twice.

At the end, we approached Scorpio U Turn dune, that where the adrenaline rush reached its maximum level. Few minutes after that, Optimus burned all the fuel he has, lets go out guys; nah, one last crest please, and that 30 minutes was a trip by it self, massive dunes next to the gate which no one can resist not to climb, three times if not more, to the last drop in Optimus car tank

Its a working day tomorrow and i do not know if i will find enough time during the week to create the video but i am sure the footage is amazing, stay tuned.

[CARLOSS]

Hi everyone!

Falcon X was plenty of “ratatata” and adrenaline, especially during the last 2 hours after lunch with better visibility and drivers warmed up. For whatever reason, I normally recall epic “after lunch” sessions in Al Quaa, Umm Al Zumoul and all these beautiful areas while it should be the other way round with our bellies full . Anyway, it is good to have this uplifting feeling and leaving the playground plenty of joy and smiles in our faces.

Also interesting to see how more and more clubs and convoys are reaching far away areas on a frequent basis…when I got started, Sweihan was the game changer but now that has become a short of a “global village” , people need to explore far more distanced areas, I guess. Even though a few convoys took care of the most iconic dunes still (damn it!), the playground was excellent with no bushes and good sand conditions.

Falcon X was an extended version of Falcon covering around 25km more, a bit more challenging and entertaining as compared with his older brother. Flow was also better, and we did not suffer to many stop overs due to mechanical and tires’ issues so time flew and we finished with still energy for another round.

@optimus did a fantastic job , flawless I would say, surrounded and supported by @alshamsi_m , @Rashidjass , @Scorpio and two advance drivers @orlantsev and @Mahmoodyasin . He adjusted the drive’s level for making all drivers having fun on a safe way and in these dunes this is paramount as any minimal mistake might become fatal.

It seems that he was born in this chain of dunes and it was evident that he skipped on purpose some of the most tricky and challenging ones so, I hope that by the time some of us are ready he will take us back for a “full throttle” drive with no limitations . This area deserves that.

Final remark on Shamsi’s Mando who seems to come back on track. Long time no see Mando having that much fun and we all had a good feeling about that. Nothing better than Marshals and Founder running wild on the top of the dunes!

I would like to finish this trip report with thanks to my mates who made the whole event an unforgettable one and not only because of the drive itself but camping brotherhood and told stories…still laughing while recalling some of them. By this time we all know Preggy’s phone number (LOL).

See you soon my friends.
Carlos

[orlantsev]

Hello all,
I just got back to UAE on the 2nd week of January, just in time for registration. Took me a while to learn the new app to be able to register, but in the end it was all done. I only had to update my hotel booking after I realized that the drive was on Sunday, not the usual Saturday. Turns out that for some the cost of the mistake was greater . To my big surprise I did not come to the meeting point first. @Ehab was already there, so we set tents. It seems that I have not learnt to preserve wood, and I wanted to start fire way before the sunset, but @Ehab stopped me. Shortly after, the rest arrived. I found the weather to be warmer than usual for this time of the year, and I did not have to even get my jacket out. We were all in full attendance at 08:30 and started the drive. The track was more or less similar to the Squid Game, but the 2 different marshals approached it differently. I think before lunch we had slightly more interruptions, but after lunch and the remaining 2 hours were a blast. It is really one of the few areas where I have to occasionally engage 4L for some climbs. One big learning for me is the track selection when the original track is completely broken. On 2 occasions @scorpio changed the track to approach the crest from the shoulder. Not without challenge, but it was a better outcome than trying the same climb again and again using different gear combinations. Upon arrival at the entry gate on Saturday there were several recovery tracks taking care of other convoys which drove on Saturday. I think it is a good sign that we did not need any upon completion of our drive. I finished the day at my favorite car wash in Al Qua. It feels so much better to do a return 2.5 hour drive in a clean car.

