Indian Racer Akshay Gupta Joins Mertens Motorsport for Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie 2024, Eyes Victory on World's Toughest Racetrack

Racer Akshay Gupta, representing India, prepares to compete as the sole Indian driver in the prestigious Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie 2024, having secured a deal with Mertens Motorsport.

At 31 years old, Gupta will take on the challenge of driving the Hyundai i30N on one of the world's most perilous racetracks.

Based in Ahmedabad, Gupta's signing marks a significant milestone for Indian motorsport, as he becomes the country's sole representative among over 300 drivers and 117 cars in the highly esteemed endurance racing championship.

Having encountered injuries while racing with Adrenalin Motorsport in a BMW last year, Gupta underwent surgeries on both his hands. Despite ongoing recovery, his passion for racing has led him back to the track, actively participating in pre-season testing. Gupta will pilot the Hyundai i30N (car number 492) for Mertens Motorsport in the upcoming season.

Expressing his excitement about joining Mertens Motorsport, Gupta shared, "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."

He further added, "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."

Mertens Motorsport, established in 2020, has established itself as a formidable contender in the NLS, clinching the NLS VT2-F Championship title in 2023 and securing the NLS Team Trophy in the same year. Gupta's addition to the team is expected to further enhance their performance.

Commenting on Gupta's inclusion, Daniel Mertens, Team Owner of Mertens Motorsport, stated, "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."

Gupta, who began his professional racing career in 2010, achieved notable success, finishing as a runner-up at the Buddh International Circuit for Toyota in the season finale of the National Championship in 2013. His talent also earned him recognition from Nissan, who selected him after a rigorous driver selection program out of 10,000 drivers in India to compete in their Asian GT Academy Finale held in the UK.

Parallel to his racing endeavors, Gupta founded a Connected Car technology start-up called Scouto, which was acquired by online used-car retailing unicorn Spinny in December 2021.

Gupta's journey with Mertens Motorsport will commence with the season opener at the NLS1: 64. ADAC ACAS Cup on April 6, with qualifying scheduled to begin at 12 pm IST.

Here's a detailed championship calendar:

April 6, 2024: NLS Race 1: 64th 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: 55th Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy
November 16, 2024: NLS Race 6: 56th ADAC Barbarossa Prize