With World Superbike coming to Miller Motorsports Park this weekend, I think back to the early years of World Superbike and the years the series ran at Brainerd and the massive fan support that race enjoyed. Now I don’t want anyone to take this wrong, Miller Motorsports Park is a beautiful, state-of-the-art racing circuit no question, I just wonder whether it’s the track that should host the American round of WSBK. While it’s a rider’s dream, the track, quite frankly, is less than desirable for spectators.

I never thought Miller would be able to sustain a world-championship level event for the long term. The track is located in the heart of the Great Basin, one of the least populated, most remote parts of America. It’s not easy for the bulk of the population of America to get to Salt Lake City. As an example, I live in metro Indianapolis, the Heartland of America they say, and Salt Lake City is over 1500 miles away from me. That’s a two-day drive. So if I were to go to the World Superbike round, even for just Saturday and Sunday and keep a sane driving schedule, I would have to leave Indy on a Thursday morning and I wouldn’t get back until late Tuesday night. That’s a major commitment, especially for a series that currently has no American riders. So fly you say. Have you seen airline prices lately?

Remoteness is not the only issue I have with motorcycle racing at Miller. In my opinion the problem with the track is the very thing that makes it the safest road racing circuit in America, and that’s its runoff room. The track has acreage of runoff. You could probably fly off the tarmac at 180 mph and still have plenty of time to gather it up before you’d ever come close to hitting anything. In terms of safety I love that, but if you come to watch motorcycles race at Miller you’d better bring a powerful pair of binoculars, because that’s about the only way you’re going to get a decent look at the bikes.

It’s an issue that future track designers are going to have to grapple with – how to allow fans close proximity to the motorcycles, yet maintain safety. Think about it, as a spectator what track would you rather watch a race, Mid-Ohio or Miller? Riders would rather not deal with close obstacles, even if they are covered by air barriers, but there’s something to be said to be able to actually see riders hit the brakes, twist the throttle, fight for traction and feel and hear the power of Superbike engines. All of those elements are clearly absent at a track where you’re hundreds of yards away from the bikes.

Fortunately for Miller it seems Salt Lake City and Utah government officials see the benefit to the region of hosting world-class events, so the race seems safe in Utah for now. And don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing. Miller has much to offer if you’re willing to make the commitment of going. The ambience of being on the desert floor with majestic mountains serving as a backdrop, the wonderful area roads if you happened to ride there and Salt Lake City is a great city to spend a weekend or a week. And to be fair, the track has done things like installed huge TV screens to allow fans to follow the action. All these things are positive and Miller deserves praise for making the fan experience as enriching as possible.

I still believe if world Superbike truly wants to develop a larger fan base in America, it’s ultimately going to have to go to a track that’s closer to population centers and find a track where fans can get a closer look at the action.