Almost4x4

Hello everybody,

this drive was an awesome example of our Almost4x4 family and team work spirit.
But from the beginning....
I camped the night before in the new moon camp, meeting new friends and catching up with old ones, chit chatting around the campfire and getting into the weekend mode.
Special thanks to @Tom and @Laarni for the fantastic grilled salmon
The night was cold and the sky clear and once more I was so happy with my bedouin sleeping bag, keeping me warm even sleeping just outside on my camping bed. There are rarely things as calming and relaxing falling asleep under a beautiful nightsky.
The next morning we had three (!) full convoys and I went with @Booy as second lead, @Scorpio as floating support and @alshamsi_m as passenger with @Viktoriia in the jimny.
The plan was to go from Murquab to Qudra, giving our new Newbies the opportunity to practice what they have learned the week before. The drive started smoothly, just a very few second tries nothing unusual... until one of the jeeps in the convoy reported an issue. And at this point things got interesting

It turned out that the clutch of the manual jeep failed and he could not engage any gear. No big deal, as we were at a gatch road in mostly flat area, tarmac not far, we decided to tow the car to the road and continue the drive
@Booy was leading the way, @Scorpio behind him pulling the jeep, followed by me and the rest of the convoy.
Somehow the gatch road ended and we found ourselves in small technically dunes. Pulling a dead car in such a terrain is not an easy thing and so it happened that at one of the first dunes the towing point of the Jeep could not stand force any longer and flew out - luckily it did not cause any damage. At this point it was clear that the famous Almost4x4 train was needed - two cars pulling one.
Due to a shortage of support @alshamsi_m drove my FJ as first pulling car, followed by @Scorpio as second car.
The terrain was difficult, small but narrow dunes, bushes, ditches and soft sand. Everytime we had to stop for whatever reason, we had to pull the Jeep into correct position to continue the recovery train... Meanwhile @Booy was alone with the convoy in difficult terrain. I remeber when I looked around I saw the stuck Jeep right in front of me, two dunes behind a crested truck, three dunes to the left a sand splashing Xterra...More a Friday 13th scenerie than what you would expect in a newbie drive.
Once more we continued the recovery train and it is always a strange feeling to be passenger in your own car, but this was a different level.
4L, 2./3. gear and pedal to the metal no matter what is in front of us I was ready for a heavy impact any second...We literally flew over the dunes it was really scary.... Suddenly there was a difference in the power and behavior of the car- and when checking the side mirror we discovered that we lost the Jeep
We drove two dunes back and found him...The towing point of @Scorpio FJ flew out and went over the Jeep! That was freaking scary as this thing is huge and heavy it could have easily flew through the windshield and hit the driver...Someone had a guardian angel that days. Unfortuentely the FJ got damaged as well, so it was only my car left to tow the jeep out... But we were just a few metres away from the road and managed to get him out safely

We ended the recovery mission with two broken towing hooks, one cut rope and one damaged FJ.
This day was a reminder that what we do is motor sport and things like this are part of the game. Although we might think its an relaxing drive in easy terrain but this can change any second to a situation when teamwork and spirit is essential to handle the situation.
And that is waht we mean when we say we are family. No matter if we know each other for years or just a week, if we have controversies or havent seen each other in a while - in the end we can always rely on each other - and that is a real family
I guess christmas time makes me a bit sentimental

Thanks everyone for this memorable drive see ya all soon in the sand

My first drive as a Newbie

Arrived bright and early at meeting point. Watching the hot air balloons landing right there was an added bonus - their journey was ending, ours was about to begin.
3 convoys were arranged based on experience and vehicle type. I was in convoy 1 having only had one previous drive at CM level the week before were I got stuck twice and lost the convoy.
This week was different (tires deflated properly helped)
So off we headed with a collection of Prado’s Pajero, Xtrail, Land cruiser, Jeep’s and of course those ever present FJ’s buzzing around over what appears to a newbie as impossible terrain ! Thanks to Rashid Jass and Solmaz. Our convoy lead Barish Did an awesome job getting us through the desert with both easy and some challenging terrain.
Some had a lot of 2 and 3 attempts, a broken Jeep ((not sure what happened there). We were at the back of the pack in the little yellow Jeep so were not always able to see what the issues were up ahead. But what an awesome day.
Personally I felt so much more confident in the ability of my vehicle and in turn my confidence to “give it a try”. All and all a very rewarding (and safe drive). I just can’t wait to get out in the sandpit, hone my skills under the guidance of the amazing drivers that make up the backbone of the club. The encouragement and imparting of knowledge to newbies is incredible.
Thanks Almosters
Until the next playtime in the sandpit
Brett -the little yellow Jeep

Hi Almosters,

It was another nice gathering with Almost4x4 family including fresh newbies who got their first star last week after the Club Member drive.

