Only me.”. I’m not at the mercy of anyone to do anything really when I’m on the track. “Are they (Thermal Club) participating in the community? The Thermal Club is the product of Rogers’ money and Mike Meldman’s planning. Kelso has friends who have visited the track and she knows that the BMW Performance Center, a racing school on club property, is open to the public. Drivers hit the track during the DXL F1 Ride & Drive Experience event held at Thermal Club on Sunday, November 23, 2014 in Thermal, Calif. (November 23, 2014), A trio of villas at Thermal Club, a racetrack and country club in Thermal, California. Other locals are less enthusiastic. The Discovery Land Company (DLC), well known and very respected for its luxury golf communities, built the Thermal Club and ensured that it would be a place for individuals who love performance driving, restoring, collecting or racing cars and motorcycles, new or old. Earlier in his career, he worked as a driving instructor as a way to afford to race. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. 56 reviews of BMW Performance Driving School "Have done BMW PERFORMANCE DRIVING SCHOOL in Greer South Carolina, before I went to this one in Thermal. “What better neighbor for an airport than a racetrack,” she said. (Photo: , Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun). Members pay $1,200 monthly and get unlimited track time. this school is just starting at the Thermal Club. Healthcare Administrator. The couple chipped in some financing, but as the original racetrack plan appeared to stall, they opted to buy the property themselves and made the original investors silent partners in the deal instead. (Photo: Kahn Media). It’s a development pattern that shows up elsewhere in the Coachella Valley, too, where tall walls and thick hedges conceal golf courses, tennis courts and hotel grounds. At Thermal Club, the company caters to the kind of driver who doesn’t want to worry about car maintenance. We visit the exclusive Thermal Club for the Ultimate BMW Experience. Designed by Alan Wilson, each circuit has its own covered paddock, unique features and the ability to change layout, giving members more than 20 different options with more than five miles of pristine pavement. You can reach real estate and business reporter Amy DiPierro at amy.dipierro@desertsun.com. “There’s no snootiness here, where the kids aren’t allowed in the dining room,” Speers said. The club offers members some sexy supercars for rent, but the full-service garage and race instructors are the real draw for speed enthusiasts. Links to every HPDE and Track Day held at The Thermal Club. Kelly Groves lives a couple miles from the track and keeps an airplane at Jacqueline Cochran Regional. This is a new private club racetrack with very few opportunities to drive on unless you're a member. Rogers plans to install additional public improvements this year, and said he’s working to build a healthcare facility for Borrego Health to operate in Coachella at Avenue 50 and Calhoun Street. Get directions. Around 90 of the property’s 200 residential lots have sold, Rogers said, and 22 houses have been built. Between 2009 and 2013, Riverside County approved plans for more than 10,000 new homes in the unincorporated area on paper. Drivers must be 21 years or older and hold a valid driving license, not subject to suspension or other sanctioning measure. 6 / 24. BMW has put together their own course within this facility. Here’s a peek over the sound wall – from one side of Thermal to the other. Thermal Club is a 344-acre, 268-lot development being built around four asphalt motorsport tracks at the east end of the Coachella Valley, where its nearest neighbors are farms and the county-owned airport, Jacqueline Cochran Regional. The vision of the club is to provide the ideal racing environment in a country club setting for the performance and luxury-minded enthusiast. A day of entertainment and adrenaline. If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them. Jeff Rodrigues, a 30-year veteran of the racing scene who manages track operations, said Thermal Club can feel like “the island of misfit toys” – a sanctuary for once-isolated gearheads that have finally found their tribe. Drive on the track with your own supercar. A trio of villas at Thermal Club, a racetrack and country club in Thermal, California. Inside, the track’s 115 or … He’s spent five times that so far. At the end of the day, Rogers trusted in the numbers to see him through. “It’s an ‘arrive and drive’ program,” said James Sofronas, the company’s owner and president. Oct 15, 2014 - BMWBLOG attended BMW Performance Driving School at Thermal Club, California. More: Coveted Rancho Mirage corner, once part of Annenberg Estate, just sold for $5.6 million. This website uses third party profiling cookies in order to send you advertisements in line with your preferences. Mike Wells, a 43-year resident of Thermal and another member of the community council, said neighbors initially thought Thermal Club would build a community park within its walls. But though the club has set aside $159,000 for a future facility outside in Thermal, there's no park yet. One of the club’s serious drivers is Daren Jorgensen. Sleeveless shirts, or open-toed shoes are not permitted in the pit lane or on track. Desert Circuit: the fastest and most technical track, North Palm Circuit: features a wide-banked carousel, Click on the times to discover the P ZERO™ Experience program. Inside, they’ve attracted a passionate group of car enthusiasts and drivers. contact@hpdejunkie.com The vehicle must meet all of the track rental group’s on-track safety requirements (appropriate seat belt, roll cage, window netting, etc.). “My clients say, ‘James, I’m going to worry about my job, my family and my personal life and then when I want to go racing, you transport (my car), you prep it, you crew it, you engineer it.”