All Newbie Full Fun

[giorgio]

SWEIHAN, a moderate playground where the new drivers get to meet the end of the boring drives and the introduction to addiction.

Welcome to New terrain.

I am not gonna bore you all with details, I am sure u will get to read these in other reports.

Long story short I led the 10+ convoy with a small but effective rescue team thank you @brett @mpodroid and @nidal78

@Mahmoodyasin AND @rashid FOR ALL THE EFFORTS AND SUPPORT.


The pace of the drive was fast and the drive kind of a roller-coster.

The convoy was unfortunately on a survival mode almost the entire drive. No structure, no discipline, most of the club rules went out the window,
Proper distance was compromised several times, second tries were not called, lost of track, skipping difficult part of the track not doing the second tries, over taking, the menu had everything.

Was it an exciting drive? Did we rock the dunes? We sure did, but that does not mean that we did it right.
If and I say if, that was an exam we would have all failed from the first 10 min.

Now on a serious note. No matter what the level of any drive is you cannot forget and disregard the basic fundamentals of your basic training.

This is not a competition who is better, it is a collective effort to work as a convoy and learn while having fun.
So next drive focus go back to the basics and work harder.

Last but not least Radio instructions of any type, comes only from the marshals and advance drivers in an absence of a marshal. The rest of u can only use the radio to report not to advice.

To close on a positive note. None of u were dangerous and we had no flying.
Some did better than others, and as u read this report you may think that it was u that did well,. NO IT was not, it was definitely not you.

Looking forward to the next time but till that drive, keep practicing the basics.

Drive safe.

[Aljamhi]

We had a super exciting adventure! The night before our big drive, I camped out and had a great time eating BBQ and telling stories with some members. The next morning, with the sun coming up, all 30 of us got our cars ready, looking like a bunch of desert Scorpions waiting for the go-ahead.

Marshal @gorgio, told us straight up that the drive was going to be tough and he’d keep making it harder as we went. The drive kicked off super fast. We got to try out all these awesome driving skills like sliding along the sides of dunes, climbing up steep slopes, and switching. Everything moved so fast! I was originally the 5th car in line but asked if I could be the 3rd, and it felt like I was on fire .

Brett, who was just ahead of me, really pushed me to do my best. I just went with the flow, moving to the beat and keeping up all the way. In the end, everyone agreed it was the most amazing drive we’d ever done. It wasn’t just fun; we all got way better at driving too.

Looking forward to meeting you soon in the desert.

[Paddy]

Saturday morning waking up at 4 and drinking tea while looking at the clock as you can't afford to be late for the drive (Depends on person to person).

Reached meeting point sharp 07:15, did meet and greet with fellow Almosters and prepared car for the drive.

Drive was divided in to two convoys, 10+ and 10-. Well I was part of 10+ convoy led by @giorgio and supported by @mpodroid , @brett , @nidal78 , @Mahmoodyasin with supporting marshal @Rashidjass . Thank you to all the team for making this drive memorable one.

Drive was full with side crest, cresting, climbs, drops and arches. It was a full action packed drive. So far best drive where I was behind the wheel.

Looking forward to many more drives like this.

See you all on sand soon.

~BR
Paddy

[Chris69]

Arrived to the meeting point slightly early full of excitement for the mornings fun ahead. Convoy was split into 10+ and 10-, being only my 3rd drive I was in the 10- group led by the club founder shamsi. Previous drives led by Giorgio I was on we practiced going straight up and over the dunes. This gave me the understanding about car control and having the correct amount of momentum to make it over the crest without having to brake or car flying a valuable skill. Shamsi had us carving the lower parts of the dune snaking our way through. Which I could see was preparing us for when we progress to larger and higher dunes. One clear piece of information Shamsi gave during the briefing was to follow the car aheads line or take a lower line. Going higher was dangerous as if you got swallowed by the dune and lost momentum you could be on a collision course with the car infront as you have no choice but to go with gravity. A valuable lesson learnt was keeping distance and not getting too excited, I had one of intermediates in front of me which gave me very nice lines to follow. Had a small mishap I got slightly close as he went into a ditch and slowed down unexpectedly. Which emphasises why we are told keep 20 m from the car ahead. A small mistake on my behalf and one which I will learn from. We finished the drive going straight up and over some dunes similar to previous week with Giorgio. Managed to clear them without getting stuck or flying. Also put into practice knowing where to stop the car to not get stuck myself when another newbie in front was getting stuck so I had space to get momentum to clear the obstacle myself and not be in the way of people performing rescues.