We had 3 convoys and I was leading the third convoy consisting of relatively more experienced Newbies with the support of @Agalon and @Saeed FJ .

After setting up the convoy order we started rolling.

It was a smooth drive with no significant problems (No more than expected) and all members did well in general . In the beginning there were some hesitation while approaching to the dunes from the soft side but after a quick briefing our members gained more confidence.

I think the major lesson learned in this drive was, sometimes going "slow" can be dangerous as much as going fast! And you should always observe the car in front of you to have a better idea about the obstacle in front of you and adjust yourself accordingly.

Thanks to all organized, supported and participated!

Hope you enjoyed the drive and see you next time!

Best Regards

Hello All.... Was a good relaxing drive for me... When the drive was posted 1st.... didn't think that I could be part of it as it called for Newbie with less than 5, however the option for the listing in the waitlist for above 5 drivers did give hope and was realized at the end .... It ended up with a big group which was split into 3 convoys based on the number of drives....

My convoy being led by @Daggerfall supported by @Agalon & @Saeed FJ .... lined up at the previous night's camping area and we were quickly ready to go.....

We had a few hick ups at the beginning and myself getting stuck and had to be recovered, but later on after a technical break and briefing the convoy went on smoothly. I think, I missed out the the sand for sometime, my last one being the Rose Gold Sand drive @ Liwa, and had to be warmed up again.

Have always like @Barish Star Track editions and looking forward again for fun in the sand....

Thank you marshals and the support teams... as always..

Best regards,
Nabeel.

Hello Everyone

After the nice camp, we had the other night. I volunteered to carry the garbage out of the desert and join the morning drive. Unfortunately, I found out that my car is giving a clicking sound which indicated that my axel boot is gone and that was the axel sound well , I was the second marshal retired for the same reason because @Scorpio had the same issue. Never the less, immediately I found a passenger seat so I can assist with guides at least

With @Booy leading you always expect nice smooth lines in the drive until one member asked for help. that was when the action movie started

1. Dead car in techincal area
2. Broken towing point and flys to the pulling car
3. Broken towing hitch and flying back to the pulled car
4. Broken break pipe because of the rope went around it

Well that is all part of the game and it just shows that when things go wrong, you better be with experianced people to take care of you.

Looking forward to see you in the sand

Cheers

Hello everybody,

For starters, we had a pleasant camping night with the family along with our new second family. Thanks @alshamsi_m for recommending us the Bedouin sleeping bags…we will never be cold at night!!!

We woke up early morning after a good night sleep and once the breakfast was done then we prepared ourselves for the drive.

I took the second lead in Daggerfall convoy so thanks @Daggerfall for trusting in me and the whole drive went quite smoothly considering the first technical part. Thanks to the rest of the crew including but not limited to @Agalon & @Saeed FJ for supporting us all the time.

Just a couple of issues and subsequent lessons learned:

i) Do not hesitate when climbing a dune as momentum will be gone
ii) Pay more attention to the car in front of view specially if it is the marshals' one: I lost the track one when taking with (not to be disclosed) in one of the stop overs.

As a summary, excellent drive very well steered and looking forward to see you back in the sand.

Carlos

Trip report for Stars track IX (Organizer - Marshal @Barish)

After arriving at the meeting point (Murqquab, on Dubai - Al Ain Road) we were damn sure that this newbie trip gonna be loaded with lot of fun and new learnings. And since it was our first newbie trip in the sands just after the CM drive 'Winter stars' which happened a week back (organized by Marshal @Booy), it added a huge benefit to practice our sand skills.

