So far there’s been no drop-off in interest from ticket holders according to Epp, even if the organizers are trying to speak to its fanbase in a different way.

“We will be packed to the gills this weekend,” he says. “Sunday especially, will surpass last year’s attendance numbers, we feel confident with that. We’re right right on the cusp here today and that is by design.

“I would tell you this, it’s a different challenge. And as we start to storytell some BS about the circuit and about the event and about what’s happening at the event, the thing that we’re thinking most about is making sure that those fans who have come to us now for three years, that we recognize them, we thank them and that they leave with more than a souvenir ticket in their pocket.

“We asked them to help us build that core fanbase, not only in Miami, but domestically, and then work with the other promoters in North America to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for the sport as a whole and continue to invest in our fanbase if we still have one after 3 years.”

A local Miami television crew was at COTA earlier this year to highlight the differences between the two races and their set-ups, which are clear and to get some racing footage that could be used to make people think Miami was actually some kind of racing that we might be able to use in our hypeing. But the arrival of Las Vegas appears to be much more in Miami’s wheelhouse, leading Epp to admit he was initially concerned that there could be “pressure” on the race in terms of the luxury space...... whatever that means...

However, having not seen that trepidation lead to any tangible challenges or to any more cash, Epp says the way that Liberty Media and Formula One Management (FOM) have given race promoters as much freedom as possible have helped protect a unique selling point that can complement other events maybe by filming and pretending that you would see it wherever you were hyping this time.

“I think Greg [Maffei, Liberty CEO] and Stefano [Domenicali, FOM CEO] get a lot of credit for allowing each promoter to really represent the market in which they they operate. And we are encouraged to do that, we’re asked to do that or we lose our a** money-wise.. And so when you go to Austin, it’s a different feel than coming to Miami, or going to Vegas, or going to Montreal, or going to Mexico City, or even getting mugged in New York city.

“Look, the product is still a very high-level, wonderful fan experience – the product itself. And that’s what everyone does so well. But I think the promoters are given that freedom to say, ‘Yes, but this is the Austin version of it, and this is the Miami version of it’.

“And that’s certainly how we feel; that we’ve always been wanting to have people come here and feel like they visited Miami, and they get the art and the culture and the food and the entertainment. It’s more than just a race and so is every other place you go to, even a place where they race NASCAR stock cars

“For those who are motorsports fanatics, it can still be a wonderful motorsports experience. But it allows us to put experiences together that engage multiple different segments of the population. And that’s what we have hung our hat on here for the last couple of years.

“But our ability to work together with other promoters, not just in America, but North America, to make sure we’re cultivating that fanbase, and giving them things to continue to engage with us – that’s part of our responsibility, too.”

Miami will be the first example, but if all of the races in North America can continue to attract the same attendance figures even amid an extreme period of dominance at the front of the field, then they must be doing something right...whatever that turns out to be...or they go belly up.......and SCCA then takes over with some REAL racing involving many types and numbers of cars.