From cinema to tracks: he played Magneto in X-Men and will race the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans

“Do you realize, Benjamin? The boy can change everything: his face, his house, his family … his girlfriend, his religion, God … but there is one thing he cannot change, Benjamin … can not change passion “the iconic phrase that immortalized the character of Guillermo Francella in “The secret in their eyes” applies smoothly to the story of Michael Fassbender. The actor in films like ‘300’, Inglourious Basterds’ and X-Men, where he starred magnetwill make one of his dreams come true this weekend and has little to do with scripts and cameras …

Fassbender, who also brought Steve Jobs to life on the big screen, will be a driver in the 90th edition of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Yes, the German-Irish driver will be aboard the Porsche # 93 of the Proton Competition, with which the moment of truth will come after three years of preparation.

It is that he first competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup, then played two seasons in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and will now be the star of the queen event of the WEC.

“After four seasons of work and preparation, I am in Le Mans. It is super exciting and at the same time a bit surreal to take part in this legendary race. I am already impressed by the experience. I will give my all and enjoy this moment as much as possible. “. . Driving and acting have similarities. You don’t have to think too much and focus on what you have to do “, confided Fassbender, one of the most requested by fans.

How did this possibility arise? The director and producer himself has always been a fan of Formula 1, he also had the pleasure of meeting Michael Schumacher during a British Grand Prix.

Teammate Patrick Dempsey was also met on a long-haul flight from London to Los Angeles and, after a lively conversation, the former Le Mans driver (also actor) and co-owner of the Dempsey-Proton Racing team has contacted the marketing managers of Porsche Motorsport.

And during Fassbender’s visit to Le Mans in 2018, a strategy was defined to support the actor in Road to Le Mans (“Journey to Le Mans”), which is the title of the YouTube series that chronicles the pilot’s adventure. rookie.

He started his career in 2020 and joined the Proton Competition team to take part in the legendary race behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR-19, in the GTEAm category, where drivers with little or no experience will compete, accompanied by Matt Campbell ( the leader) and Zacharie Robichon.

A bumpy start.

But the reception for Fassbender was not the best. After a reasonably quiet first free practice session, in which he finished with his team 57th out of 62, half an hour before qualifying on Wednesday, he caused a Red flag get lost in the Chicana Daytona, also known as Play stationjust before the mythical line of Les Hunaudières.

Fassbender slammed the brakes, lost control of the car and crashed violently into the interior barrier, with no physical consequences. The car, meanwhile, it was reasonably damagedbut it is expected that he will be able to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which kicks off this Saturday at 11:00 (Argentine time).

Pechito López, for the two-time Scudetto.

The trio formed by the Argentine José Maria Lopezthe English Mike Conway and the Japanese Kamui Kobayashi, with the Toyota GR010 HYBRID n. 7 of Toyota GAZOO Racing, they want to keep the title and have started in the best way.

It is that he dominated the qualifying practice because Kobayashi was the one who set the best time with 3m27s247. Cordovan Pechito López could only complete a 3m31s017 lap before the red flag appeared due to the Fassbender crash and rain.

“Personally I feel calmer. We don’t carry that backpack from previous years, which we came from losing it to be deserving and have good returns. I felt very calm on first contact this weekend. The race is very long. You have to face all the challenges. I don’t feel any more pressure, just thinking of having a clean and error-free race “.López confided before the match.