India's Akshay Gupta secures win in Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie

Indian racing driver Akshay Gupta achieved a remarkable victory at the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, taking first place in the VT2-F category in the seventh round of the prestigious competition. Driving the #492 Hyundai i30N race car for Mertens Motorsport alongside his co-driver Alex Schneider, Gupta not only secured a class win but finished 46th overall out of 121 competitors.

This victory marks a major milestone for the 31-year-old, who has endured several setbacks throughout the season, including mechanical failures, crashes, and a rib fracture during the fifth round. Despite these challenges, Gupta’s resilience shone through with a second-place finish in the sixth round—a 6-hour endurance race—and a top finish in this latest round.

The duo demonstrated superb driving skills in wet conditions on the challenging Nürburgring circuit. Schneider led for the first two hours of the race before handing over to Gupta, who completed a flawless two-hour double stint. Gupta steadily increased the lead over the second-place car, crossing the finish line with a comfortable margin of 1 minute and 41 seconds.

“We’re overjoyed with this win,” said Gupta. “It has been a long time coming for us. Alex has been an incredible teammate to share the car with, and we worked hard on the setup from Thursday to make sure everything was right. The wet conditions played to our advantage, and managing the tricky tire strategy on a partly dry, partly wet track was rewarding.”

With one final round of the championship left in November, Gupta is now aiming to secure the 2024 Vice Champion title.