Almost4x4

Hello Guys

A big thank you Almost4x4 management for organising this Breast Cancer Awareness Drive. It was a wonderful initiative that combined our passion for off-roading with a meaningful social cause. It was great to see so many members come together to support an important message while enjoying a day in the desert.

I reached the meeting point at 7:15 a.m., aired down, and put up my flag. Mr. Shamshi, Brett, and Sid were already there. After quick greetings, everyone gathered for the briefing by Solmaz, who spoke about the purpose of the drive and shared a few words on awareness. The participants were then divided into two groups — the Pink Team, led by Solmaz with all the ladies, and Team 2, led by Alagon, with the rest of us.

The drive began smoothly with weather and soft sand. The route offered a good mix of technical terrain, sharp turns, and soft patches, making it both challenging and fun. There were a few climbs that added some excitement to the route.

At one point, I felt something was off with my car. Then Mr.Shamsi advised me on the radio to check my tire pressure — it was still around 14 psi, so I deflated more, and the car performed perfectly afterward.

The convoy faced a few pop-outs and several second tries, but thanks to rescue team everything was managed seamlessly . Their quick coordination and teamwork kept drive flowing without delay .We later stopped near a big dune for a short break and enjoyed Shamshi’s famous coffee. Later, I found out that my air pressure gauge was faulty, and I had actually been driving with more than 16 psi for most of the time — luckily, everything went fine, and I reached the exit without any issues.

A big thanks to @Solmaz for organizing this meaningful drive, @Agalon for leading the convoy, and @alshamsi_m for his guidance and support throughout the route. Special thanks to @Rashidjass and @Ehab for their assistance in managing the drive and ensuring the safety of the convoy. I’d also like to thank @brett , @Mghoneim ,@mpodroid , and @Petr for continuously monitoring and supporting us. Your combined efforts made the drive safe, smooth, and truly enjoyable for everyone.

Looking forward to meeting you all again soon in the sands!

Thank you @Solmaz for this drive. As you know this is a yearly drive for us and that too for such a powerful cause. I reached the meeting point around 7:06. When it's Sweihan, I always leave early because I would love to prepare everything.

My flag mount was broken yet again, (I'll replace soon) and @alshamsi_m helped me fix mine with some zip ties. My friend who landed for the first time in Dubai also joined me and it was great showing him the group and our community. He stepped on sand for the first time .

@Minhaj reached right behind me. It's been a while since I caught up with him. After some small talk, I was off to some media interview with some participants and marshals with Warrior. It was really fun shooting this .

I was asked by Shamsi to join the ladies convoy and that was a really good calls as I could cover most of the drive and we have some really good photos and footages.

The drive was simple and straightforward and was in line with the avg experience of the group. We had one poput which was quickly fixed and we ended the drive at exactly 10:55.

I really enjoy these simple and smooth drives and a big thanks to all the women who showed up. Early detection saves lives. Check, care, and spread the word against breast cancer. This applies for men too

See you lovely people on the next one

Pink Drive — a celebration of strength and hope, inspired by a cause no one wishes for, yet everyone stands for.
A beautiful event born from a painful reason.

Let me start my trip report on a beautiful note.
It was truly heartwarming to see so many women at the club — new members joining, long-time members who have been part of this journey for years, and even family members.

For the third year in a row, our wonderful Marshal @Solmaz has been organizing this beautiful event.
As tradition goes, all participants are divided into several convoys. The Pink Convoy — made up entirely of women — leads the way, while the rest of the participants, mostly the men’s groups, follow in their own separate convoy/convoys.

The Pink Convoy was led by the @Solmaz herself, with @Cyndi appointed as the second lead.
@Johanna , our Intermediate driver — welcome back! — took position in the middle of the convoy, while I served as the Sweeper at the end, ensuring everything ran smoothly and safely.

Our convoy consisted of 13 cars, including @siddharthsai , as our media team.

This drive is all about the ladies — we take the lead and provide full support throughout event.
It is a proud moment for us, as it shows that women handle their roles perfectly, and our club’s men trust us completely to do so.

Men are welcome as passengers, of course, but there is one golden rule always repeated during the briefing: when men are present — they stay quiet!
And if they ever forget that rule, we are kindly reminded that we have the full right to use passenger ejection button

It is always a pleasure to drive with @Solmaz . Everything started beautifully that day.
Right at the beginning, we noticed two cars that seemed to be in trouble. @Solmaz asked me to check, and indeed — one of them had a pop-out. The drivers were trying to fix it while the car was still positioned on the side slope, which was extremely unsafe.
We helped them bring the car down to a flat surface and explained why such actions could be dangerous.

Once again, it proved an important point — if you want to drive safely in the desert, join a professional club and take proper basic training. Only then you can truly enjoy the adventure with your friends — safely and confidently.

Unfortunately, we could not fully assist with pop-out, as our convoy was waiting and we had to return.
We continued our drive, having a few second tries, pop-outs, a couple of stucks, but all of it got fixed with joy and good spirit.