[David]

Back to the most amazing area, Sunday drive this time so it allowed me to reach with light until the petrol station, a large convoy of mainly Patrols and 392s was inflating at the same gate we use for this chain. For once Orlantsev did not arrive first, Rathica made well sure of it!!!, good chat around the fire as usual and night not as cold as it normally used to be at this time of the year.

Optimus leading, Ehab 2nd, I spent most of the drive last just in front of Orlantsev that was the sweeper. I think my 4th or 5th time doing this fantastic chain but the first time starting from the west side (next to the fence) and also first time doing a sector of the chain that we had not touched in previous drives.

The start was a bit of a struggle, too many 2nd tries and interruptions, Optimus had to lower the level to give the convoy time to adapt, these dunes are all about momentum and clean lines, very different conditions from anywhere else, keep the lines clean without sharp turns, don´t drift on the side walls, better down a few meters to get traction and a clear line to climb up again if needed ... You can tell a great Marshall from how he reads the convoy, Optimus did just that, adapted and started building up speed, momentum and difficulty over time. Even just before lunch, with very difficult light conditions he managed to put together very good sequences that the convoy started to follow nicely.

Best was saved for last, after lunch, in an area that has the most beautiful dunes and bowls that you can imagine, he gave us the most fun of the day despite the existing tracks from the day before. The possible crosses and switches from bowl to bowl are endless, you could spend hours and hours playing in that sector, convoy did well and had tons of fun. Driving all day without AC and with windows down is an incredible luxury, hopefully again soon before it gets hot???

Personally I must admit the car was feeling light and playful so I would not have minded trying to push him a bit harder, but the reality is that the priority is safety and from my position in the convoy I did not see any dangerous move all day, everyone played it safe which in a terrain as harsh as this, is always the right thing to do.

Thank you to advanced drivers Mahmood Y. and Orlantsev for joining, Rashid and Scorpio for the support to make the drive possible, Shamsi for always being there (and very happy to see him in that "mood") and of course Optimus for organizing and leading us in such a fantastic drive!!!

See you on the sand soon.

[optimus]

Hi All,

Falcon X was an extended version of Falcon.
Last year we started from the center of the chain driving towards east side.
This time the track designed was to cover the full chain starting from all the way from west end to the last bit of east towards the exit.

It was a while since we had camped together so the marshal’s decided to camp with the intermediates. The location of the camp was strategically selected near to a big bowl.

My plan was to head to this beautiful pot straight after the breakfast briefing.
Since I had a mix of intermediates, some who were part of previous falcon squad & some who were fresh to this chain therefore the convoy was formed in a certain way.
The importance of safety was stressed upon & the convoy was informed that we could apply last man standing sub performance however considering the safety factors we couldn’t apply LMS throughout the drive, as this rule puts a lot of stress on the drivers to catch up with the lead. Instead whenever there was a 2nd try, we stopped until the driver safely cleared the maneuver.

I personally loved the drive throughout. It is always a joy to lead such a nice group of interms together with advance energy of @Mahmoodyasin @orlantsev & a power pack support of my brothers @alshamsi_m @Rashidjass @Scorpio .

It was remaining the last 10 kms to complete the full chain when my low fuel indicator light came up but looking at those magnetic dunes & the nonstop flow at my 6, I couldn’t resist until I climbed few more.
Then I thought that its better to call it a day before the gas is finished & power gets disconnected from my steering wheel. I radioed the convoy that we are done for the day & are now moving towards the exit. The drive finished 1 hour later than the given time but it could have finished even later

At last, I would like to thank all my intermediate convoy for a great drive. Its always a pleasure to drive with you guys!

At last, a big thank you to my powerhouse support @alshamsi_m @Rashidjass @Scorpio
@Mahmoodyasin & @orlantsev

& my 2nd lead @Ehab you were a safe 2nd lead throughout.

until next time!

[ImranFJ]

What a way to start the new year with a bang!