. MORE REAL ESTATE NEWS: BlackRock, the world's biggest money manager, bought a giant chunk of Palm Desert, KEEP READING: Porsche is cruising into Palm Springs, A BMW driver enters the track at the Thermal Club near Avenue 62 and Polk Street in Thermal. F/V Valiant. Dreams of drifting can be fulfilled by the BMW Performance Center West at the Thermal Club. “As a policymaker, we receive so many ideas that come to us and many times those ideas are grand and come with funding,” said Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, “and other times, they’re just ideas and they don’t.”. “If I really wanted to make some money in motorsports,” he said, “I’d develop a 12-step program for racing addicts.”. In this case, you’ll be contacted as soon as possible. Car Dealership. Rogers and his wife, Twanna Rogers, have invested $150 million in the project so far. The location will be at The Thermal Club, a new exclusive private race … All rights reserved. It’s a lesson Rogers knows well. “Say you’re married, and your partner is all about cars and you don’t give a flying hoot and a holler,” he said. The Thermal Club is designed to make you feel at home, to savor life in your own meaningful way with friends and loved ones. Book a seat if you want to be placed on our waiting list. “You might come here and (your partner is) like, ‘I want to be a member of Thermal Club.’ You’re really not that interested, but you’re encouraged by the fact that, there’s a spa, a restaurant. Then again, plenty of shiny new developments never even start their engines. It’s a new kind of country club for car lovers. Thermal, CA 92274 But besides Thermal Club, three other developments with county approval – Thermal 551, Kohl Ranch Specific Plan and Oasis Date Gardens – have not started construction. The project is all the more impressive because of what has not been built around it. Fast turns, a back straight perfect for speed exercises and a polished wet concrete skid pad make our Spartanburg track the perfect place to hone your driving skills. But there’s a balance to be struck, he says: growing in a sustainable way, and being mindful of the needs of locals that have lived in the area for decades. “It turns out that I was wrong,” he said, “because I kept making it nicer and nicer.”. As a group, it’s hard to understate members’ passion for motorsports. The Technical Briefing is mandatory to take part in the activities on the track. Thermal Club racetrack is a haven for motorsports enthusiasts, and one that can seem a world apart from the Thermal, the community that is its namesake. Oct 10, 2014 - BMWBLOG attended BMW Performance Driving School at Thermal Club, California. And at a time when other Coachella Valley cities are placing their bets on marijuana and music festivals to power their local economies, neighbors and local officials say that Thermal Club is taking an alternate route, luring visitors and jobs farther east – and doing it year round, too. (Photo: , Crystal Chatham/The Desert Sun), BlackRock, the world's biggest money manager, bought a giant chunk of Palm Desert, Coveted Rancho Mirage corner, once part of Annenberg Estate, just sold for $5.6 million, New Southwest Airlines route: Palm Springs to Vegas begins Sunday, Suzanne Somers sells Palm Springs compound, Belardo condos move forward, Plaza las Flores plans shot down, Hotels, restaurants strained by worker shortage, PlanDisney can help with Disneyland planning, Palm Springs commission approves nightclub in historic building, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It’s a problem Perez says applies to every development that comes across his desk. There is also a large dry driving pad and a wet skid pad for drifting. During the P ZEROTM Experience USA, Pirelli will have additional precautionary measures to guarantee the safety, well-being and health of all participants, whilst also respecting the U.S. government guidelines. This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you. Still, the development isn't finished yet. Among the ranks of Thermal Club, property records show that the founder of a Los Angeles clothing line, a Denver business magnate and an executive that works for self-help guru Tony Robbins all have staked out a place around the track. There’s a restaurant and bar with four full-time cooks and two chefs. GPS COORDINATES: 33.6017924, 116.1649889,17. Photo: Courtesy of BMW. 3. File photo, Sunday, November 23, 2014. When it’s fully built, the county estimates the property will have a taxable value of $400 million. Bimmerfest Founder ... From Palm Springs Airport its a 30 mile drive to the Thermal Club and with the domestic flight reduction, travel logistics will be a pain. Vet Connect USA. The original PC is 3 miles door to door from GSP. Thermal, California Set against the backdrop of a beautiful mountain range, The Thermal Club is an exclusive track that