The German-Irish actor will campaign a 2017-spec Porsche 911 RSR race car fielded by veteran Porsche-entrant Proton Competition beginning with an official ELMS test session at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, France, on July 15. The star of movies such as the X-Men franchise and 12 Years a Slave, will make his first race start in the full-competition Porsche 911 RSR machine on July 19.
Supported by Porsche, Fassbender takes the next step on his personal “Road to Le Mans” journey in this year’s endurance series. “Even before I started acting, I had a big dream to go racing. It was clear to me at a young age. My father was an avid driver and he taught me a lot,” says Fassbender, describing his motor racing passion.
“Even before I started acting I had a big dream to go racing." Michael Fassbender
Fassbender took his first steps toward a racing career at the Porsche Driving Experience. The entry-level program for racing enthusiasts includes training sessions with a 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car.
After completing this, the native of Heidelberg, Germany advanced to the Porsche Racing Experience. Fassbender received full-service support, which was specifically adapted to his requirements with three consecutive levels and races as part of the Porsche Sports Cup in Europe.
In 2019, the 42-year-old completed Level 2 of the Porsche training program. For this, Fassbender contested an entire season of the Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland. The German one-make series – similar to the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama – uses the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car to showcase driver talent. Fans can follow his journey in the YouTube series “Road to Le Mans” at www.porsche.com/roadtolemans.
With the switch to the European Le Mans Series, Fassbender is now advancing to the next level in his motorsport career. “It’s always wonderful to be able to tackle new projects. This is a very special one,” says Proton Competition team owner Christian Ried who has worked with another notable Hollywood celebrity and Porsche racing enthusiast Patrick Dempsey at Le Mans. “It’ll be interesting to see how Michael progresses. As a team, we’re delighted to be able to accompany him on his ‘Road to Le Mans’.” Porsche also shares this step towards Le Mans and will release the second season of the “Road to Le Mans” documentary at the end of 2020.
Fassbender shares the cockpit of the No. 93 Porsche 911 RSR with Porsche factory driver Richard Lietz (Austria) and Felipe Fernández Laser (Germany). “Porsche offers vehicles ranging from the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport to the 911 RSR to customers who want to make their dreams come true. Michael Fassbender dreams of Le Mans. It’s exciting to be part of this and I aim to help him a bit in his quest by offering my contribution,” explains Lietz.
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The 2020 season of the European Le Mans Series is comprised of six events, starting with the test day at Paul Ricard (France), followed by the first race at the same venue on July 19. Next up is Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on August 9, then Barcelona, Spain (August 29), Monza in Italy (October 11) and the season closes at Portugal’s scenic Portimão circuit on November 1. Each event features a four-hour, multi-driver race. Fassbender competes for Proton Competition in the LM GTE class – the GT category of the long-distance series.
