[jkrishnakj]

1. RSudarsanan - BMW 320d
2. M.Rao + 1 - Hyundai i20
3. tilt + 1 - Mahindra Thar
4. Shrey +1.5 - BMW X1
5. Praveen Balan - BMW 330i MSport
6. Dr.AD - BMW 320d
7. Fortified+1 - Toyota Fortuner
8. Sud + 2 - Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
9. ROG_AK + 1.5 - Scorpio N
10. 500ContyCruiser + 1 - Isuzu VCross
11. graaja + 1 - BMW 330i GT
12. pearljam - Hyundai Verna
13. FAIAAA +1 - Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo
14. Abtyagi+1+2kids - Toyota Fortuner
15. buzzy_boy + 1 - Mahindra XUV???
16. roadfiend - Toyota Fortuner
17. EeshanC +1.5 - Mahindra XUV500
18. KiloAlpha - Suzuki S-Cross
19. Ajai - BMW M340i
20. Jkrishnakj +1- Audi A6

Hoping I haven’t missed the deadline.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

20. Jkrishnakj +1- Audi A6

Hoping I haven’t missed the deadline.

Just in time 👍
PMed you

[RakishRam]

Just updated my entry. I have a plus one, a cousin.

1. RSudarsanan - BMW 320d
2. M.Rao + 1 - Hyundai i20
3. tilt + 1 - Mahindra Thar
4. Shrey +1.5 - BMW X1
5. Praveen Balan - BMW 330i MSport
6. Dr.AD - BMW 320d
7. Fortified+1 - Toyota Fortuner
8. Sud + 2 - Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
9. ROG_AK + 1.5 - Scorpio N
10. 500ContyCruiser + 1 - Isuzu VCross
11. graaja + 1 - BMW 330i GT
12. pearljam - Hyundai Verna
13. FAIAAA +1 - Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo
14. Abtyagi+1+2kids - Toyota Fortuner
15. buzzy_boy + 1 - Mahindra XUV???
16. roadfiend - Toyota Fortuner
17. EeshanC +1.5 - Mahindra XUV500
18. KiloAlpha - Suzuki S-Cross
19. Ajai +1 - BMW M340i
20. Jkrishnakj +1- Audi A6

[robimahanta]

Looking forward to meeting you all

1. RSudarsanan - BMW 320d
2. M.Rao + 1 - Hyundai i20
3. tilt + 1 - Mahindra Thar
4. Shrey +1.5 - BMW X1
5. Praveen Balan - BMW 330i MSport
6. Dr.AD - BMW 320d
7. Fortified+1 - Toyota Fortuner
8. Sud + 2 - Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
9. ROG_AK + 1.5 - Scorpio N
10. 500ContyCruiser + 1 - Isuzu VCross
11. graaja + 1 - BMW 330i GT
12. pearljam - Hyundai Verna
13. FAIAAA +1 - Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo
14. Abtyagi+1+2kids - Toyota Fortuner
15. buzzy_boy + 1 - Mahindra XUV???
16. roadfiend - Toyota Fortuner
17. EeshanC +1.5 - Mahindra XUV500
18. KiloAlpha - Suzuki S-Cross
19. Ajai +1 - BMW M340i
20. Jkrishnakj +1- Audi A6
21. RoBi - BMW M340i

[jkrishnakj]

Update: vehicle change and I’m in only for Sat night. Pressing work commits that I have be back home on Sunday.

Looking forward! Cheers.

1. RSudarsanan - BMW 320d
2. M.Rao + 1 - Hyundai i20
3. tilt + 1 - Mahindra Thar
4. Shrey +1.5 - BMW X1
5. Praveen Balan - BMW 330i MSport
6. Dr.AD - BMW 320d
7. Fortified+1 - Toyota Fortuner
8. Sud + 2 - Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
9. ROG_AK + 1.5 - Scorpio N
10. 500ContyCruiser + 1 - Isuzu VCross
11. graaja + 1 - BMW 330i GT
12. pearljam - Hyundai Verna
13. FAIAAA +1 - Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo
14. Abtyagi+1+2kids - Toyota Fortuner
15. buzzy_boy + 1 - Mahindra XUV???
16. roadfiend - Toyota Fortuner
17. EeshanC +1.5 - Mahindra XUV500
18. KiloAlpha - Suzuki S-Cross
19. Ajai +1 - BMW M340i
20. Jkrishnakj +1- Jimmy
21. RoBi - BMW M340i

[vigsom]

Wild Card entry - count us in please. I've been cleared for travel only yesterday.

