DXB - Al Qudra - Intermediates

[Hadi77]

Marshal Sai gave me the lead of the intermediate convoy. We had 3 convoys in total, all driving in parallel with eachother.

A very lengthy drive, started at about 7:30am and ended around 11am.

My convoy:
Lead: Hadi
2nd Lead: Emre
Sweep: Engin
In between: Bibin & Prageeth

I decided to change the rolls of the drivers every half an hour to give everyone a chance to 2nd lead and sweep. Everyone done an excellent job.

Prageeth, it was your first intermediate drive and you done an excellent job. Emre, amazing job as per usual, you adapt to any roll given to you. Engin, it was a pleasure having you in my convoy and thank you for all the support and recovery help. Bibin, we salute you for driving your LC through the track I took yesterday, very well done.

We started in the wide dunes for the first half an hour and then went directly in to the technical dunes which we drove in for 2-3 hours. Everyone had a lot of fun getting stuck and recovering in this very technical area of al Qudra. We took a few breaks to make sure everything was going smooth and met up with the other convoys a few times to support them.

Nothing much more to say, everyone drove extremely well, we all got stuck but that is expected in such areas. The last half an hour, we all rushed to get out as it was getting really hot and the sun on the white sand wasn’t helping with visibility. I think the we were all relieved to see the bigger dunes of al Qudra on the way out after driving in the technical area for so long.

Thank you team for handling the trip so well, you guys are amazing company. Everyone gave their input and everyone was involved at all times. It was nice to see the Dubai team after so long!

[bibinjose]

Thanks a lot Hadi For amazing trip. You did a great job Even your not familiar in this tricky area. You find the way as your own style nd we all had good experience also learn manything from you.

I seen yesterday the real leader infront of us, the way you drive is really impressive. Looking more drive with you dear Bro.


Thank You Emre&Engin for all the support. You guys are really superb. Your support and care i feel like am with my own real brothers

Thank you Prageeth for the drive and Tea. You did great job even your first drive as intermediate..

"Life Is Too Short,-- Don't Wait For The Perfect Moments, Allways Take The Moment And Make It Perfect..."


Bibi's....

[Sai27]

Feed back that I received from your convey is that; you did an excellent lead Hadi.. Keep doing it.. But the best stuck award of yesterday belongs to me not for you guys...

Stay safe.. God bless..

[SandSailor]

It all started with 15+ willing off-roaders with big smiles on their faces when Marshall Sai was giving the briefing. Convoys split, roles distributed and we all hit the sand with enthusiasm. But hey, this is Qudra. Behind every dune, after every corner, there is a ditch )

Hadi - thank you for the terrific leadership. Gave us great comfort in a tough terrain. Especially given the fact that you are not familiar with the terrain. It was assuring following you and very good learning. Fast entry to the trip with some bigger dunes and side sloping, then a lot of technical crawling (good practice for vehicle/throttle control, steering skills and of course recovery practice) again fast exit with a fair size slipface descend and even a couple of side cresting. I believe after it sunk into all of us that ‘this is how this trip is going to be’ we all started to have fun again. Evidence: when the trip ended, all faces were alight with big smiles.

Swapping the roles was really good practice too. The terrain required good communication and lot of action at all sides of the convoy. Did a few recoveries. Bibin - big respect how you handle your LC. Just trying to get it out from soft sand was a tough nut to crack!

Also I had my chance to lead for the first time, even if a short period of time. I was a bit lucky as we were in an OK part of Qudra then (if there is anyplace like that). It gave me the perspective of a totally different responsibility and of course taste of leading. Thank you very much to you Hadi and Sai for the encouragement and opportunity. It means a lot. (Yep, I gave it back the moment we started hitting the mine field, a good leader needs to be smart too )

Thank you again for the great practice+fun trip Sai and Hadi. Always a pleasure driving with you Bibin and Pragi, and of course my buddy Engin - special thanks for dragging me to the trip, or I would have missed it!

See you all on sand soon
Emre 🏜

[Kayra]

It was indeed a difficult terrain with soft sand and small dunes one after another. I enjoyed the drive very much. It was my first time following Hadi's lead and I found him very skillful. It was also my first time sweeping in a group of 5. Apart from one time when I lost the radio channel and struggled to get the comms back on, I think I did well. I particularly enjoyed the snatch recoveries I made.

Emre at the 1st lead when he switched with Hadi and Praghi at the 2nd lead both did very well.
I agree with Emre that Bibin handled his LC remarkably well in this very soft sand.

Today's drive made me more connected with my Jeep. I got a better understanding of its throttle response and its effect in keeping the momentum.

All in all, it was a great ride with great teammates.

I look forward to the next one.

Engin

[pragi]

Hadi ..... Big salute ... My first intermediate trip with a great off road champion ... thank you so much for the drive learned and enjoyed alot ...

Bibis , engin , emre ... as always the best supporters ...

thank you so much and waiting for next trip with you guys

[Hadi77]

See you in sweihan next weekend