Rahal Desert Challenge 2024 – Western Region, UAE Date, Time, Venue, Email, Category, Registration Cost, How to register?

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Rahal Desert Challenge 2024 – 26 January 2024, Friday in Western Region, UAE

Start time: 06:00 pm

What are the Categories & fees?

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Event Charges

• The registration fee for each team is 1,200 AED (up to 8 people – 4
  drivers and up to 4 passengers).
• Your team will only save the slot once the payment is submitted.

Refund Policy

The refund policy for cancellations is as follows:

• Prior to 29 December – 100% refund
• From 29 December to 13 January – 50% refund
• From 13 January: 0% refund

Email for claims or refund: rdc@desertdudes.ae

Contact Information

Phone: +971506943449

Event DAY PROGRAM

• Start numbers will be assigned via raffle draw on Friday evening.
• You should arrive on Friday evening before 09:00 PM for the registration and start position draw.
• If a team cannot make it in time please camp and register the next morning by 07:00 AM at the start line. We will assign you a start number.

Vehicle Rules

• All vehicles must be in good condition with front and rear recovery points and a spare tire also in good condition.
• All convoys must have four cars at the start. Teams must finish the challenge with a minimum of three cars.
• If your car breaks down in the desert, our team will do everything possible to assist in repairing or helping your team to remove it from
  the desert.
• Ultimately it is the responsibility of the driver to pay for a specialist company to recover his/her vehicle if it is not possible to drive it out.
• No more than two persons per car. This trip is not suitable for children under the age of 12.

Convoy Rules

• Please do not drive through the middle of another convoy.
• If you wish to overtake a convoy, please contact their leader via radio and advise them of your intention to overtake.

Safety Information/Equipment

• Every vehicle MUST have a flag and flagpole.
• Every driver/passenger MUST wear a seatbelt when their car is moving.

MINIMUM Equipment required per team of 4.

• 2 tire pressure gauges
• 2 compressors
• 2 GPS capable of uploading and downloading tracks (recommended Garmin GPS eg. Montana or Overlander.

Mobile apps tend to be unreliable, and settings cannot be
adjusted properly, this may cause kilometer addition)

• 2 car jacks incl. jack plate
• 2 snatch straps/kinetic ropes – in good condition
• 4 rated shackles (soft or bow)
• 4 first aid kits (mandatory by Law)
• 4 fire extinguishers, not older than 2 years (mandatory by Law)
• 4 VHF radios
• 4 shovels

Highly recommended but NOT mandatory

• Sat Phone
• One winch per convoy

• ALL items must be securely tied down! This will be checked during the vehicle check by the RDC staff.

The Route

• The route with all the information required will be emailed or sent via message to the team leaders 2 days prior.
•  The route is a corridor of approximately 5 Km (2.5Km left and right of the line) with sectors dividing up different parts of the route.
• Once you pass one sector line, you will have to send a SMS (via Etisalat) to the designated number saying, “team name – end
  sector XYZ”. Any team that does not send a message will incur a penalty of 2 km for each missed SMS.
• If you go beyond the corridor limits (to the left or right) a penalty of 1-5 Km for each time will be added to your final result, depending on
  the severity of the passing.
• At least one person in the team must record the route on his/her GPS.
• If teams have more than one GPS, teams must choose one route and save it as “TeamnameRDC”
• GPS devices must always remain in the vehicle. Teams found removing the GPS from a vehicle in order to carry, fly or move it by
  any other means over an obstacle will be disqualified.
• You will have to submit your route (via SD card or via email) to our designated desk in the camp on Saturday and at the finish line on
  Sunday. This is to prevent any manipulation or cheating.

Food and Beverages

• There are no shops near the entry point, nor the camp spot on Saturday night – please carry plenty of food, water, snacks and drinks
  with you.
• There are no pharmacies so please remember to pack any meds you may need. [first aid box]

What if a car breaks down during the event?

1. The vehicle can still drive but is at risk of failing completely or can only drive slowly, for example, clutch or overheating problems.
2. The vehicle is unable to drive but can be towed by the other members of the team.
3. The vehicle is completely immobile and cannot be towed.

Under all circumstances follow the recommended actions below:

• Note the initial coordinates of where the car broke down and call or send SMS/WhatsApp message to the designated number with an
  initial brief description of the issue.
• Try to call the sweep team on the radio.
• Then consider your options; how much daylight do you have left; how much water do you have on board each vehicle; what
  communication you have with the Sweep team.
• If the team is able to assist the stricken vehicle to a nearby road so it can be recovered by a tow truck you should do so, this is assuming
  the occupants of the vehicle are abandoning the challenge.
• Once the vehicle is back on the road the remaining members of the team in the three remaining vehicles can return to the point where the breakdown happened and continue the challenge.
• IMPORTANT: Don’t leave the track until a Sweep team is with you or you have the “Green Light” of the RDC officials.
• Your GPS track will be counted only from the point where the breakdown occurred, and not the detour to assist the vehicle out of the desert.