Now, on a more serious note.

I admit that some new members may not be fully familiar with the club rules. However, I would like to emphasize that Almost4×4 is the safest professional club, by reason and for reason. This club has clearly defined rules, and safety is rule number one.

To ensure this level of safety, we undergo proper training, and there is a clear order to follow.
We drive in the convoy, and it has a defined structure. There is always a leading car, which assigns the positions of all others, that must not be violated. There is always a Second Lead, and there are also Floating Cars, whose positions are again assigned only by the leader, as well as the Sweeper.

You may only change your position's if you ask the leader, who will tell you what you may do.

Each car must follow the track set by the leader. You cannot change the track or lines, and you certainly cannot go above the level.

If you switch drivers, it is possible, but please remember: in our convoy there are always people with higher skills, yet they always follow the lead car to avoid putting other drivers at risk.

These rules are followed by everyone, regardless of driving level. It is simply a matter of respect, discipline, and order.

A huge thank you to @Solmaz for organizing this wonderful event.
Thank you @Johanna , thank you @Cyndi , and thanks to all amazing ladies who participated in this drive and who care so deeply about this important cause.

Viktoriia

I completely agree with you @Vika. As media on the convoy, even if the skill levels are different, you always check with the marshal if you can do something safely. That's the whole point of the club to follow the rules even if you're an expert in any other clubs. Everytime I wanted to get another angle for a video, I infact checked with @Solmaz or you to understand if it was safe to do so. That's what makes our club professional and also safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Almost is one of safest club to drive with and this is one of the key reasons why. Appreciate you highlighting this to the new members.

Love,
Sid

second drive in Sweihan for me - trully a lovely place.

I joined with my eldest daughter who enjoyed herself too, specially as it was a "Pink Drive" and one of our family members battled against breast cancer in the past.

Drive was pretty relaxed & flowing.
Couple of takeaways regarding communication :
1. I had no idea the radio frequency was changed 5min in the drive, and was at first surprised nobody was taking, to soon realize there must be something wrong with my radio .. well it's rather stressful to figure out crew members might be giving crucial information you are missing .. came to realize how crucial good communication is
2. the car I had in front of missed a few "clear" and it is also stressful as you don't want to be holding the convoy forever, but you also don't want to take the risk of running onto the car behind the dune .. additional stress also when you realize a big gap has then opened and you need to drive probably too fast to close it.

Anyways, accurate communication leads to a safe & efficient convoy.

Thanks @Solmaz and @Agalon for leading us !

Dear Almosters

2025 Pink Drive 18/10/25 as mentioned this is the 3rd reiteration of this event and I would like to thank @Solmaz for continuing the original initiative to ensure Almost4x4 shows a commitment to such an important awareness campaign.
Breast Cancer in some way touches almost all of us at some point. Unfortunately Cancer does not discriminate and often appears silently with devastating effect. Everyone needs to get checked for signs on a regular basis – identified early most cancers can be treated effectively, left unchecked survival is less likely.
It was fantastic to see so many ladies taking part, with enough for their own full convoy and fully supported all by our female drivers. Please don’t wait only for Pink drives – join whenever you can – Almost4x4 drives are fully gender neutral and open to all.
A big thank you also to @alshamsi_m and @Agalon for taking part and ensuring there was a drive for the men also.
We had @Agalon as lead marshal, @alshamsi_m and The Goat @Rashidjass floating with @Ehab and @Petr also floating around to offer assistance. The Italian Style Master @mpodroid sweeping to ensure no one was left behind @Mghoneim at 2nd lead and myself and @Deadpool within in the convoy for support and recovery tasks.
@Agalon found some lovely straight crests and medium arches for the Newbies to overcome. At some point we unfortunately lost @Deadpool to a mechanical issue, thowever there were few situations to fix and the level of the support with the number of marshals, explores and advanced drivers everything was relatively smooth sailing. We did have a couple of recoveries and popouts to resolve, there were some issues early on with several drivers not realising the radio frequency had been changed (I was one of them) wondering why it was so quiet and cursing that no one was calling “Clear” but overall a nice afternoon.
Some reminders for the newbies to work on in future drives –
- Try and keep to the track, deviation from the track taken by the marshal can result in some nasty surprises
- Radio communication means the drivers behind you can drive safely in the knowledge there are no surprises on the other side of the dune ahead
- Maintain correct following distance, if you drop behind catch up when it is safe to do so – or call on radio to advise the lead marshal you are far from the car in front.
- On Arches stick to the line set by the Marshal – DO NOT take a higher line !! however if you cant make the line DO NOT fight gravity and turn down immediately.

Also a big thank you to all the drivers who took part @Vika @Cyndi @virginiasz @Warrior12 @Oasis @sumaiya @Karola @Johanna @Haidy79 @bodderek @Alsalmi @Karl @massaleh @Minhaj @OmarShams @rbarbier19 @siddharthsai @tando @Med