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The NTT IndyCar Series Coming to The Thermal Club
This is an update to the original post dated October 24th, 2022, and is attached.
The NTT IndyCar Series will soon be lighting up the Thermal Club with the sights and sounds of amazing racing in the Southern California Desert.
At a wonderful invitation a while back, I visited The Thermal, talked with the owners, and drove their amazing track. Always a private country club, a number of IMSA and SRO teams have taken their testing to their track. Series owner Roger Penske and The Thermal owners announced this first professional motor sports racing to be held at the venue, and racing of this caliber promises to expose the private facility to the many racing fans in Southern California and the surround areas.
“We’ll use the layout we call ‘Two Palms,’” track president John Rogers told RACER. “It’s our South Palm course and our North Palm course put together, which is 2.9 miles and 17 turns and includes our infield, which should be exciting with a great triple-right turn section and a chicane in there. We built the track with very fast cars in mind.
ORIGINAL STORY
A private community made up of a select few of the most driven and passionate humans on earth.
Difficult words to to live up to, until you’ve been there. With fellow driving friends in town, and a kind invitation from Cindy Carvel and Misty Frasier, we made the short 30 minute drive east from Palm Springs to the Thermal Club. Cindy and Misty are two of the top real estate agents in California, specialize in property at The Thermal Club, and gave us the grand tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol8k-SMFYaI
02/10
This is a place where aficionados daily enjoy the wail of vintage 12 cylinder Ferraris, accompanied by the sounds of Lamborghini V10,’s flat 6 cylinder Porsche Turbos, and all manner of high performance machines. Here, owners are able to enjoy their cars safely, in a remarkable setting unlike anywhere else on earth.
And though the club lives and breathes racing and motorsports, it has also become an oasis for those who have chosen to enjoy the exquisite country club lifestyle the Thermal Club offers.
03/10
This is a place where aficionados daily enjoy the wail of vintage 12 cylinder Ferraris, accompanied by the sounds of Lamborghini V10,’s flat 6 cylinder Porsche Turbos, and all manner of high performance machines. Here, owners are able to enjoy their cars safely, in a remarkable setting unlike anywhere else on earth.
And though the club lives and breathes racing and motorsports, it has also become an oasis for those who have chosen to enjoy the exquisite country club lifestyle the Thermal Club offers.
04/10
The Thermal Club isn’t for everyone, and that’s intentional. It is, rather, a place to decompress with fellow CEOs, presidents, and entrepreneurs, all eager to enjoy the peer-to-peer conversations that have been so lacking through the pandemic. Of course, there are plenty of conversations about driving the perfect lap, and I was thrilled with a bit of track time myself.
05/10
Just outside the Thermal Club is home to the BMW Performance Center West. Testing that day, I strapping on a helmet seconds after being offered one, and did a lead-follow for four or five laps in a new BMW M4 with the club pro leading the way. Connected by two-way radio, Dominic patiently talked me through the turns, allowing me lots of speed while pointing out braking points, hidden apexes, and where to get on the gas without getting it sideways.
06/10
As an automotive journalist, I’m difficult to impress, but standing next to a Lamborghini Centenario and Lamborghini Sian, both parked next to a full race McLaren Senna was a very rare sight. Tim Rogers, Thermals Club’s owner had come over to say hello and quite proudly mentioning that there were only 25 Senna R’s in the world and 7 of them are garaged at the Thermal.
One gets used to rare sights here, I thought, as I stood a few feet away from a new competition Ford GT as it warmed up before heading to the grid, the intoxicating scent of racing fuel lingering in the air as it pulled away.
07/10
That most, if not all, members are dedicated automotive enthusiasts is a given, but just as important is the family atmosphere woven throughout the membership experience.
The newly opened Member’s Club consist of 48 casitas for overnight stays for members and their guests. In addition, a fitness center, spa, two gourmet restaurants, a kid’s room, two pools (children and adult), tennis courts, pickleball court, and basketball court complete the opulent experience. And if you, guests or kids, need a bit more motoring fun, a challenging go kart track is located inside the track.
08/10
The Thermal’s membership is tied to real estate and the homes are incredible. An average home is 3 bedrooms, 4 baths and a 12 car garages are the norm, some with balconies overlooking the track. Membership requires the purchase of a home site and a promise to build a residence within 5 years.
All custom designed according to the individual homeowner, and many of these homes are built to accommodate the owner’s often vast car collections. There are, of course, architectural requirements for homes within The Thermal Club, but Cindy and Misty told me that the club is flexible (within reason) and the interior is left to the owner’s individual tastes.
09/10
Guests of the club, we enjoyed a marvelous lunch in the Tower Clubhouse, where members and their friends gather for leisure time or special events.
If you are visiting from a distance, there is a private airport only 6 minutes away and yes, simply call in advance and a car will be waiting to bring you back to The Thermal. Two helipads are also within the compound for those coming in from L.A. that simply want to beat the traffic.
Many private tracks around the world are just tracks, but the Thermal Club can be your everyday residence, a home away from home at the oasis you’ve always dreamed about. Either way, the Thermal is opulence, excitement, and an extraordinarily special place to hang your hat, …or helmet.
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For more information or to arrange a private tour, please contact Cindy Carvel and Misty Frazier below.
Carvel Frasier Group of Douglas Elliman
3701 Highland Ave, Suite 200
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
424-800-8543
[email protected]
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