Blood, Sweat, Tears, Redemption: Akshay Gupta's Fascinating Journey To Motorsport Success

What happens when a child is born with a clubfoot in an era before the Ponseti method? Could they ever dream of becoming a sportsperson? Can a child with a foot disability aspire to be a racing driver? Absolutely. Because Akshay, who drives for Mertens Motorsport and finished the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie 2024 on P2 emerging as a top contender for next year’s championship, is a clubfoot athlete.

Starting go-karting at age four with a clubfoot, Akshay faced financial barriers in the expansive world of motorsport. Without a wealthy background, he took matters into his own hands, founding a Connected Car technology startup that was acquired by Spinny in 2022.

"It is a rich man’s sport. Back in 2016, I had realised that the only way I could earn enough money legally to be able to race cars competitively at a young age was through the startup ecosystem. So while my primary motivation was to make money to race cars, I also cared deeply about the problem statement that I wanted to solve and I absolutely loved building technology, providing employment etc," he said to Outlook India.

Akshay is now the co-founder and CEO of Scouto, where engineering, sales, marketing and automobiles intersect. "When I was building the company and as much as it is hard to do, it is a lot of joy! It is like having kids. You know it will be extremely hard and you will question your sanity on some days but it is all worth it."

Once a 'naive' 23-year-old who wanted to become a racing driver in India, where barely one in ten watches motorsport, Akshay took six years to earn the funds this risky sport required.

"I came back to racing after a six-year gap. And a lot has changed. I say that entrepreneurship is just a disguise for inner restructuring. That’s what happened, I am a very different Akshay who just had a tunnel vision with a racecar at the end of it."

The 31-year-old Akshay, now in his earned wisdom, is a lot calmer and more appreciative of the people around him. He said, "My driving style has evolved a lot. Earlier, I used to crash and learn where the limits were, I don’t do that anymore. Although I do miss the craziness. Somehow it drives you to excel in sports."

Akshay added: "I guess that sort of maniacal focus to win is a lot less wholesome way to win. Don’t get me wrong, the only thing I still care about is winning when I am behind the wheel. But when I don’t, it does not bring everything else in my life to a halt. I know I will win, I am happy as long as I know I did everything in my capacity to win."

Dreams Come True, It's True

In April, Akshay mentioned in an interview that driving at the Nurburgring circuit was his dream. Now, having secured P2 in the 2024 Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, isn’t that incredibly fulfilling for him? It truly is, but came with its share of challenges. Reflecting on his experience, the entrepreneur-racer said, "Yes, I am racing cars on the Green Hell, which is a dream for every racer in the world. But this podium came after a lot of bad luck for us."

Akshay's team could have had a perfect 6/6 podium finishes and secured P2 in the championship if it weren't for two crashes and three mechanical issues. He said, "It’s more of a relief than a feeling of victory. This was long overdue. But yes, I still pinch myself sometimes while racing to see if it’s real."

The sensation in his hands was fading, strength falling apart. While racing, he said, "I could not feel the steering wheel at all after a few laps. I complained to the race engineers saying that there’s something wrong with the steering wheel and I can’t feel it."

A Journey Through Injury

Last year, while driving for Adrenalin Motorsport in a BMW, Akshay sustained serious injuries that required surgery on both hands. This unfortunate turn of events not only hindered his physical capabilities but also impacted his performance on the track. The nightmare of becoming slow, a fear all drivers dread, became a stark reality for him.

"I did not realise how much until after my race. I could not understand what had happened to me. I was so slow in the racecar last year. It was terrible. I have never been that slow. I knew something was up, I couldn’t just run out of talent. The thing is, it was happening slowly for long enough that I never noticed the issue."

After thorough checks revealed no issues, Akshay returned to India, where his doctors found otherwise. His injury was anything but normal. During surgery, they discovered that while a typical median nerve measures 7mm2, Akshay's was 35mm2. Additionally, he had a torn ligament in his right wrist and a cyst affecting his right side. Recovery took six months, with a focus on rehabilitating the torn ligament.

"When I went for the pre-season testing in March, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to race. The strength in my hands was nowhere close to normal and I was still facing certain issues. But it was good enough. We struggled for the first few races and then it started feeling normal again."

The Few Days Without Pain — Those Are The Good Days

Nevertheless, surgeries have been old friends for Akshay. Just two days after his birth, he underwent his first surgery for a clubfoot. The second surgery followed when he was only two years old.

"My left foot is much more normal than the right one. The right ankle has next to no mobility, which means that it doesn’t move up or down. It is also an inch smaller. "

While working out, the clubfoot issue becomes a limitation. Doctors have advised him against running, forcing him to seek alternative forms of cardio. The biomechanical misalignment from his clubfoot adds to the challenge, leading to three injuries throughout his life.

Yet, amidst this darkness, he finds light in hope — a dream, a motive. Each day, Akshay wakes up with one foot numb, confronting barriers both on and off the track.

To fight the physical ones, he works closely with the orthopaedic doctors who did his surgeries 29 years ago: an ankle specialist, a spine specialist, a podiatrist and a physiotherapist. Akshay speaks to each one of them on a regular basis to be able to find solutions for him to keep functioning well.

"I myself dwell a lot into human biomechanics to understand my condition and limitations better. I have spent close to 2-3 hours a day at my physiotherapy centre, four days a week. And it is never-ending. I can never stop working on it. It is extremely frustrating; some days I wonder what more I could have achieved with a normal body. The few days when I live without pain, I appreciate them much more."

Falling In Love With Speed

Akshay started karting at age 4. We asked him what sparked his love for racing at such a young age.

He answered: "I only played with cars as a kid. Spent my childhood days meticulously managing my toy car garage. My father saw this love for cars and got me a go kart at 4, while returning from one of his office trips. And that was that."

That shining go-kart made him forget about toy cars, as he immersed himself in the thrill of driving down the mountain roads of Rajasthan all day long.

The Indian driver believes you can love cars simply by knowing they exist, but to truly love speed, you must experience it. "Before I knew it, I was driving faster and faster down the mountain roads, trying to take tight corners at the maximum speed the kart could achieve. That was when I fell in love with speed — and eventually racing."

For The Indian Flag

Akshay currently is one of very few Indians participating in global circuits and competing against hundreds of drivers from all over the world. Does it sometimes feel weird, being one of a kind?

"A bit alien to be honest! There are so many things to adapt to: cultural differences, language barriers, weather, driving on the other side. But it also brings pride. I always love it when I see the Indian flag on my car. It’s a responsibility, my conduct and performance define how people from across the world perceive us. I enjoy it."

Miles To Go Before He Sleeps

Anyone who enters Akshay's room will see a large poster on the wall next to his racing simulator. This poster features scaled-down layouts of iconic racetracks from around the world. Each time he competes on a particular track, he writes the date and fills the outline with a specific colour.

"The goal is to fill that entire poster up. I want to conquer these tracks and win as much as I can on them," he explains. The immediate ambition is to win the overall Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie title in 2025.

But don't forget that Akshay is not just a racing driver; he is also a part-time entrepreneur with a vision to create quality employment for one million people. "I know that’s a big goal, but it isn’t impossible. In India, our labour class is marginalized, and we don’t pay them enough for good food, decent living conditions, education for their children, or healthcare when needed," he says.

He aspires to run a company where ideas and curiosity thrive, building technology that solves problems while creating quality jobs. "I believe this can uplift the lives of future generations."

There’s this quote Akshay loves: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — that is to have succeeded.”

That is the story of Akshay Gupta — someone who fights for his dream, for his nation, for technology, for employment, and for solutions. A true warrior on and off the track, always striving to win.