Buddha smiles again

If you thought the Grand Prix races were the only attraction at the recently concluded F1 championship, think again. The Buddh International Circuit, the venue for these races, also attracted its share of attention. The circuit, built by the Jaypee Group, under the leadership of Manoj Gaur, Managing Director, recently won the 'Motorsport Facility of the Year' award at the Professional Motorsport World Expo 2011 in Germany. Estimated to cost about Rs 10 billion ($215 million), the circuit has an approximate length of 5.14 km and is spread over 874 acre. It has been designed by architect Hermann Tilke and has a capacity of 200,000. The circuit is a part of the 2,500 acre Jaypee Greens Sports City and also includes a 100,000 seat cricket stadium, 18-hole golf course, a 25,000 seat hockey stadium and a sports academy.