Advanced Junior Level 3
The Advanced Junior Level 3 convoy was ready to drive at the scheduled drive time, despite heavy fog on most roads leading to the drive location.
The convoy had just started warming up on the small dunes near the meeting point, when this rather unpredictable area claimed its first victim. Our sweeper was called to action a little sooner than he’d expected but he was ready and able to get the show on the road fairly quickly.
The convoy continued to warm up at a slow pace until good flow was established. The route to Big Red that was selected for today’s drive was very technical and demanded a great deal of concentration and control. Our Advanced Juniors did a great job of descending a series of steep soft leeward slopes into small bowls and then powering out. They managed all of this with only a few second tries. After an hour of intense focus, the announcement of a break was most graciously welcomed.
The next leg of the trip provided our Advanced Juniors with their first exposure to uphill cresting and switching, which caught them off guard and left them feeling a little shaken. Marko gathered the convoy for a few words of encouragement and tips on how to tackle such challenges in a controlled and structured manner.
The power talk must have worked because these guys were on fire afterwards. The convoy flattened almost every crest on the north west face of the big dune behind Big Red before making haste to Chef’s Bowl.
The drive to Chefs Bowl was medium paced with many reverse switches and small bowls for added flavor. By this point in the trip our Advanced Juniors were a lot more comfortable with switching and cresting.
On our way to the exit point the pace was increased slightly, just to give the group a taste of what they can expect next week. It was great to see this group just giving it all they had and pushing their vehicles to maintain the pace of the drive. This group surprised me with their skill and stamina, however, they still need to master the skill of maintaining a safe following distance on high climbs. I look forward to returning to this area to see how this group performs on their Offroader evaluation.
Thanks to Hussam and Zoubeir for their brilliant support on this trip, and Marko for his encouragement and supervision.
5 comments on Advanced Junior Level 3
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Good work all of you! You are making fine team. Few more drives and you will rock the desert.
I was missing @ahabshamaa and @Martin today. I’d love to see them in the action with their team mates.
Keep up a good work and hope to see you soon out there.
What a drive this was! I don’t think I can say any more than what’s already been said in the trip report – this morning’s drive was exhilarating to say the least! The adrenaline rush from all the cresting and switching was amazing and I really can’t wait to get back on the sand next week. Thanks for the great lines Preggy and Marko, Zoubeir and Hussam for your continuous support. Martin & Ahab – you guys were really missed and looking forward to driving with you next weekend!
Great drive! Great support! Can’t wait for the next drive to get back in the desert with the DF family!
Reaching the meeting point and then realizing that the drive does not start for more than one hour! However, I was quickly joined by another enthusiastic fella.
Adv jr level 3 is where everything comes together and can feel a bit intimidating. However, our Fellas navigated well through this drive. I’m sure they are looking forward to more practice so as to perfect their technique.
There are areas for improvement which I’m sure our Fellas will nail next weekend round.
Looking back, after 9 drives, our trainees can be proud of themselves! The finish line is close so keep pushing and aim for perfection.
Big thanks to the support [dream] team 😉
Junior 3 to Adv Junior 3 proved to be no joke, it’s been a journey of more or less 2 months I believe, but the difference is in light-years! Good job to everyone, proud to see and be part of this progress into forming this beautiful team and sharpening it, thanks for tbe camaraderie you keep showing guys. Proud of each of you.
Thanks Marko for keeping an eye and perfecting every almost perfect thing, thanks to the one and only Preggy and my fellow batch SW Zoubier, here is to the next one.