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Abu Dhabi 4x4 Club - AD4x4 - The oldest off road club in the United Arab Emirates - United for the love of the country and the fun of driving in the desert
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The traditional off-road club was founded in the summer of 2006 by Mohammed Hunnadi "Mega Moe" and Islam El Mantawi "Iguana" who before making the club already made many trips and walks together. They founded the AD4x4 with the mission to provide a hangout for all those addicted to offroad driving and the beauty of the desert, AD4x4 is a family oriented off road club where all family memeber can join & enjoy the day together. The club started it’s trips with 8 to 12 cars in the initial months, then they reached about 50 members in the first season. Currently the club has 7000 members in various cities within United Arab Emirates, plus some members from Oman and Saudi Arabia, however, the club has no sub directories or branches. Club members are off roading with 4x4 vehicles of various brands, however, the most used is the Jeep Wrangler. There are many women as active members, with their own vehicles. The basic requirement to be a member is to only have a 4x4. In the club there are different driving levels according to the driving skills, so the trips are with different routes for each level.
The club also gives safety instructions and driving training: "The club teaches offroad driving safely. We have several ranks starting with ANIT (Absolute Newbie Instruction Training), Newbie, Intermediate, Advance, Expert, Explorer, and Marshal (these two stand out for leadership skills and managerial skills). The member joins the club as ANIT and, through aquiring new skills, is promoted to upper ranks. We are proud to say that we are having at least five trips a week at all levels of driving, "explains Khaled Hassan. AD4x4 carries out many trips especially in the United Arab Emirates and some to Saudi Arabia and Oman: "The normal weekly trips are around 50 to 70 km offroad, however, some trips can extend up to 150 km, as in the Liwa desert , which is close to Saudi Arabia. We have many events, starting from our weekly off-road trips, to megadrives where all levels are involved, to official events like the annual Marshaling of Jeep Jamboree for 10 years (Jeep's main annual event). Every year we organize desert cleaning events in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Government, as well as various other environmental events. We have 3 major events, Season Opening, Club Anniversary (and season closing) and Jeep Jamboree. We have the Grand Iftar event, which happens on the second weekend of the holy month of Ramadan, where all the clubs of the Emirates meet on a huge dune to celebrate the holy month together.
All trips undertaken by the AD4x4 are conducted by experienced Marshals/Leaders who can advise you on safe driving techniques and help in case you need assistance. There are techniques on proper recovery methods in case of getting stuck. Members safety is the club’s main concern.
The main type of terrain in the UAE and region is the desert, so it requires a different piloting technique for greater fun and safety in the sands. "The main difficulty is gravity, the sand is soft and gravity always wins, so rule number one is to never fight the gravity, gravity is our friend, we use it. The greatest joy is the sense of freedom, when you ride these dunes, this is the ultimate adrenaline pleasure, says Khaled.
Khaled Hassan has a Jeep Wrangler 2016 JKU, joins the Marshals category, is a member of the Abu Dhabi 4x4 management committee and has been at the club for 4 years. In addition to driving with great skill in the dunes, he also leads masterfully on rocky terrain, has already made a long run in Egypt, facing this type of terrain for 200km, but prefers sand dunes, Khaled has been out of Egypt since 1999. He is Egyptian, is a motorcycle rider and is part of Alex Cruisers, one of the leading motorcycle groups in Egypt, which organizes various motorcycle events in the country, including events associated with 4x4 clubs. Khaled is also crazy about Beetle, loves to direct this classic and be at events with friends. He is one of the founders and member of one of the club "VW Beetle Lovers in Egypt". He has never been to Brazil, but wants to visit the country at some point: "In Brazil there are many adventure and adrenaline options, besides its unique and rich culture, it is a beautiful country," says Khaled. His connection and passion for motorcycles and 4x4 is adrenaline addiction and love of adventure.
Links https://www.facebook.com/ad4x4media/ https://entusiastaadventure.blogspot.com/ http://maisoffroad.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Entusiastamotorcycleaviation