Formula One World Champion Max: Indian racing driver Akshay Gupta wins in the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS), securing 1st place in the AM sub-class of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring (Cup3) and finishing 43rd overall out of 132 starters in one of the most competitive endurance grids in the world.
Competing in the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Cup3) under car #949, Gupta shared driving duties with 19-year-old German driver Darian Donkel and 24-year-old German driver Aaron Wenisch in his debut race in Porsche GT4 category.
Qualifying in 12th position in Cup3 class (17 entries) for the 4-hour race, the team climbed up to 8th by the end of the opening stint driven by Donkel. In the following stint, Wenisch took over and climbed one more position to 7th where Gupta brought it home with a comfortable 1 min 53 second lead over the second-place car in AM category.
This result marks a significant bounce-back after a disrupted start to the season, where NLS1 was cancelled due to heavy snowfall, denying teams valuable track time and race rhythm.
The race also saw a dramatic twist at the front of the field. Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen, who had crossed the line in 1st overall, was subsequently disqualified, reshuffling the final classification.
Fellow Indian driver Arjun Maini, competing in the highly competitive SP9-PRO (GT3) class, qualified 12th in class and finished 11th, continuing his strong presence in top-tier endurance racing.
Akshay Gupta said, “This is my first race in a Porsche GT4. The car is completely different in terms of driving dynamics to what I am used to for the past two years. This is a mid-engined RWD car vs a front-engined FWD that I drove earlier. It also has an additional 145hp and weighs lesser. So, it is a lot to get used to in a short span but I am loving every minute of it.”
“We are happy with the first place in AM category and ideally want to win the AM or the ProAM championship this year! That’s the goal for 2026 and this win reassures us that that is well in sight. Not to get carried away here because we still have a lot of work to do to improve our lap times. We have 3 weeks until the next race to get better.”
Akshay Gupta said, “This is my first race in a Porsche GT4. The car is completely different in terms of driving dynamics to what I am used to for the past two years. This is a mid-engined RWD car vs a front-engined FWD that I drove earlier. It also has an additional 145hp and weighs lesser. So, it is a lot to get used to in a short span but I am loving every minute of it.”
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The Cup3 category, part of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring, remains one of the most competitive grids in the championship, making this victory a strong statement early in the season.