A thoroughly enjoyable morning and very grateful to the founder, Marshalls and intermediates supporting. Taking the time to teach people like myself who want to learn this extreme sport. When they could be driving the big dunes instead of training us.

Very excited to see what they have in store for us next drive, many thanks again and see you on the sand

[mpodroid]

I was in the newbie 10+ convoy led by @giorgio, in the middle of convoy.

Overall, we had a fun drive, but I have been quite surprised by the lack of some basic safety rules:
* no overtake: this is dangerous and risky. The desert is not a flat 6-lanes road: NO OVERTAKE until you are properly trained to do that. Not even intermediates in their first few drives are allowed to overtake.
* no radio communication: prompt radio communication is paramount, to inform cars behind you to pay attention, to inform the leader who can slow down or hold the convoy avoiding the creation of big gaps.

Many clubs do not follow strictly or at all these simple rules, but I learn by experience that they are very effective in saving the convoy from the worse.

Marco

[brett]

Dear Almosters,

Due to the location in Sweihan, I had to set an alarm at 4:30am. But it was worthwhile. I arrived around 6:45am to find @nidal already preparing his car, soon we were joined by the drive organizer @giorgio.
The other members soon started arriving while we waited for @alshamsi_m and the other campers.

@giorgio started the briefing and split the group into 2 convoys 10- and 10+.

I was placed in the 10+ to be lead by @giorgio. @nidal 2nd lead, @mpadriod for recoveries mid convoy, myself as sweeper, with @rashidjass joining @mahmoodyasin floating

@giorgio told us the drive would be faster pace and depending on the performance of the convoy he would keep increasing the level.

Within the first 2min we had a car stuck in the soft sand while waiting to do the first drop. After some wriggling and reversing he managed to free himself and circle back to do the drop. Unfortunately by the time we had done the drop the convoy was nowhere to be found. There were tracks everywhere impossible to see which direction to go. Quick call on the radio and @giorgio appeared on the top of a dune. We rejoined the convoy.

Being the sweeper was no fun ! The track was completely chewed up so finding a decent line was a challenge. Then we had a situation @nidal was having erectile issues (his flag wouldn't stay up) by the grace of god (read Giorgio) I was moved to 2nd lead and @nidal was repositioned as seeeper.

I had forgotten how good it is to 2nd lead a nice smooth track to follow. Made even better given the opportunity to follow a master !

Giorgio found some amazing lines arch after arch and side crest after side crest. The dunes were not high but the opportunity to practice the side crests was fantastic. At one point I found myself following Giorgio too close (rookie mistake) sand was flying as he made the cross and I felt he might get stuck (unlikely) but I eased off the gas and lost momentum so I had to peel off to the opposite side. Then circle back and retry. On other crests I found occasionally I was loosing momentum and had to turn down unable to match Giorgio's line. However with the experience I have gained I was able to do this safely and rejoin Giorgio's line quickly and safely.

Newbies get ready this was a taste of what's to come (if somewhat slower) in catch me if you can, go fast and other higher level drives.

[ahmadtodxb]

Thanks @giorgio for organising this trip. I'm totally agree with your comments. Some mistakes were here and there.. the drive was superior to the level at end of the drive I forget @Rashidjass name and I called him by ur name .. u led an amazing drive as usual.