1. RSudarsanan - BMW 320d
2. M.Rao + 1 - Hyundai i20
3. tilt + 1 - Mahindra Thar
4. Shrey +1.5 - BMW X1
5. Praveen Balan - BMW 330i MSport
6. Dr.AD - BMW 320d
7. Fortified+1 - Toyota Fortuner
8. Sud + 2 - Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI
9. ROG_AK + 1.5 - Scorpio N
10. 500ContyCruiser + 1 - Isuzu VCross
11. graaja + 1 - BMW 330i GT
12. pearljam - Hyundai Verna
13. FAIAAA +1 - Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo
14. Abtyagi+1+2kids - Toyota Fortuner
15. buzzy_boy + 1 - Mahindra XUV???
16. roadfiend - Toyota Fortuner
17. EeshanC +1.5 - Mahindra XUV500
18. KiloAlpha - Suzuki S-Cross
19. Ajai +1 - BMW M340i
20. Jkrishnakj +1- Jimmy
21. RoBi - BMW M340i
22. vigsom + 1 - old Grand Vitara

[RSUDARSANAN]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-caUGE_iv6A

The countdown to the 10th Anniversary Drive of the O'Knighters has begun.

In the past decade, this group has grown and bonded over so many drives across the length and breadth of South India.




Acknowledging fondly, first band of Tbhpians of the inaugural drive.

Three of the above pioneers are here for this drive;
the two overseas and the rest, unfortunately couldn't make it.

Also, the regulars who couldn't make it will be sorely missed.

Looking forward to meeting several new faces in this drive.

Note:
A minor change in the onward itinerary -

Regroup at Muthanga WLS shifted to:

* 250 kms 11.30 am - 12.00 pm: regroup/comfort stop at FOODBAE_restaurants

Catch up tomorrow at Kadamba,
at the crack of dawn, on the dot


Cheers

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

The countdown to the 10th Anniversary Drive of the O'Knighters has begun.

Awesome memories over past 10 years, and eagerly looking forward to this drive tomorrow.

In the past decade, this group has grown and bonded over so many drives across the length and breadth of South India.

Absolutely. Thanks to you for starting this driving group and the driving culture, and since then we have done countless trips together. In fact, not just the "length and breadth of South India", but we have gone much beyond that. Just as one example, @graaja and I did a driving trip to Arunachal Pradesh in 2021. And both of us met each other only thanks to your drives, and this driving group, and then we became close friends over the year. We did many "monsoon drives" to Maharashtra too over last many years.

There are tons of such memories and friendships developed since our first inaugural drive in July 2013.

Acknowledging fondly, first band of Tbhpians of the inaugural drive.

Three of the above pioneers are here for this drive;

Great picture and great memories. Really happy to be part of the "pioneers" as you called it, from that 2013 drive.

Looking forward to meeting several new faces in this drive.

Absolutely! Looking forward to meeting many old friends and making new friends too.

See you all tomorrow at 5:30AM :-)

[500ContyCruiser]

Excellent trip with beautiful location.

Some pics from my end.




Color color what color?

[Dr.AD]

As always, this was an amazing drive and meet event! Many thanks to @RSUDARSANAN for organizing this meet and making it a big success, as he has been doing for last 10 years! This being the 10th anniversary drive, it was indeed a special drive and it exceeded all expectations! Thanks again "Chief" (as we lovingly call RSUDARSANAN) for all the wonderful drives and memories over last 10 years!

Thanks to everyone for making it to the drive and for the great company! It was great to meet old friends, but in addition to that, we made many new friends this that, and that was great! Hope to see you guys again in the next drive. Thanks again for the fun times and the company!

I had a great time and enjoyed every moment of this lovely drive and meet. The resort was at an amazing location and provided breathtaking views. The roads were great and we had some fun drive both on the highway and then through the twisties and hills in Kerala. It was a perfect drive in many ways.

I got plenty of opportunities to take photographs in the resort (thanks to the amazing lake views and the great location of the resort), and also of the beautiful cars (thanks to the large convoy with so many amazing cars and their passionate owners!). I got way more photographs than I could share in a single post. So please allow me to share a few photos over multiple posts.

First I will share the pictures of the resort and the landscapes around, and then add a few more posts to share the car photographs.

Resort and the Surroundings:

The amazing location of the resort:



Cottages with great lake views:



Views from my room's balcony:



Great lake views from almost every corner of the resort:



Pool with a view:



Another perspective of the beautiful pool:



Bench with a view:



Some random flower photos as I walked around the resort testing my new camera:

[Dr.AD]

Car Photos in Mysore:

Our good friend @HighRevving joined us till Wayanad in his beautiful blue BMW 330i Msports, and then he immediately returned back to Mysore from there. He could not make it to the whole drive due to some other commitments, but it was very nice of him to drive with the convoy till Wayanad. This meant that his car would not be there for the photo session at the resort. Therefore, we decided to take a quick break at Mysore to photoshoot his car (and a couple of other BMWs along with his car) and then we quickly caught up back with the convoy.

The stunning blue BMW 330i MSports of @HighRevving:



The car sports special alloy wheels...



