Akshay Gupta finishes on the podium in Cup3 AM class

Nurburg [Germany], May 19 : Indian endurance racer Akshay Gupta delivered a strong and resilient performance at the 2026 ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring, finishing 35th overall and second in the AM classification of the Cup3 class in the number #949 SRS Team Sorg Rennsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Gupta shared the car with Aaron Wenisch, Bjorn Simon and Tommy Graberg, competing in one of the deepest classes of the race. The Cup3 category, part of the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nurburgring, featured 17 entries, making it the second-largest competitive class behind the headline GT3 field, according to a release.

The 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours drew a massive 161-car entry, with Max Verstappen making his debut in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside some of the strongest GT3 drivers in the world. The official race coverage confirmed a record crowd of 352,000 spectators across the weekend.

For Gupta, the race marked his second start at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, following his podium finish in SP3T in 2025, where he finished third in class in a Cupra TCR. This year also marked his first Nurburgring 24 Hours in the Porsche Cayman GT4 platform after stepping up to Cup3 with Sorg Rennsport for the 2026 season.

The weekend began in extremely challenging conditions, with cold and wet qualifying practice sessions on Thursday. In Q1 and Q2, the team showed a strong pace and ran as high as P3 out of 17 cars in class. However, in mixed conditions during Q3 on Friday, Gupta's fast lap was compromised by a double yellow zone in the final sector, preventing the #949 car from showing its true potential. The team ultimately qualified P11 in Cup3, P4 in AM and 89th overall.

The race started at 3 pm on Saturday, with Bjorn Simon taking the opening stint. Simon immediately moved the car forward, climbing from P11 to P6 in Cup3 by the end of his eight-lap run. Gupta then took over and continued the charge, moving the car up to P4 in class during a strong nine-lap stint before handing over to Tommy Graberg.

The team's first major setback came on Lap 19, when Graberg suffered a slow puncture, forcing an unscheduled pit stop for a tyre change. Despite the lost time, he completed a further nine laps and handed the car to Aaron Wenisch in P5. Wenisch then brought the #949 Porsche back into contention, climbing to P4 and briefly into P3 during a 13-lap stint.

As conditions changed, Wenisch was forced into an unscheduled stop to switch to wet tyres. During the sunset phase of the race, he also narrowly avoided disaster at Brunnchen, where an oil spill caught out several leading cars. The same incident zone saw two high-profile GT3 cars crash into the barriers, including the Manthey "Grello" Porsche driven by Kevin Estre and the Ford Mustang GT3 of fellow Indian driver Arjun Maini, ending Maini's race prematurely. Wenisch somehow saved the #949 Porsche, keeping it away from the barriers by inches, a release said.

Through the night, Simon returned to the car and produced fast lap times despite losing the main headlights. Gupta then took over for a difficult nine-lap night stint, with much of the circuit covered by Code 60 zones due to multiple heavy crashes. He handed the car back to Simon, before Simon was forced to stop early due to health issues, triggering an urgent driver change in the pits.

Gupta was called back into action and delivered one of the team's most important stints of the race. In the early morning hours, he completed another nine-lap run, keeping the car firmly in P4 in Cup3 and P1 in AM, with a commanding seven-minute lead in the AM classification. His stint ended around 5:00 AM, after which Wenisch took over for a double stint of 18 laps and moved the car into P3 in Cup3.

The race then took another dramatic turn when Graberg, during his next run, was involved in contact with an SP10 GT4 car. The incident damaged the front-left corner of the Porsche, causing steering and suspension damage and requiring a 30-minute repair stop. Sorg Rennsport's mechanics executed a rapid repair job to return the car to the race.

Despite the damage, the #949 Porsche immediately returned to competitive pace. With Wenisch and Gupta covering the next four stints between them, the team fought back from P7 in Cup3 and P4 in AM to P6 in Cup3 and P2 in AM.

Gupta was then entrusted with the final stint. In worsening wet conditions, and still running on slick tyres, he launched a late charge at the AM class leader. Over the final seven laps, he gained 2 minutes and 10 seconds, reducing the gap dramatically, but ultimately fell short of the AM victory by just 2 minutes and 30 seconds after 24 hours of racing.

The Sorg Rennsport Porsche was classified 35th overall, ahead of Verstappen's #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, which finished 37th after driveshaft problems ended its victory challenge.

"This was one of the toughest races I have ever done," said Akshay Gupta. "We had everything: rain, slicks in the wet, Code 60s everywhere, punctures, crashes, a damaged car, a driver change under pressure and a final-stint fight for the AM win. To finish 35th overall and second in AM after everything that happened is something I am very proud of. Of course, missing the AM win by just two and a half minutes hurts, especially after gaining so much time in the final stint, but that is also what makes the Nurburgring 24 Hours so special. It never gives you anything easily."

"The team did a phenomenal job," Gupta added. "Sorg Rennsport repaired the car incredibly quickly after the front-left damage, and Aaron, Bjorn and Tommy all played a huge role in keeping us in the fight. This race proved again why the Nordschleife is the most demanding circuit in the world. You need speed, discipline, luck, survival instincts and a team that never gives up."

The 2026 edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours was one of the most high-profile in recent history, amplified by Verstappen's debut and a packed 161-car field. For Gupta, it was another major step in his international endurance racing journey as he continues his progression through the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie and the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nurburgring.

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