We got the chance to test all what you guys tought us so far. I started the drive to be in the middle behind @Moustafa19 and suddenly I become at the end of convoy.. I totally agree with @brett no fun in the back.. thanks for taking me on front..behind @Aljamhi it's was exciting to the end of the drive. I love u @giorgio (@Rashidjass read plz)

In one of the spots I was bit close to @Aljamhi so decided to have second try. Unfortunately, all were following eventhoug i reported im doing a second try, so I waited till I saw the sweeper and I thought they would continue, but thanks to @Mahmoodyasin he was saying this is not last man standing over the radio. However, since all follow on the that bowel, I waited till the way clear so I cld do my second try and then I follow @giorgio lines to connect the convoy.. leason learned boss

We need more practice and more drives like this to enhance our skills for good..
At the end, I would like to thank all marshals, intermediates for organising and supporting us..
I love uuuu @giorgio

[TarrynLush]

You’re either a good driver…or a lucky driver…and this past weekend I definitely used up all my luck

I did my CM drive over 4 months ago but unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer shortly thereafter. After surgery and treatment I was definitely ready to get back out on the dunes.

I have never camped in the desert before. I thought I was pretty organized but I ended up leaving later than planned and after getting a few speeding fines on the truck road I arrived in the dark - which is what I was trying to avoid. My luck started when I called Shamsi to confirm the entry point…my Almost 4X4 App was in dark mode initially so I couldn’t see the co-ordinates. Luckily he helped identify the problem quickly. Even more lucky is that he was right behind me on the road and I could easily follow him to the camp site. I still wonder if I would have found it before dinner on my own

My luck continued as fellow campers had already started a fire and I could cook my food on one of their fancy outdoor barbecue setups.
I had just bought a new tent that I had no idea how to use. I met some fantastic fellow campers that helped me chose a good spot to set up camp and helped me to figure out how to unpack…but most importantly how to repack my tent.
After a windy night in the desert I was up to watch the sunrise and get ready for the days drive.

Luckily once again the 10- convoy was lead by Shamsi. I was having difficulty keeping some of the lines initially. I could feel my vehicle was a little unstable and once stopped identified that my front right tyre had deflated…most likely by not ensuring the valve pin was inserted correctly. It was then discovered that all my tyres were over inflated. For some reason I remembered my tyres had to be at 16bar. But this is way too much for a Jimny.
Correcting the tyre pressure helped and driving got easier from there. I was still struggling to judge my entry speed for some dunes. I think my separation from the vehicle in front of me was insufficient because I was too slow for some dunes and had to take a second attempt.
On one crest I got stuck while trying not to fly…Shamsi helped talk me out of a self recovery.
The next crest I took a little too aggressively and ended up flying a bit.

Overall I felt a little bit like a liability on the day. I know I need a few more drives to gain my confidence again. I’m just very grateful for every one’s patience and support on the day. I hope next time will be a lot smoother.

I would like to thank every individual that helped me have an enjoyable weekend, despite my difficulties. Thank you to Shamsi and Ely for getting me to the campsite in the first place. And to the marshals that helped me inflate my tyre like I was in a formula one pit stop.

Until next time.
Tarryn

[Moustafa19]

We love you @giorgio

Meeting time was 7:15 am , so my day started @4am , and wasn’t cold morning as expected

Te trip has been splits to 10- and 10+
I was in 10+ under @giorgio leading
@Rashidjass supporting Marshall
@brett ,@Mahmoodyasin @mpodroid and @nidal.a-l-salti as rescue team

After that I don’t know how I can describe the trip

It was very fast with many new things to learn and old things we was doing but in faster and harder way like switching ( in one of them we did around 8 continuous switches ) , sliding , climbing high slopes and more . but in all this I couldn’t feel any danger

And my son was very happy during the trip and saying ( what happened to @giorgio today he can’t drive down .

The trip was very very special and the level of fun was extremely
Thank you everyone for the great effort and support

See you all soon

[MuddassirT]

After getting my sleeping daughter ready and winding up from the ni8 camp, reaching the meeting point as my name was called out loud by @giorgio for attendance as I exited from my car, uff.. just in time.

I was in the 10- convoy lead by @alshamsi_m , was like a desert safari meeting different colored camels and lost Pajeros from other convoy on the way . @alshamsi_m explained us the origin of each color camels that Black ones are Arabian, Brown ones are Omani and the White ones from Sudan and Black ones being the costliest of all.

We newbies just watched the Nagra dune while intermediates playing on them for the second time, hopefully we will too enjoy the dune sooner .

The drive went safe and we all enjoyed learning new things making my total trips to 10.

Best Regards
Muddassir T