Akshay Gupta secured the Vice Championship title in the VT2-F Class at the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) after winning the eighth & final round of 2024. Piloting the #492 Hyundai i30N for Mertens Motorsport, Gupta and co-driver Alex Schneider finished 34th overall out of 83 cars. (More Motorsports News)
Coming into the final round, Gupta and Schneider were 4th in the championship with 41 points. To claim the Vice Champion title, they needed to win the race and hope their competitor scored no points. The odds were very slim.
The duo qualified in 3rd place for the race. On the first lap of the 4-hour endurance race, Alex Schneider slipped to 4th, only to reclaim the position in the next lap. Alex maintained 3rd position for the 2-hour double stint before handing over the car to Akshay who gained 2 places over the next 2-hours to finish 1st. His final stint was where he got his fastest lap of the year as well and climbed up the ladder.
Their nearest competitor in the championship, the Jung Motorsport Cupra Leon with 56 points, suffered an unfortunate crash on the first lap of the race with another Hyundai i30N of Walkenhorst Motorsport and other cars.
Weather conditions were adverse, with track temperatures at 1 degree Celsius. However, contrary to speculation, the race remained completely dry.
Gupta's previous half of the season was marred by mechanical issues, crashes, and a rib fracture in the 5th round. Undeterred, Gupta and Schneider claimed 2 race wins and 4 podiums in the last half, showcasing remarkable resilience.
In the final race, they had tough competition from esteemed drivers like Fabio Scherer (24 Hours of LeMans Winner & DTM Racer), Dexter Petterson (World Karting Champion), Matt Topham (GT4 Champion) and their own team owner Daniel Mertens (2023 & 2024 year’s VT2-F Champion)
At 32 years old, Akshay Gupta is the only Indian driver competing for the championship title. This was his debut season in the NLS, where he finished in 15th position in the overall championship.
Commenting on his performance, Akshay said, "I had this voice telling me that it is possible, that we can claim the 2nd place in the championship despite the bad odds. I don’t know how to explain it but I almost knew it was within grasp." Akshay further added, "I felt confident with the car and am very happy with my performance. We improved lap times, car setup, and driving performance over the course of the entire year, and now we are at the top in terms of lap times, and that makes me happier than a race win or 2nd place in the championship.”
"Yes, we could have won the championship too had we not had all the misfortune in the beginning, but it all teaches you. I am very confident going into the next year. My eyes are set on the biggest prize now, the overall title!"
The 2025 championship starts in March with a total of 9 rounds.