offers three unique layouts, plus our own challenge course to encourage maximum thrills. On top of that, there are member dues. But Rogers kept tinkering with Thermal Club, and he underestimated how expensive the project would be. THE THERMAL CLUB: 61980 Tyler St. Driving the high-octane machine that is Thermal Club is a man with a steady hand. Marine. “How do we insure that the common man, the people that live there in our community, also benefit?” he said. It has invested about $20 million in infrastructure – road improvements and water pipes especially – all of which could benefit neighbors. The Performance Center consists of a configurable track that is quite technical and makes for an amazing autocross track. Rogers has made millions as co-founder and president of Torrance-based Tower Energy, which operates its … The Thermal Club is about one thing, and one thing only – driving. Inside Thermal Club, members sip out of water bottles emblazoned with the club logo. These are third party Cookies used for statistical purposes and collect information in an aggregated and anonymous form (for example, they are used to count user visits on the Website). The story has been updated. Live the P ZERO™ Experience and put the performance of your car and the world’s most powerful supercars to the test. There’s things that you can do.”. Designed by Alan Wilson, each circuit has its own covered paddock, unique features and … The BMW Performance Driving School has created a new program for their West Coast location at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs which allows you to suit up in a … “There’s 150 golf courses down here," Rogers said. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Amy DiPierro covers real estate and business news for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. He’s a fanatic himself. That’s why the track is adding new spa and fitness facilities as well as overnight guest suites this year, said Brad Speers, who handles the club’s public relations. Thermal Club has attracted a motley mix of car collectors, competitive drivers, industry insiders and what the racing community calls gentlemen drivers, businessmen who race on the side and typically pay their own way. All participants must read and sign the waiverforms before being permitted on the circuit. Reach her at amy.dipierro@desertsun.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.desertsun.com/story/money/real-estate/2018/03/19/behind-18-foot-wall-thermal-club-oasis-car-lovers-desert-farming-town/432851002/. The goal of all BMW classes, stress the course instructors, is to improve your driving skills and let you feel what it’s like to push these high-performance machines to the limit in a safe driving … These Cookies are necessary to enhance your browsing experience and guarantee the core functionality of the Website. Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only. Jorgensen is both a competitive driver and the CEO of a 300-person environmental company. In addition, they pay a deposit: $85,000 for a standard membership, which includes family, or $200,000 for a corporate membership, which includes four corporate members and their immediate relatives. "Maybe there are other avenues that they are.”. The houses are ritzy. Thermal Club tracks are flanked by luxury villas, bars, restaurants, and a full-service garage. Thermal Club racetrack is a haven for motorsports enthusiasts, and one that can seem a world apart from the Thermal, the community that is its namesake. Combining information about tire pressure and temperature along with telemetry data, The racetrack is located in Thermal California. The potential of Thermal Club is not lost on locals. It might have seemed like a gamble, but employees at Thermal Club say Rogers is a “numbers man.” He didn’t decide to build the racetrack just because he likes fast cars. Track Adrenaline™ provides useful recommendations to be able to manage tires efficiently and to improve your driving performance. “I expect to get the money back," Rogers said, "but it’ll probably be 10 years before I get the money back.". After all the adrenaline rush, calm yourself down at the lovely cafe cum restaurant serving delicious food and drinks. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Minors under 18 years are not allowed to attend the event. Splurges with a side of adrenaline don’t get much better than taking part in high-speed driving classes, conducted year-round at The Thermal Club—a posh, 30-plus-acre racetrack, training facility, and motorsports club just south of Indio. Helmets must be worn for all track activities. These Cookies are installed through the Website by third parties in order to display targeted advertising customized according to the preferences you expressed during the browsing session (for example, when you visit some pages of the Website or interact with the Website's features). Designed by Alan Wilson, each circuit variation has its own covered paddock giving members more than 20 different options with more than five miles of pristine pavement. The Thermal Club is an all-inclusive private destination for the distinguished motorsport enthusiast situated in the Palm Desert’s beautiful mountain scenery. About 7 years ago a group of investors approached the Rogers family with an idea for a racetrack. Within the walls of its 344-acre property lies an all-inclusive private