Akshay Gupta Wins Porsche Cup3 AM Class at NLS Round 2

Indian racing driver Akshay Gupta secured victory in the Porsche Cup3 AM category at Round 2 of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series, marking a strong start to his campaign in the GT4 class.

Competing in the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport under car number 949, Gupta shared driving duties with German drivers Darian Donkel and Aaron Wenisch. The trio finished 43rd overall among 132 starters in the four-hour endurance race.

Starting 12th in the Cup3 class, the team steadily climbed up the order through the race. Donkel brought the car into the top eight during the opening stint, before Wenisch moved it up to seventh. Gupta completed the final stint, securing the AM class win with a margin of 1 minute and 53 seconds.

“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,” Gupta said.

Verstappen disqualified after taking overall win

The race saw a major development at the front, with Formula One world champion Max Verstappen disqualified after initially crossing the line in first place, leading to a reshuffle in the final classification.

Fellow Indian driver Arjun Maini also competed in the event, finishing 11th in the highly competitive SP9-PRO (GT3) class after qualifying 12th.

Gupta added that the result provides momentum for the season ahead. “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,” he said.

The result marks a positive turnaround after the opening round of the season was cancelled due to heavy snowfall, disrupting early preparations.