Akshay Gupta, the dynamic racer and tech founder, has formally inked a cope with Mertens Motorsport for the extremely anticipated 2024 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) season which is able to happen on the Nürburgring circuit in Germany.
The NLS is extensively famend as one of many oldest and most esteemed endurance racing championships globally since its inception within the Seventies. Akshay’s signing represents a major milestone for Indian motorsport, as he turns into the nation’s sole racer set to compete towards over 300 drivers and 117 automobiles.
The Ahmedabad-based racer found some accidents whereas doing a couple of rounds within the championship with Adrenalin Motorsport in a BMW final yr, which required him to endure surgical procedures on each his fingers. Despite nonetheless present process restoration from the surgical procedures, Akshay’s ardour for racing has fueled his return to the monitor as he stays actively engaged in pre-season testing in the course of the ongoing restoration course of.
The 31-year-old will pilot the Hyundai i30N (automotive quantity 492) for Mertens Motorsport within the upcoming season.
Sharing his ideas on becoming a member of Mertens Motorsport, Akshay Gupta expressed, “Racing at the Nurburgring circuit has always been a dream. It used to be my laptop wallpaper for 15 years before I got to race here last year. The experience gained last year taught us a lot about the track, level of competition, cars, and different conditions. This year, the goal is pretty clear. I want to conquer the most challenging racetrack out there.”
“We are in a championship-winning team, in one of the most tightly fought categories: VT2-F, racing with equally competent teammates with 10,000 km of simulator practice put in. I am confident that this season will bring us some good results and I look forward to hoisting the Indian flag on the podium as many times as I can,” he additional added.
Mertens Motorsport, a German Racing Team based in 2020, has shortly solidified its fame as a formidable contender within the NLS with a powerful monitor file of capturing the NLS VT2-F Championship title in 2023 and likewise securing the NLS Team Trophy in the identical yr. Akshay’s addition to the staff will contribute to elevating their efficiency.
“I am very pleased that Akshay Gupta is moving to Mertens Motorsport this season. We did the pre-season testing in March and immediately the chemistry was right, this is very important for a race team given that we compete in endurance racing where the cars are shared with other racers. It’s remarkable the lengths he goes to compete in the championship. We welcome him onboard and thank him for putting the faith in our team,” mentioned Daniel Mertens, Team Owner of Mertens Motorsport.
Having begun his profession as an expert racer in 2010, Akshay demonstrated his prowess behind the wheel by ending as a runner-up on the Buddh International Circuit for Toyota within the season finale of the National Championship in 2013. His outstanding expertise additionally earned him recognition from Nissan, who chosen him after a rigorous driver choice program out of 10,000 drivers in India to compete of their Asian GT Academy Finale held within the UK. The competitors has turn into a significant characteristic movie launched on Netflix referred to as Gran Turismo.
Parallel to his racing endeavours, Akshay’s urge to fulfil his ardour for racing led him to entrepreneurship, the place he based a Connected Car know-how start-up referred to as Scouto which has notably been acquired by on-line used-car retailing unicorn Spinny in December 2021. This serves as a testomony to his success each on and off the racetrack and following his triumphs within the entrepreneurial panorama, the Indian has returned to his roots in racing.
“Since the day I was 2 years old I have only played with cars, when I turned 4, my dad got me a go-kart and that consumed all of my playtime as a kid. It was only in my early teens that I realized that there’s a career called being a racecar driver and ever since that day I have been pursuing the dream to keep racing cars across the globe. It is the most expensive sport in the world, and for the son of a bank manager, I had to find creative ways to get back into it. After having sold my company, I’m thrilled to return to my first love full-time, racing cars,” said Akshay Gupta.
Akshay’s journey with Mertens Motorsport will kick off with the season opener on the NLS1: 64. ADAC ACAS Cup on April 6. Qualifying is scheduled to start at 12 pm IST, adopted by the pit stroll and grid stroll at 1:45 pm IST. The race is ready to begin at 3:30 pm IST with the motion being streamed dwell on Nurburgring’s official YouTube channel.
Here’s an in depth championship calendar:
April 6, 2024 – NLS Race 1: sixty fourth ADAC ACAS Cup
April 7, 2024 – NLS Race 2: 63rd ADAC Reinoldus endurance race
April 13 and 14, 2024 – ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers
June 22, 2024 – NLS Race 3: 69th ADAC Westfalenfahrt
August 3, 2024 – NLS Race 4: 6h ADAC Ruhr Cup race
October 19, 2024 – NLS Race 5: fifty fifth Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy
November 16, 2024 – NLS Race 6: 56th ADAC Barbarossa Prize
