The line up at the meeting point was certainly not Desert Fellas standard. Cars were parked all over the place in no particular order. But this all changed when we moved to the deflation point. The convoy looked sharp – ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead.

The convoy fared well in the technical area with a little encouragement from our sweeper. Freshly deposited sand in the level ground between the small dunes privided an additional challenge since it was possible to get stuck on flat ground if you stopped moving. Good following distance, proper throttle  control and constant momentum was our saving grace in this area.

The plains were avoided to give the convoy more opportunities to enhance their off roading skills. This  option played in our favor as we discovered high dunes which could only be crossed using good technique – not just flat out speed., since the slopes were stepped with some vegetation in places.

By the time we arrived in Al Qudra, the convoy was nicely warmed up and ready for an increase in pace. The pace and flow was beautiful. Our Juniors had a blast, and so did our sweeper – since he only ever had to get out of his car during the breaks.

There were a few instances on this trip when following distance could have been improved, particularly when descending long steep slopes with hard landings. When the leader and second lead announce that the convoy should slow down and/or watch front/back bumper – be certain that the car in front of you is going to slow down considerably at the bottom of the slope. Learn to anticipate this and plan your approach accordingly. Off road driving requires an active use of your intelligence – so be alert and  listen for instructions from leader and second lead. If you did not understand or hear the message clearly, ask for the message to be repeated.

This trip wouldn’t have been as much fun without a great support team. Thank you Hussam (SL), Michael (SW) and Javier.