Words By: Nicola de Corato
Photos By: Massimo Ziino
A desert driving course will teach you all the strategies and techniques for driving in the desert. Being fond of motorsports, I immediately accepted the invitation of my friend Minas of OffRoad Zone (www.offroad-zone.com) to take part in one of the courses they usually organise here in Dubai.
I have never driven 4×4, but when I was a child, I’ve always been fascinated by competitions like the Camel Trophy also called the “Olympics of 4×4.” With the same spirit, I approached this experience in the UAE desert.
Planning your off-road adventure is the most important. Stock your car with emergency items: a reliable GPS system, tow rope and shackles, first aid kit, tyre gauge, spare tyre and jack, wooden board, charged mobile and charger, shovel, camera and sun block. Fill a cooler in your trunk and/or your back seat with bottled water for you and for the radiator.
Pack blankets and warm clothing in case you wind up stuck in the desert overnight. Bring enough snacks, sandwiches, meats and beverages to tide you over. Chairs, mats, especially a flashlight, firewood can be important especially if you plan or forced to stay overnight. Off-roaders are an extremely social bunch; most trips end with an overnight camp out under the stars.
Bring maps, latest road information, compasses and pencils, long-term weather forecast, guides to navigation by sun and stars. If you are going in convoy, it’s important to brief everybody else about the path.
Car maintenance and equipment are extremely important. Your 4×4 must be in good running condition with a full tank of petrol, but we also suggest you to fill up gas every time you get the chance.
You need a good, cold, working AC if you want to be comfortable. Prepare for heat: temperatures can be as high as 48°C. Emergency situations are therefore to be expected and planned for. Breakdowns, punctures, and bogging down in soft sand are the main difficulties.
Having a trainer showing you basic car mechanics, how to change a tyre, cool an engine, change a spare, and so on during the course, never hurt. Get trained in facing off-road situations. The best way to learn is to have a professional teach you and practice makes perfect.
Well, we are ready to turn our engine on.
After 45 minutes driving off Dubai, we got to our gate to the desert in order to reach the Pink Rocks. Before entering the desert, trainers taught us how to set tyre pressure, deflating them to below 15psi – you can go as low as 8psi, but you run the risk of your tyres coming off the wheel. Generally, 12psi is very suitable.
Before starting the real off-road trip it’s also important:
• To mark you entry point in your GPS so you know where to go if lost.
• To put your 4×4 in 4 high (4 low is not advisable for most 4x4s as it makes you dig in).
• To turn off stability controls and airbags (if option exists and at your own risk).
Never enter the desert alone and make sure you inform a friend where you are going and when you will be returning.
In the first part of the course, I had chance to learn some basic tips to drive into the desert. The fundamentals involved being in the right gear, maintaining momentum, never riding the clutch, spotting the clues that lead you to firmer sand, staying out of the bowls at the bottom of dunes, driving at speeds that ensure the preservation of your vehicle and carefully watching other vehicles for clues about what lies ahead.
Start off slow, power will simply dig you in the sand; move steering wheel side to side creating traction; never stop flat – always stop uphill or downhill, this makes starting off much easier; don’t cross dunes if you don’t know what’s on other side. You may risk nose diving or hitting another vehicle.
How to reach the Pink Rocks: start from N 25° 01.389 E 55° 40.610 on the Nazwa Road, to the left of the Hatta road before you reach Big Red from Dubai. You’ll be heading east to Pink Rocks at N 25° 01.227 E 55° 43.549. Here you have a choice; turn north and parallel the escarpment or south where you’ll find a route up to the top of the rocks — a great place for photos (if visibility is good) and a picnic lunch. Now work your way down towards N 25° 03.039 E 55° 44.051 and pick up the track heading roughly NNW towards a large open plain. Stay on the same heading and you’ll hit the new road beyond Nazwa. Turn left if you’re heading to Dubai.
During the course I also had chance to learn how to get unstuck. Follow these steps to avoid one of your mates having bragging rights for pulling you out:
• Release throttle immediately
• Go outside and assess situation
• Determine which tyre needs support or hanging.
• Determine which way you should move. Normally, you should move in a downhill direction as it is very difficult for your vehicle to go uphill in sand. Be friends with gravity – use it to your advantage.
• Clear out tyres and the 4×4 body of sand and get your passenger to push (shedding extra weight from the 4×4 in the process)
If the body of the 4×4 is sitting on the sand, you may need a tow.
A single day course is not enough to assimilate everything; off-road driving techniques must be learned over many months and even the most experienced drivers still get caught out. Join a club, join the off-road trips organised and practice a lot.
Ready to drive,
Nico
