BMW Performance Center West - Thermal, California

Daniel Young

My 22 year old son and I have been talking trash about our drag racing skills, and looking forward to this trip for months. We were NOT disappointed. Racing in the M2, M8 and i5 was an incredible experience. Only equaled by the track time in the M240i. I know this isn't designed to be a truly educational experience. But, some helpful tips from pro drivers can really improve your driving on and off the track. Highly recommend, and not just because I beat the boy. It did make it a little sweeter, though.

Andrew McCauley

I went here on a group visit, and I really enjoyed myself. There were several different driving courses that we did. The first one we did, was a hot lap, where we were a passenger in a vehicle on the lap race, where there was an expert driver. if you’re afraid of speed, do not do this one. The second event that we did was the skid plate for the polished concrete slide out burnout where you get to drive on a very slippery surface with the traction off. This lets the car spin out and skid, while you’re chasing other people, but it’s all fun and very exciting. The final thing we did was drive in a timed race, relay race where the fastest times posted won the event, and that was a lot of fun as well. Of course, safety is Paramount and there is some training before you get into any vehicle but at the end of the day it’s a great group activity, or a great place to learn how to drive.

Ash

We did experience because we got an invitation from BMW for buying i4.
We got to drive 4 different cars on race track. That was just amazing. Each 4 laps and we took turns to drive all cars along with driver switch.
We also drive off road driving on X5.
Finale was sitting with the instructors when they drove sports cars. That was just amazing. Incredible experience.
My only wish when they gave us the laps, wish the laps had little longer stretch for speeding before the turns.

Carrie Class

I gave the M Class experience to my husband for his birthday. It was a little difficult to actually book the two day class, we ended waiting months. However it was amazing. He came home from the first day buzzing with excitement and adrenaline. He just loved it. I cannot recommend this enough. However you have to be a thrill seeker. My husband is an extreme sports guy, who earns his living on the Bering Sea. Not much scares him. He said this was a little scary- the high speeds- but also one of the best things he’s ever done.

Daniel Lee

I recently had a frustrating experience with the BMW Performance Center, and I feel compelled to share it to help others who might be considering booking with them.

First, good luck trying to reach someone on the phone within 30 minutes! Each time I called, I encountered an automated system that presented me with three options:

Leave your number: If you choose this option, they promise to call you back within 24 hours. Are you kidding me? I left my number twice, and guess what? No one ever called me back. This lack of follow-up is simply ridiculous and incredibly disappointing.

Continue waiting on the line: While this option does eventually get you through, I was met with a constant stream of messages stating that all representatives were busy assisting other customers and to expect a longer-than-usual wait time. This wouldn’t be so bad, but I called at 7 AM, right when they literally just opened. You want me to believe they had an overwhelming number of calls about their events at that hour? It’s hard to take that seriously.

Email their support email: This option might work for some, but prepare to wait until the next day to receive a response. It's frustrating to have to resort to email when urgent matters arise.

My troubles didn’t end with the call center. I also had a terrible experience with a cancellation and refund process at the BMW Performance Center. From my experience, my advice is: do not book and pay unless you are absolutely sure! They charge your card immediately but only start processing refunds 10 or more days later. This isn't due to waiting on other parties like credit card companies; it’s just their internal process. They won’t even touch your refund request until the 10 days have passed.

In my situation, my refund wasn't processed until 12 business days after I initiated it. To make matters worse, my credit card company then took an additional 5 days to reflect the refund in my account. So, in total, it took about 3 to 4 weeks to get my money back, which is utterly frustrating!

Having gone through this entire ordeal, my final verdict is clear: only book if you’re very sure about your decision. The refund process is no fun at all and can be a huge hassle.

Additionally, BMW Performance Center, it’s 2024—please enhance your online processing system! Booking and handling promo codes should not be restricted to phone calls. It’s time for a company like BMW to modernize its approach to customer service and streamline these processes.

JD Ashton

I had the pleasure of attending the Mini Cooper driving school yesterday. Big shout out to David and Cam who truly made the experience very special. Those guys were great at making us feel right at home, while pushing our limits behind the wheel. They were patient, gave valuable and pertinent advice, all while keeping it fun and light. I am definitely going to be back to attend the M driving school, as was highly recommended by Cam. I’m hooked! Cannot wait to see these guys again, with even more capacity behind some M machines! Those hot laps following Cam in the mini were the most excitement I’ve had in a while! Thanks to David, Cam, and the entire crew who made the event so spectacular. Everything was on point 10/10 from start to finish, including lunch, service, cleanliness, snacks and beverages. As a business owner, it was more than evident that BMW had thought of everything. Huge props to BMW for such a special place. ? I’ll be back!

Vindy C

Wonderful facility, knowledgeable instructors, and a variety of classes to choose from. I dived in head first and registered for a one-day M School session months ago. I opted for a class in November because dealing with the 100+ degree heat in Palm Springs during the summer is not something I find enjoyable. The weather was perfect today... in the high 70's / low 80's.

I walked onto the campus with mixed emotions. I was excited to be getting behind the steering wheel of various M-series cars, but also nervous because I've never driven on a race track before.

Upon arrival, the day started with complimentary coffee/tea, fruit and a variety of snacks. The classroom session was led by instructor and professional driver Chris Hill. We went over some basics on how to best navigate the courses. Once the logistics were out of the way, it was time to get behind the wheel. M2's, M4's and M8's were provided for the different sessions and each session was led by a different instructor. We had the pleasure of being taught by professional race car drivers David Thilenius, Dave McMillan and Cam (I didn't get Cam's last name).

Each car was equipped with a 2-way radio and this is how the instructors would communicate with the drivers. After a few hours of driving, we had a lunch break. Lunch was provided and there was a nice variety of food options: salads, sauteed kale, mashed potatoes, beef & chicken....and for dessert.... soft serve ice cream.

After lunch, it was time to get back on the track and test some of the skills learned from the morning sessions with challenges such as Time Attack and Rat Race. Overall, it was a fantastic day and I learned so much. Not only were the instructors all very knowledgeable, they were also all very comedic, which made the sessions light and fun. I am most grateful that they all were so kind and gracious to help calm my nerves as a newbie. I would 100% recommend taking a class at the BMW Performance Center for anyone wanting to learn some great driving techniques while having fun doing so.

James Huang

Incredible experience although I was comped the 2 hour session when purchasing my BMW. I had a benz in the past and they comped the full day school. Anyways still a fun experience if you're a beginner but if you have any track experience, IMO unless it's convenient for you to get to the location it isn't worth the time. It's really only 35 mins of track time the other hour was their off road demonstration... overall fun but not worth paying or for experienced drivers.