Le Mans is back this weekend for the 90th running of the iconic 24-hour endurance race. And included in the swarms of professional and amateur race drivers ready to take on the roads of the Circuit de la Sarthe, the line up this year will also include X-Men actor Michael Fassbender.
The Irish-German actor will share racing responsibilities in the No. 93 Porsche 911 with Australian driver Matt Campbell and Canadian racer Zacharie Robichon. The Proton Competition team will compete GTE-Am category.
Fassbender seems very excited about his La Sarthe debut, and said it has “always been a dream” of his to compete in the iconic race, saying, “The thing with dreams is you don’t think about how much work you’ve invested or how many setbacks you’ve had to face. I not only learned what it takes to contest a race weekend but also how to be competitive.” Fassbender adds, “It’s giving me a fascinating opportunity to show my full potential. It could be a one-off chance so I simply want to do my best.”
The actor and driver’s journey to competing in Le Mans started when he visited the race and met with Porsche in 2018. Since then, he has documented his development drives and practice events through a YouTube series, called Road to Le Mans.
He also previously raced in the European Le Mans Series in 2020 with Proton Competition, and earned 47 points across four races to secure sixth place in the GTE class.
In a slightly mixed review of his racing, Fassbender’s former teammate said: “Michael may not be the most natural talent, but he’s a hard worker.”
Despite all his hard work, the 45-year-old actor hasn’t had a great start to his campaign at the French event. In fact, during yesterday’s qualifying for the 24-hour-race, Fassbender spun out of control and crashed into a barrier – which brought out the red flags for the session. Following the spin, Fasssbender and his Proton Competition teammates start the race in 60th out of 62 teams.