Austin, May 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX at Circuit of The Americas has won the coveted "Sports Event of the Year" award at the 2013 SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Business Awards held, Wednesday, May 22, at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. More than 265,000 fans attended the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX, which was conducted Nov. 16-18, 2012, in the brand new $400 million world-class sports and entertainment complex that opened only days before its first multi-day, international event.
Circuit President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Sexton accepted the award on behalf of the Circuit's owners and staff and noted the many challenges that were overcome to complete the state-of-the-art facility, assemble a team of professionals to manage and operate the venue, and successfully reintroduce Formula 1® racing, the world's most popular motorsport, to the United States in a matter of months.
"From the very beginning, there was some doubt whether our project would happen, but we hustled and we had a great team and a great group of owners behind us the whole way," Sexton noted. "We embarked on a nine-month journey, pulled the construction together, pulled the race off amidst a lot of complicated logistics--and had a great group of fans. I'm really proud of the team that pulled this off."
Since the start of 2013, the Circuit has successfully conducted three motorsports events--the GRAND-AM of The Americas, the Red Bull MotoGP of The Americas and last weekend's V8 Supercars Austin 400--in addition to opening the Austin360 Amphitheater, which just hosted the world-renowned Dave Matthews Band in the venue's sixth of 15 concerts booked for its inaugural season. The Circuit will next host the American Le Mans series in conjunction with the FIA World Endurance Championships Sept. 20-22. The 2013 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX is set for Nov. 15-17. For additional information about race and concert tickets and accommodations, visit www.circuitoftheamericas.com.
In addition to the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX, these events were nominated in the 2013 "Sports Event of the Year" category: the 2012 Ryder Cup, 2012 Stanley Cup Finals and 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials - Swimming. Prior winners of the "Sports Event of the Year" award include the 2008 AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic, 2009 Super Bowl, 2010 ING New York City Marathon and 2011 Humana Challenge. For a complete list of 2013 Sports Business Awards winners, visit www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.
About Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas is a world-class destination for premium sports and entertainment. It is the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power, and is home to the FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX while also hosting MotoGP™, V8 Supercars™, GRAND-AM Road Racing™, American Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championships. The Circuit of The Americas' master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element is a 3.4-mile circuit track. Other support buildings include the Austin360 Amphitheater, an expansive outdoor live music space; an iconic 251-foot, 25-story tower with observation deck; an events and conference center; a banquet hall; and a state-of-the-art medical facility. For more information and downloadable video, audio and photos, visit: www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com, www.Austin360Amphitheater.comor the Circuit's dedicated FTP site, media.circuitoftheamericas.com.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=18925