Falcon X certainly did not disappoint. A beautifully executed drive filled with adrenaline and screaming engines.

The campsite was a beautiful spot. A perfect place for stargazing and very peaceful.

Great breakfast full of eggs everywhere and delicious coffee from Abu Salem and Carlos. Always lifesavers when in need for the morning caffeine kick.

Straight to the point briefing and we were off at 8:30. The time finally came to express the excitement we’ve been holding since the drive was posted. Windows down and straight to the ratatata.

This was my second time in Al Quaa and I was thrilled with the performance of the whole convoy and flow. We had the last man standing rule but everyone played it safe and we had a great time. It was a drive filled with side-cresting and pedal to the metal.

Al Quaa is truly my favorite place and to me so far, nothing can beat a drive in this area. A big thank you to the Leading Marshal and to all the supporting marshals for taking care of us. It’s an area that can cause big gaps but the marshals took care of it smoothly and kept us together. And thanks to my fellow intermediate and advanced folks for making this trip a memorable one.

Can’t wait for the next one!

Best regards,
ImranFJ

[Mahmoodyasin]

Hi All
Falcon X was a 2.0 version of Falcon which was a thriller in itself.
The Gang had dug-in a night before while i drove in the morning with a clock start at 04:00. Felt wearied to get straight-in from -21 (landed from moscow a day before) to Alquaa +10... wanted to get in my shorts.
@optimus disclosed his plan at sharp 08:30, having emphasis on safety and with No last man standing option. He had an aim to cover the complete chain which was around 63kms to the exit gate. The convoy was distributed with @Ehab as 2nd lead, newer intermidiates in the front and rest to follow. @orlantsev volunteered to sweep.
First Half: West of the chain had huge dunes on oneside and technical midsize on the other, mix of both played resistance towards the flow, and caused frequent start stop sessions. There were very few 2nd tries at the front of the convoy which didn't impact the flow much, however the middle part did present some more than normal 2nd tries (guess riders were still tuning-in with their rigs). @alshamsi_m @Rashidjass @Scorpio had to bring in their experience to show how to use different approach angles to perform the steep climbs before ending with the side crests. 4hrs of warm up was enough to get the food down so we decided to stop for lunch, chitchat and coffee.
Second half: while the appetiser had its speciality, main course was a pleasant surprise. @optimus had kept the exciting part for later. Series of multiple sidecrests on humongous dune were waiting to be conquered. @optimus checked the nerves of the convoy and slowly raised the bar, pushing the convoy to its limits. There was so much to do in this area that we had 5-10mins of continues climbs/sidecrests/arches and that too from all possible angles. The excitement was so that even the lead car didn't want to stop, he continued with the mission until Godfather went thirsty again (low fuel). It was going so well that we had forgotten that the end time was crossed by an hour. Last checked we covered 95% of the track.
A recap from last Falcon where Intermediates struggled to keep up, I’m glad to see a huge improvement and I'm sure it’s the dedication and practice that upscaled their skills (Well Done Guys ).
Drive ended with smiles and excited faces wanted to return to this beautiful area again.
Finally…. i would like to thank.
@optimus for planning and wonderfully executing the drive.
@alshamsi_m @Rashidjass @Scorpio for the guidance and keeping us safe.
All the intermidiates for joining the drive and giving a wonderful company.
And my fellow advance @orlantsev for being a part.

till next time
Mahmoodyasin
White Fj Cruiser
(Blizzard)

[Ehab]

The video as promised
Enjoy watching:

[alshamsi_m]

Hello Everyone

We had a very nice drive that the members will remember for a while and all thanks go to @optimus our organizer and leading marshal.

the drive was supported by @Scorpio & @Rashidjass who made sure that the convoy was connected at all times.

I had the chance to float around where I had my fair chance of fun but the best part was the chat around the fire " priceless "

Till next time stay safe and keep the sand flying

Cheers
Shamsi

[Rashidjass]

My trip report