Michael Fassbender is going to have another go at the Le Mans endurance sports car race this weekend in France, sharing Proton Competiton’s No. 911 Porsche 911 RR 19 with Richard Lietz and Martin Rum.
Fassbender recently admitted he would take a victory in Le Mans over an Oscar ahead of this weekend's competition.
"Racing was always my first dream as a young boy," Fassbender said while acknowledging acting is his "job."
Fassbender, who was raised in Killarney, Co Kerry, debuted in the famous race last year and finished 51st out of 62 competitions after enduring a "huge crash." This year, however, his colleagues at Porsche feel he'll perform much better.
“The main reason that I am doing this is because he is a good guy,” Lietz told Racer.
“He loves racing so much, and even if this project ends, he will continue. He is addicted. From the beginning, I have told him everything I know. Spending time with him at circuits is a pleasure, it’s like a good weekend with friends. Like racing when I started."
All eyes were on the Oscar-nominated Fassbender last year at Le Mans. The reception won’t be so intense for the Co Kerry-raised actor this time around, Lietz feels.
“Last year the pressure got to him,” he said. “He wasn’t himself during the week. My goal is to ensure he knows that it doesn’t matter.
"Yes, it’s Le Mans, it’s the 100th anniversary, there are so many superlatives, but it’s just a race. There’s no need to get more nervous.
"The problem is Le Mans is such a long event, it’s easy to get tired and nervous before the race starts.
“Everything that keeps the attention off us helps us. Last year he couldn’t even put his glasses on without five cameras filming him. He couldn’t use the toilet without people wanting a picture. At some point, you have to realize he’s just a normal person."
Off the race track, two-time Oscar nominee Fassbender was recently announced as part of the A-list lineup for "Night Boat to Tangier," a big-screen adaptation of the best-selling novel by Irish writer Kevin Barry.
Comments