resort community complete with 5.1 miles of track, a central motorsports village with a clubhouse,gourmet restaurant, service garage and more, as well as luxury villas to provide the ultimatetrackside living experience. BMW is building a second permanent BMW Performance Driving School in the United States. The Thermal Club is the ultimate destination for the distinguished motorsports enthusiast. Tim Rogers, 65, is the president of Tower Energy Group, which owns 15 convenience stores and gas stations in northern California, plus a growing number in the Coachella Valley. She loves it when she can recognize familiar mountains in the background of car commercials filmed on the track. And by Rogers' calculations, the basic business model is working. Some homes at Thermal Club have a gallery window overlooking the garage so that visitors can admire vehicles from a hallway upstairs; at least one of them has a giant Lazy Susan so that cars can rotate as if they were on a a sales floor. Find upcoming and past racing events at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California, the United States. “I also like the aggression of being able to attack the track like it’s my own, like I control it 100 percent. There are also motorsports professionals with a regular presence at Thermal Club, like Global Motorsports Group. For information on accommodation and on site amenities like pools, spa and others please refer to the confirmation e-mail you will receive after completing the registration process. As it serves this diverse membership, Thermal Club is trying to be more like a traditional country club, too. “A lot of the traditional country club rules and regulations are a little looser here.”, Members of Thermal Club can dine in the track's in-house restaurant and bar. Because a gap persists. (Photo: Courtesy photo). Inside, the track’s 115 or so members pay $1,200 a month for unlimited driving. “Neither is going to complain about the other’s noise.”. He used to supply fuel to 7-Elevens in 36 states, a venture that made or lost millions every day depending on the price of gasoline. GOT TIPS? Outside, the Census estimates that 32.2 percent of people live below the poverty line, double the rate of California. With exclusive long-term benefits including fine dining, spa access, driving tracks and even Kart racing training, membership at The Thermal Club is … Take the chance to test Track Adrenaline™, Pirelli's virtual track engineer. Drivers take a lap at Thermal Club. But except for the occasional sound of revving engines, Kelso says she hasn’t heard much from Thermal Club. here, families … Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in. The reception center and class rooms are temporary buildings at this time, but are going forward with building their own permanent facilities within the complex of The Thermal Club … P ZEROTM EXPERIENCETHE ADRENALINE EDITION. File photo, Friday, October 3, 2014. BMW has two Performance Centers – one in South Carolina, and this temporary structure at Thermal Club, which will soon be replaced by a brand new facility that’s being built right on the track property. SIGN UP FOR FACEBOOK NEWS ALERTS: Message us here to get started. Thermal Club Villas range in size from 8,000 to 15,000 square-feet, featuring three-to-five bedrooms all with a huge garage space and elevators. You have to apply for membership — and if you have to ask what the unadvertised cost is, you likely shouldn't fill out that application. Page Transparency See More. The Thermal Club is an all-inclusive private destination for the distinguished motorsport enthusiast situated in the Palm Desert’s beautiful mountain scenery. Perez thinks future real estate development in Thermal is “inevitable.” These days, people have been approaching him with ideas for equestrian facilities, arenas, rodeos, housing developments and even water parks. THERMAL – Hidden behind an 18-foot sound wall, in the part of the Coachella Valley where date trees appear to outnumber people, wealthy men are driving fast cars around the private racetrack that could shape the future of this unincorporated town. By clicking the "Accept" button below you consent to the use of such cookies. Outside, high levels of arsenic keep some people from drinking their tap water. © 2021 www.desertsun.com. Initially, he thought he could build the whole development with $30 million. And outside, some of the neighbors are getting curious. And outside, some of the neighbors want a peek. *Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Flying Disc Ranch in Thermal. Thermal Club has already laid some of the groundwork to boost Thermal. She works at Flying Disc Ranch, a date and citrus farm not too far from the club.*. Wearing comfortable sportswear is recommended (especially suitable shoes for driving). The result is a temple to motorsports crossed with a ritzy country club. Financial success at Flying Disc Ranch, a racetrack not too far from the track no park yet just... – road improvements and water pipes especially – all of which could benefit neighbors 's top industry! Club ) participating in the pit lane or on track for the distinguished motorsports enthusiast professionals a... Thing, and 22 houses have been built DiPierro covers real estate and business Amy. Skid pad for drifting are not allowed to attend the event and the. 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