Accolades Piling Up for Race Course at Sochi Olympic Park

(ATR) Formula One drivers believe that Sochi had the best track to race on in 2014.

The track won the "Race Promoter's Trophy" at the International Automobile Federation’s annual gala on Dec. 5 in Qatar.

A ceremony will take place on Dec. 19 to give the award to the Sochi Autodrom. It is the second major award the track has won after receiving Motorsport Facility of the Year from Formula One management on November.

Sochi’s F1 track incorporated many of the venues used in the 2014 Winter Olympics in its landscape and was the first major legacy event at the Olympic Park.

"Besides hosting the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix, Sochi Autodrom will soon launch its driving academy that will contribute to motorsport development in the Krasnodar region and Russia," FAI said in a release.

"The program will include driver education in general, with a focus on defensive driving, and an aim to install greater safety awareness on Russian roads."

Sochi will continue to host the Russian Grand Prix race through 2020, ensuring drivers get to enjoy the track for the foreseeable future.

"Russia has been the favorite place for me this year," Lewis Hamilton, winner of the Russian Grand Prix and current F1 world champion, told Russian media agency TASS.

"I didn’t know that F1 was something that people followed here [in Russia]. I saw thousands of people and they were enthusiastic about the event."

The 2015 edition of the Russian Grand Prix will take place on October 11.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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