So you’ve bought a high-performance exotic car from indiGO Auto Group – but where can you drive it at top speed?
Our pick is the Thermal Club, which is the private racetrack for Southern California.
In fact, nothing really compares to it in the world. Just as its name would suggest it’s located in Thermal, California, about a 35-mile drive from the Palm Springs area.
And now indiGO Auto Group is in the process of opening the indiGO Performance and Experience Center (iPEC).
The all-new state-of-the-art motorsport destination more than lives up to its name with multiple courses and a variety of dynamic track experiences.
Members of this elite group are presented with an array of adrenaline-pumping obstacles, maneuvers, and challenges skillfully executed under the tutelage of seasoned motorsport professionals.
The indiGO Performance and Experience Center is located in the heart of the California desert, surrounded by towering date palms and majestic mountains on the sprawling campus of the thermal club.
Off the track, members enjoy world-class culinary offerings, exclusive events, and a relaxed inviting atmosphere that allows them to create lasting memories.
Desert European Motor Cars Campus Director Jason Cammisa and Patrick Stam, Manager iPEC & Customer Engagement, will oversee all of indiGO Auto Group’s operations at the Thermal Club.
Working in collaboration with general managers throughout the country, Patrick helps create unique experiences that draw customers to the California desert, while enhancing all aspects of ownership and strengthening their bond with indiGO Auto Group.
In this role, he serves as the liaison for indiGO Auto Group’s leadership team and maintains positive relationships with members. Most of all, he creates and manages an exciting schedule of events that optimize the use of the Thermal Club.
The Thermal Club is actually an exclusive country club that revolves around three racing tracks.
People live there in houses that are trackside villas with 16-car garages.
Best of all, you are surrounded by all things motorsport.
The perfect supercar for the ultimate thrill at iPEC: The Rimac Nevera Just Broke 23 Speed Records in a Single Day
We sat down with Patrick to learn more about him and the new indiGO Auto Group venture at Thermal.
Nice to meet you, Patrick! Please tell us a bit more about your professional history with super sports cars and motorsport in general.
I’ve been working in the exclusive car business for the last 15 years. I started in the exclusive car business as a sales representative for the most ‘’known’’ Ferrari dealer in the Netherlands. For the past nine years I’ve been working for PON (the Netherlands-based company that owns indiGO Auto Group) as the head office/importer of Porsche in the Netherlands and as a Brand Manager for Bugatti in the Netherlands. I started with PON as a lead instructor and I managed a team of instructors. The team and I were responsible for all of the “off’’ track drive training for Porsche, which is done on the public road, yes this is possible in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is close to Germany, so we always went there to teach the customers high-speed driving, braking, and of course, all other things you need to know about how to handle a Porsche. We did a lot of national test drive events together and I was also an instructor for the Porsche Sport Driving School, which is ‘’on’’ track. I have a background in racing, something I did for several years – all saloon cars. As a host for Porsche, I had the privilege of being at all their events locally and throughout the Netherlands. The nicest one for me was always the Masters of LXRY in December – no driving just meeting all the Porsche customers in a nice setting. I also worked for our Bugatti, Bentley, and Lamborghini dealerships and, among other cars, I was privileged to sell a Bugatti Mistral. That was a unique moment.
The ultimate driving experience with your Porsche 911 GT3 at iPEC: The Manthey Performance Kit
Tell us about your personal background.
Source: Patrick Stam
I was born in Amsterdam 49 years ago and I moved here from the Netherlands by myself. I have two younger sisters. I have a degree in Hotel Management but did not really work in the business. I grew up with a mom and dad who both had a connection with the F1 racetrack in the Netherlands, Zandvoort, so I think I was bound to do something with cars – and I did.
Tell us about what your day-to-day will be like at Thermal for indiGO Auto Group.
I will be the host and manage iPEC for indiGO Auto Group, and with the marketing team, we will organize events for all our clients and dealerships throughout the US. I want to meet as many of our clients as I can and try to get our clients out there to show them how amazing this place is.
What are your first impressions of the place and what excites you about it and what it offers?
My first impressions were: Wow! This is unreal! What excites me the most is that there’s nothing like this. The track looks amazing, and the facility looks amazing. This is really a one-of-a-kind place. I call it Disneyland for men and women who are into cars and racing!
Don’t miss out on a ride of a lifetime: The Porsche Bus
Can you tell us a little more about the program?
The Thermal/iPEC program is all about our clients having fun and feeling unburdened by life in order to enjoy their cars or the cars that are available to them at the track. Being a member of iPEC/Thermal you get all the privileges of parking spaces inside iPEC, private locker rooms, use all Thermal facilities, access to all the restaurants, Aqua Club & Hotel, and of course access to all Thermal Club Events. What our clients need to know is that there are so many country clubs where you can play golf or tennis – but there isn’t a country club like this.
They must check it out for themselves and see that it is the place for them if they love cars. indiGO Auto Group offers a unique membership where you can enjoy your cars/other cars without buying property at Thermal. And if our clients want to buy property, we are of course more than willing to help them with that.
Customers should be excited to drive at The Thermal Racetrack for the first time. This track is so amazing that you will develop a very healthy addiction. I’m really looking forward to the day iPEC is completely furnished. I’ve seen the renderings and they look amazing! So, I’m really looking forward to that.
When you are not involved in the day-to-day of motorsport what do you like to do in the California desert and your new hometown of Indio?
I love to run. I usually run twice a week although with moving here I had a lot to do so I’m still down to once a week. I really can enjoy a nice restaurant and love a good Scotch whiskey now and then. I love going to the movies or watching one at home – and I enjoy a wide variety of music, from R&B, jazz, and classic rock to newer stuff.
Contact us to inquire about iPEC today.
Want a supercar that you can test out at the indiGO Performance and Experience Center? Check our latest inventory on our official indiGO Auto Group site.
