The list of actors turned racing drivers is growing with the addition of one more as Michael Fassbender takes to the track.
The Hollywood star perhaps best known for his role as Magneto in the rebooted X-Men movies is taking part in the Ferrari Challenge series in North America.
Having started training with the factory’s Corsa Pilota program last year, he’s already competed in the first round of this season, piloting the Ferrari 488 Challenge racer against a field of the same at Laguna Seca. He looks set to compete in the rest of the season ahead, hitting Montreal and Mosport in Canada before racing at Road America in Wisconsin, COTA in Austin, and Homestead in Miami, before the Finali Mondiali (if he makes the cut) at Mugello in Italy.
“Ferrari is defined by racing, and training with the Ferrari team gave me a great foundation to hone my skills behind the wheel of the 488 Challenge race car,” said Fassbender. “From a very early age I idolized Ferrari and its champion, Michael Schumacher, in particular, so now racing in the Ferrari Challenge brings that dream full circle.”
If Fassbender makes a go of it, he’ll join a long and proud tradition of actors turned racing drivers that has included such greats as Steve McQueen, James Garner, Paul Newman, and Patrick Dempsey, to name just a few.
A few years ago Fassbender also learned to ride Honda racing bikes at Donington Park in the UK, drove Porsches and race-prepped Peugeots at Thruxton a couple of years before that, and has been spotted in the paddock at various F1 grands prix. He even posted the third-best lap time in the Kia Cee’d on the old Top Gear back in 2012 despite an ice-covered penultimate corner.
With years of proven enthusiasm for cars and racing, it seems likely Fassbender is simply playing at his personal passion. But we can’t help but wonder whether he might be studying for an upcoming film role, because our library of great racing films always has room for one more.
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