Indian driver Akshay Gupta will partner with Sorg Rennsport to race a Porsche Cayman GT4 in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the 24 Hours race. He moves to the competitive Cup3 class after three seasons in production classes.
Indian racecar driver, Akshay Gupta, will take the next step in his endurance racing career by joining Sorg Rennsport to compete with the Porsche Cayman GT4 in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) and the Nurburgring 24 Hours, according to a release. The 33-year-old driver from Ahmedabad, India, will race the #949 Porsche Cayman GT4 CS in the Cup3 class, which forms part of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nurburgring (PETN) -- one of the most competitive categories in the championship. Gupta will share driving duties with 19-year-old German driver Darian Donkel (his former teammate from Mertens Motorsport in 2025), along with fellow German racer Aaron Wenisch.
A Step Up in Competition
After three seasons competing in the VT2 production classes with Hyundai and BMW machinery, Gupta now steps into the highly competitive Cup3 class. During this period, he achieved six podium finishes and two race victories.
"The last three years in the production classes were a huge learning experience. I wanted to achieve a few milestones before I took a step up in the GT racing ladder," said Gupta. "GT4 cars are the immediate next step and I am happy to have signed with a strong & experienced team. My teammates are also experienced and fast, I shared the car with Darian at Mertens & the pit box with Aaron in 2023, so I am familiar with them. I have my sights set on winning the Pro-AM championship this year in the PETN," he said further.
About the Cup3 Class and Sorg Rennsport
The Cup3 category forms part of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nurburgring. The class is widely known for attracting the largest fields in the NLS championship and delivering extremely competitive multi-class endurance racing. The cars are supplied by Porsche and are identical, with limited setup adjustment options. In the opening race on March 14th 2026, the Cup3 class has 21-entries. The one-make nature of the class ensures that talent is a bigger deciding factor in race outcomes.
Akshay Gupta's new team, Sorg Rennsport, is one of the most established Porsche endurance teams at the Nurburgring and fields 10 entries in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The team has had over 50 class victories in the NLS & RCN.
An Elite Grid
The upcoming season will also feature Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen competing in the GT3 class with Winward Racing in NLS Round 2 and the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Akshay Gupta will once again represent India on the grid and remains the only Indian driver competing in the full Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie championship for a third consecutive season.
2026 Championship Schedule
The NLS championship features 10 races, out of which nine are 4-hour & one 6-hour race, apart from the feature race, the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
Here's the full race calendar:
12th to 14th March, 2026: NLS1
19th to 21st March, 2026: NLS2
9th to 11th April, 2026: NLS3
16th to 19th April, 2026: ADAC 24h Qualifiers (NLS4/5)
13th to 17th May, 2026: ADAC Ravenol 24 Hours of Nurburgring
18th to 20th June, 2026: NLS 6
30th July to 1st August, 2026: NLS7
10th to 13th September, 2026: NLS 8 & NLS 9
8th to 10th October, 2026: NLS10
The races are telecasted live on YouTube Channels: @VLNOFFICIAL, @Nurburgring-o5h and @AutoAddictionMedia.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)