That surely deserve detailed shots like these:



One more view of the beautiful wheels:



Another angle of the 330i shining under the morning sun:



@Rakishram's BMW M340i in the classy and elegant shade:



@praveenbalan's White 330i Msports:



The four bimmers together:



A parting shot of the blue 330i Msports:



And finally, my own humble 320d:

[Dr.AD]

Random Car Photos in the Parking Lot:

I love taking car photos. If I get an opportunity for a specific shoot (like we had in Mysore), that is always welcome. But if not, I love just walking around in the parking lot and taking car photos. Luckily, such car meets offer plenty of opportunities for this "parking lot walk around" photography, and I love that!

Here are some random photos I took by just walking around in the parking lot with my camera (we also did a proper planned photoshoot by making the cars pose for the camera, and I will cover that in subsequent posts below).

To start with, my own car, with such amazing views right in front of the parking space (I could see lake views from the windshield after parking my car):



The 320d twins (with @RSUDARSANAN's blue 320d):



The group had seven BMWs, and four of them found themselves parked next to each other like this:



The white Fortuner of @Abtyagi looked imposing even while standing still in the parking:



Octavia of @Sud:



A rare car to spot, S-Cross 1.6, of @KiloAlpha:



Another angle of the S-Cross:



Hyundai Verna of @FAIAAA :



The White powerhouses, BMW 330i of @praveenbalan and Mercedes C 250d of @Fortified:

[Dr.AD]

Test Drive and Photoshoot of Maruti Jimny:

One of the star attractions in the convoy was the new Jimny of @Jkrishnak. His Nexa Blue Jimny looked amazing! And it was extremely nice of him to offer me to drive his car, and do a photoshoot with this car. Thanks a ton @Jkrishnakj!

The last 1km or so to the resort was a proper dirt track! It was a "kaccha road" full of stones, gravel, and some patches of wet soil. While it was a pain to drive my 320d there (I had to literally crawl there trying to avoid tyre damage), that road was a perfect rally track to test drive the Jimny! I enjoyed driving Jimny there, and taking photos.

I will reserve my detailed test drive opinions for later (maybe I will mention those in the Jimny thread), but in summary, I absolutely loved driving that car. The ride quality is leagues ahead of the Thar, especially on bad and bumpy roads. I was careful and slow when driving Jimny on that dirt track (this was my first time driving a Jimny and I was still getting used to it). However, later, @Jkrishnakj himself took the wheel and I sat in the rear seat, and he showed me how to drive the Jimny there. He literally floored it and raced on the dirt track like a pro rally driver, and the car rode just flat on those bumpy roads. That showed the true quality of the car. The ride quality, the grip and the composure of the car on that dirt track was remarkable! Lovely little car!

Thanks again to @Jkrishnakj for the test drive and the ride in his new Jimny. Here are a few photos of his Jimny that I shot during that test drive.




















By the way, the "support vehicle" for this Jimny photoshoot was this Black Fortuner of @roadfiend. This car was great for us to move around on that dirt track, and it was right at home in such conditions:


Thanks a lot to @roadfiend for the many rides we took in this car.

[Dr.AD]

The Drivers and the Machines:

I consider myself to be a landscape and car photographer, and usually do not take people photos. But here, could not resist clicking a few photos of the enthusiastic drivers posting next to the beautiful machines.

@Jkrishnakj posing next to his newest acquisition:



The "Chief" posing next to the stunning BMW M340i of @robimahanta:



The "BMW Boys" (from left to right, @Rakishram, @robimahanta, @praveenbalan and @RSUDARSANAN):



L to R, @PearlJam, friendly moderator @graaja, @RSUDARSANAN and @Sud:



And finally the first-timers in these overnight meets, L to R: @EeshanC, @FAIAAA and @Shrey:

[Dr.AD]

Car Photoshoot (Part 1):

As I probably said a few times already, I love car photography, and such driving meets offer me many opportunities to practice this hobby. So while standing there and chitchatting with friends, I requested them to move their cars around and make the cars pose for the camera. Thankfully, those guys agreed and took efforts to move their cars and pose for the camera. We had a fun session in the parking lot where we moved each car and composted photographs. Thanks a lot to everyone who took efforts to move their cars. The enthusiasm with which the whole group participated in this photoshoot made it a lot of more. Thanks again everyone!

I took so many car photos there that I can not share all of those in one post. Please allow me to share those in two posts (this being the first of the two posts):

BMW M340i of @robimahanta:



The car looks great anywhere, anytime:



The two M340is posing together (the other one is of @Rakishram):



@Rakishram's M340i:


One more:



Back to shooting the Sunset Orange:



The car is a poetry in motion when on the move:



My humble steed, which looks totally outdated next to those stunning G20s:



The most famous BMW 3GT in India, that of moderator @graaja:



One more shot of the most well-known BMW 3GT:



The elegant white Octavia of @Sud:



Back to photographing the M340i:











The M340i twins posing together:



White BMW 330i MSports of @praveenbalan:



And finally, the three G20s in the group posing together: