Road to Le Mans: Document of a dream 🎥
HOLLYWOOD AND RENNSTRECKE A new 90-minute documentary shows the pleasure and suffering on the road to Le Mans. At the center of "Road to Le Mans. The Film" focuses on the film actor and racing driver Michael Fassbender.
The dream of racing has been dormant in Michael Fassbender (center gallery) since childhood. The 46-year-old, who was born in Heidelberg, took the first steps towards achieving this goal in 2018. US actor Patrick Dempsey, who himself raced with Porsche three times at Le Mans, put him in touch with Porsche.
With the support of the sports car manufacturer, the Oscar-nominated film star learned how to work behind the wheel of a racing car in the Porsche Racing Experience, in the Porsche Sports Cup and then in the European Le Mans Series as a training camp. He always had a Porsche coach at his side. Cameras accompanied him right from the start.
Three years of preparation
Fassbender, known for blockbusters such as X-Men and Inglourious Basterds, temporarily put his film career on the back burner and threw himself into the full-throttle business on the racetrack with great enthusiasm. After three years of preparation, Fassbender competed in the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans with Proton Competition in the Porsche 911 RSR - and unintentionally found himself at the center of the action in several accidents.
On June 12 of this year - the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans - Fassbender was once again at the start. Together with works driver Richard Lietz from Austria and Martin Rump from Estonia, Fassbender delivered a good performance in the 24-hour classic with the number 911 from Proton Competition. "The race showed that he has not only made incredible progress in sporting terms, but also mentally," summarized Sebastian Borowski, Project Manager of Road to Le Mans.
Sound barrier broken
The development process is impressive: Fassbender's fastest race lap at the wheel of the 515 hp Porsche 911 RSR was almost four seconds faster than the previous year. For the first time, the film star beat the 4:00-minute sound barrier, which is important for GT cars on the 13.626-kilometer circuit.
The 90-minute documentary traces the entire journey of Michael Fassbender and Porsche in motorsport from 2018 to 2023. The film is the conclusion of the YouTube series, which has generated a cumulative 100 million views with its 33 episodes in four seasons.
