An aerial view of Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2012 Homestead-Miami Speedway returns to the AMA Superbike schedule for the first time since 1996 and that’s a good thing. I haven’t been to the track since that ’96 Superbike event, but from what I remember about the facility is that it was state-of-the-art for the time and I’m sure holds up well even by today’s standards. The track itself was an excellent design for being inside an oval speedway. I know there were a few issue areas at that time, which I hope have been, or will be addressed.

Homestead was not a successful event in 1996. There was one big reason for that in my estimation and that was the tragic ValuJet Flight 592 crash that happened just a few days before the Superbike race.  I was working at communications manager for AMA Pro Racing at the time and all the advance media we had lined up understandably went away. So the event went on under the backdrop of the tragedy and with virtually no media buildup.

This year I believe the track has a much better opportunity to attract a big crowd. There should be good interest by the media in having the series back and the track itself is better known now (it was brand new in ’96). The other element is the Hispanic fan base in South Florida. The series now has a genuine star and championship contender in Martin Cardenas, who is from Columbia. Having a racer of Cardenas’ stature will almost certainly draw more fans to Homestead this year.

Does Homestead have the potential to be a long-term success? I believe with proper promotion and care to make the fan experience a memorable one; the event has solid long-term potential.

I haven’t been to the track in nearly 16 years, but one of the biggest issues for the fans then was visibility. There were fairly tall walls surrounding the road course and I went up in the stands to check it out and you couldn’t see most of the road course unless you were near the top of the grandstands. If those walls are still there they need to be addressed, either by removing them or at the least placing several mega-screens in places where fans can watch the action as it takes place.

In addition, for pro events promoters should work closely with riders to correct any safety issues they feel need to be addressed. Those walls were a little too close even 15 years ago and the bikes have gotten nothing but faster. Air barriers will help, but aren’t the ultimate answer.

If these steps are taken I think Homestead will be a welcomed addition to the series. It would be nice to get to visit South Beach once a year, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the race does well.