We were advised to deflate the tyres and proceed for the briefing which started @ 9:00am sharp. (Thanks to @Rashid and other crew too, for helping the newbies in fixing the flag and deflating the tyres at the right pressure)

Marshal @Barish gave a briefing about the trip with all the DO's & DONT's while driving in the sands. And splited the convoy into three convoys, i was in convoy 1 lead by Barish (along with the floating marshals @Rashid & @Solmaz). We started a very scenic drive passing by overnight camping location where we had another small briefing including the participants from previous night camp who joined our convoy at this point.

Convoy was very organized, we did get few stucks including me (on minor crest) which i guess is normal. To save everyones time and to experience endless driving, our marshals rerouted our track whenever required based on the newbie driving skills.

Floating marshals @Solmaz & @Rashid played an imp role to keep an eye on every car and keep everyone moving safely. I highly appreciate the Marshals decisions that prioritized safety and professional way of managing drive.

Our drive ended at Qudra 'Love Lake' and it was time to depart to meet again.

key takeouts from this drive for me:
- Never fight with the Gravity, just go with the flow.


Looking forward to attend next drive!
Thanks Almosters
Nahor_JW (Grey Jeep)

see you in sands, sooner the better!!

hello everyone..

first I wanna extend my warmest greetings for all...we started out for camping..and was with a different car with my husband on the way to the meeting point and yeah my first drive in the dark with a bit soft sand without inflated tires.. as expected im already stuck before even reaching the meeting point ...and to make it short I been rescued by my knight in shining armor ...we reached the meeting point after few bits of rough road since we did not enter the right entrance ..then finally meet with everyone and proceed to the camping site, we had a good time with everyone and we barbecue a little..and sit with everyone whose already started having marshmallows in the fire. and since its Thursday and we just came from work so we decided to go and find our sleeping spot

so the day of my first official newbie drive came today, with @Booy in the lead and @Johanna in the 2nd lead..and @Shamsi as a support..we have a very nice start and as for me my knees are really shaking since im soo excited

as the convoy went further into our drive, one of the cars start having problems..and yes thats when I actually see people burning their breakfast by pushing to help turn the car(jeep) nways as for the details of what happen everyone already reported it so just to make my long report to end I can only say.....itssss soo addicting, fun and lovely being in a sand and it really build some confident in me..thank you everyone who supported and made this event possible

Guys (Canadian term for male or female)
It was great to get back out into the sand after almost a year off. Still a bit timid with the speed but by the end of the trip was able to better judge proper speed to follow the set track. Came down hard once- “skid” plate in front is weak and came in right up to the radiator. Just touched it, otherwise would have had another dead car in the desert. Took it off this weekend and hammered it back in shape, but am looking for something more substantial. Also need to work on speed when decending.
I was in front of the Jeep that died where he was waiting for me to do a second and third try. Hope that my retry did not contribute to the dead Jeep. Hope Jeep is back up and running after that extraction experience.
About halfway into the drive things were running smoothly and I was in a groove. Did not notice that the radio went quiet. Turns out I inadvertently changed the frequency on my radio and took me a bit too long to realize it. Learning along the way.
Looking forward to the next one. Silver Seldon in silver Montero Sport.

Seldon wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:40 am Guys (Canadian term for male or female)
It was great to get back out into the sand after almost a year off. Still a bit timid with the speed but by the end of the trip was able to better judge proper speed to follow the set track. Came down hard once- “skid” plate in front is weak and came in right up to the radiator. Just touched it, otherwise would have had another dead car in the desert. Took it off this weekend and hammered it back in shape, but am looking for something more substantial. Also need to work on speed when decending.
I was in front of the Jeep that died where he was waiting for me to do a second and third try. Hope that my retry did not contribute to the dead Jeep. Hope Jeep is back up and running after that extraction experience.
About halfway into the drive things were running smoothly and I was in a groove. Did not notice that the radio went quiet. Turns out I inadvertently changed the frequency on my radio and took me a bit too long to realize it. Learning along the way.
Looking forward to the next one. Silver Seldon in silver Montero Sport.

Hi Seldon, good trip report!
I recommend you install a proper skidplate. What we usually uses are:
- aluminium
- minimum 8mm (9 or 10 is prefered)
- fully covering engine
- space for changing oil / oil filter if needed

Any offroad garage will have it

Expect something on the range of AED 1-1,2k

Will save you from lossing a 10k+ engine, or more!