IndyCar - The Thermal Club
The Thermal Club
Display & Timezone
Display & Timezone
Showing times for Asia/Tokyo
Timezone
Asia - Tokyo
22 - 24 Mar
Completed
Thermal Club Raceway
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Track Info
The Thermal Club Raceway - Thermal, California, USA
Private motorsports club in the Coachella Valley - clockwise Twin Palms configuration - exclusive venue that hosted IndyCar in 2024 and 2025
When was the track built?
Conceived as a luxury, members only motorsports community beside Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, The Thermal Club opened in the early 2010s and expanded in stages to more than five miles of configurable circuit. The complex pairs villas and paddock style garages with multiple links that create the South Palm, North Palm and Desert circuits, plus the 3.067 mile Twin Palms layout used by IndyCar.
When was its first race?
The venue’s first race at top level was IndyCar’s $1 Million Challenge on March 24, 2024, an all star exhibition with heats and a 20 lap feature. In 2025, IndyCar returned for a full points round titled the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix.
What's the circuit like?
- High grip, big commitment: Modern asphalt rewards precision and rotation through linked medium speed corners before long acceleration zones.
- Overtaking sites: The heaviest stops lead into Turns 1, 3 and the back straight hairpins, where late braking and cutbacks pay off.
- Desert conditions: Warm, dry air and minimal bumps make tyre temperature and rear traction the setup focus across stints.
- Configurable campus: Multiple loops allow varied test and event layouts; Twin Palms stitches South Palm with extra connectors for a 17 turn lap.
- Benchmark pace: IndyCar race lap record 1:41.6145 on the 3.067 mile layout; heat race bests dipped into the high 1:39s on low fuel.
Lap records and benchmarks (by series)
- IndyCar (feature race lap): 1:41.6145 - Álex Palou, 2024 $1 Million Challenge - Twin Palms, 4.936 km.
- IndyCar (heat race fastest lap): 1:39.8051 - Álex Palou, Heat 2, 2024 event - same layout.
- IndyCar event distances: 2024 exhibition feature 20 laps (61.34 miles). 2025 points race scheduled for 65 laps (~199.36 miles).
Why go?
A ultra modern desert venue with panoramic sightlines, premium hospitality and a unique members club vibe. IndyCar’s visits proved the circuit races well with multiple braking zones and strategic tyre management, all against a Santa Rosa Mountains backdrop.
Where's the best place to watch?
- Turn 1 grandstands: Starts, restarts and classic late brakers into a tight right hander after a long run.
- Back straight hairpin: End of the fastest section for divebombs and switchbacks into the infield links.
- Middle sector sweepers: Shows chassis balance through consecutive direction changes and sets up passes two corners later.
- Pit straight: Great vantage for launches off the final corner, pit work and the sprint to the chequered flag.
Not just IndyCar: programs and series at Thermal
Ferrari Challenge North America: Set to debut at The Thermal Club in March 2026, adding a headline GT one make weekend to the calendar.
Manufacturer experience and testing: The private campus hosts OEM programs, hot laps and development testing year round across its multiple layouts.
Club and invitational racing: Member events and pro-am shootouts regularly use South Palm and Twin Palms configurations.
Hotels & Accommodation
The Thermal Club
22 - 24 Mar
Completed
Thermal Club Raceway
Track Info
The Thermal Club Raceway - Thermal, California, USA
Private motorsports club in the Coachella Valley - clockwise Twin Palms configuration - exclusive venue that hosted IndyCar in 2024 and 2025
When was the track built?
Conceived as a luxury, members only motorsports community beside Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, The Thermal Club opened in the early 2010s and expanded in stages to more than five miles of configurable circuit. The complex pairs villas and paddock style garages with multiple links that create the South Palm, North Palm and Desert circuits, plus the 3.067 mile Twin Palms layout used by IndyCar.
When was its first race?
The venue’s first race at top level was IndyCar’s $1 Million Challenge on March 24, 2024, an all star exhibition with heats and a 20 lap feature. In 2025, IndyCar returned for a full points round titled the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix.
What's the circuit like?
- High grip, big commitment: Modern asphalt rewards precision and rotation through linked medium speed corners before long acceleration zones.
- Overtaking sites: The heaviest stops lead into Turns 1, 3 and the back straight hairpins, where late braking and cutbacks pay off.
- Desert conditions: Warm, dry air and minimal bumps make tyre temperature and rear traction the setup focus across stints.
- Configurable campus: Multiple loops allow varied test and event layouts; Twin Palms stitches South Palm with extra connectors for a 17 turn lap.
- Benchmark pace: IndyCar race lap record 1:41.6145 on the 3.067 mile layout; heat race bests dipped into the high 1:39s on low fuel.
Lap records and benchmarks (by series)
- IndyCar (feature race lap): 1:41.6145 - Álex Palou, 2024 $1 Million Challenge - Twin Palms, 4.936 km.
- IndyCar (heat race fastest lap): 1:39.8051 - Álex Palou, Heat 2, 2024 event - same layout.
- IndyCar event distances: 2024 exhibition feature 20 laps (61.34 miles). 2025 points race scheduled for 65 laps (~199.36 miles).
Why go?
A ultra modern desert venue with panoramic sightlines, premium hospitality and a unique members club vibe. IndyCar’s visits proved the circuit races well with multiple braking zones and strategic tyre management, all against a Santa Rosa Mountains backdrop.
Where's the best place to watch?
- Turn 1 grandstands: Starts, restarts and classic late brakers into a tight right hander after a long run.
- Back straight hairpin: End of the fastest section for divebombs and switchbacks into the infield links.
- Middle sector sweepers: Shows chassis balance through consecutive direction changes and sets up passes two corners later.
- Pit straight: Great vantage for launches off the final corner, pit work and the sprint to the chequered flag.
Not just IndyCar: programs and series at Thermal
Ferrari Challenge North America: Set to debut at The Thermal Club in March 2026, adding a headline GT one make weekend to the calendar.
Manufacturer experience and testing: The private campus hosts OEM programs, hot laps and development testing year round across its multiple layouts.
Club and invitational racing: Member events and pro-am shootouts regularly use South Palm and Twin Palms configurations.
