Abu Dhabi club offers free dune bashing classes

Abu Dhabi: If you have a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and haven’t ventured into the desert yet, here is your chance. The Abu Dhabi 4x4 Club trains people in dune bashing for free; provided they bring their own vehicles.

Founded by four off-road enthusiasts who wanted to provide a common platform for desert adventure fans, the club now has 6,500 members.

 We teach in a safe environment and in the comfort of the partcipant's own car”

“We teach in a safe environment and in the comfort of the participant’s own vehicle,” explained the club’s co-founder Mohammad Hunaidi. “It is a social thing. We make nothing from it.”

Safety first

Since its inception in 2006, the club has been conducting a number of social and sports activities during weekends; including dune bashing, rock crawling, wadi driving and outdoor camping trips.

Membership is free. There are different learning levels for drivers, depending on the skills and experience.

Experienced hands

The trips are led by experienced drivers who give tips on safe driving techniques and proper recovery methods (in case of a mishap). Guidance is also given based on the type of car and terrain chosen (like sandy, rocky etc).

Most of their volunteers have now become expert team leaders who train others. “I’ve been going on these weekend adventures for the past six years, and now I lead trips out to the desert,” said Andrew Laver from UK.

AD4x4 also manages annual events like Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, Mercedes Offroad Drive, Liwa Challenge, Abu Dhabi Environment Marathon etc.

“Our weekends have become adventurous thanks to these family oriented trips. We hope to continue doing them for free,” said another co founder Islam El Mantawi.

For more info visit www.ad4x4.com