In pictures : See all the fun that was had at the Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive

The 38th Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive last year, supported by Al Futtaim Motors – Toyota was held in the Liwa region on January 11 and 12, 2019. The Fun Drive started at Al Fathiya on the Hameem Road. The drive ended at the foot of the spectacular Moreeb Dune. The original idea behind the Fun Drive was to give people the chance to experience the desert. Unlike today, there were more unknowns off-road in the UAE, and very few people dared to venture.

The 38th edition of Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive included 800 vehicles, 2000 participants and a 280-kilometres-long drive. The event was held on January 11 and 12, 2019.

This is the kind of fun a Gulf News Fun Drive promises. This is a picture taken of last year's Fun Drive. Participants enjoy in the desert enroute Moreeb dune in Abu Dhabi.

See all the four wheelers parked on UAE dunes. Some pointers for participants at the Fun Drive. Participation is not recommended for children under six years of age and the very elderly. Every passenger must have a seat belt. Because of the terrain involved there will be challenging sand and gravel sections. Participants will have the option to abandon the drive at any checkpoint and continue over tarmac. Participation will be limited to the driver + maximum of four (provided there are seat belts per passenger) . To explain the route requires many GPS waypoints.

What do you do when you get stuck like this? In this picture, marshals help participants enroute Moreeb dune in Abu Dhabi at last year's Overnighter Fun Drive. Here are some tips from expert on how to meet the challenges on the dune.Never follow a car blindly while on the Gulf News Fun Drive, park your vehicle on an incline and check your tire pressure every hour, are some useful tips to follow.

Marshals Pradish Thomas and Anit Zhakur stand proud after rescuing four people from a SUV that was wedged in deep in the dunes at last year's Fun Drive. According to expert marshals, a common mistake that people commit is that they don’t maintain safe distance from the vehicle in front. If you keep your distance right, you can see what is happening in front. As a rule of thumb in the desert, if you stop right you start right. If you stop flat, you cannot start and go forward with ease. Always stop on an incline so you have a rolling start. Remember the sand is soft and flat and wheels move in a clock-wise rotation. As a result, you can totally dig yourself in if you don’t take care. Also, never park behind a vehicle and check your tire pressure. Check your tire pressure every hour as heat can build up inside due to the friction with the wheels. Everything else is bottled down to common sense.

Dealing with the challenge: Expert marshals say while many people have 4x4s or trucks, they all don’t necessarily know how to use their machines. For some it is a walk in the park, others it is professional, while it is a great learning experience for the rest. Many also bring their new vehicles to the off-road event and this can be a recipe for disaster. Drivers are not familiar with all the gears and as to how to manoeuvre their vehicles on the sand. The good side of this is that at the end of the Fun Drive, they end up learning so much about their cars and in that sense it is a huge achievement for them. How often will you see people getting stuck on the sand? Almost from the word go. The repeaters usually lead the way. They take off in a blaze of glory and keep going. They are confident and hammer away. The novices on the other hand, blindly follow the repeaters and this can be a mistake too.

Know your marshal, see how to pick him from the crowd : The marshal wears a florescent jacket so he or she is easy to identify. A marshal's kit also consists of the Fun Drive T-shirt and jumper, a whistle to alert people, red and green flags, a shovel, flashing hazard light to be placed on the roof of the car are some elements in the Marshal’s kit. For communication, marshals carry two-way radios, walkie talkies among others. So you are in safe hands all along.

This is the action you will see in this year's Fun Drive. Participants were a big part of the event last year keeping their energy levels up at all times and enjoying every moment. See you soon