X-Men Star Had A Hellish Weekend At Le Mans

If you haven't been watching Porsche's Road to Le Mans YouTube series, you should be. We said earlier in the week it's basicallyDrive to Survive but Michael Fassbender, and we meant it. Hell, we checked on the #93 Proton Competition 911 RSR more often than we did the winning Toyota, piloted by ex-F1 talent Brendon Hartley.

You develop a parasocial relationship with Fassbender, which is what makes the series work so well. Just like the F1 drivers in Drive to Survive, you root for Fassbender because you can identify with a man pursuing his dream.

So when Fassbender lost control of his Porsche 911 racer during qualifying, we winced as the car smashed into the barriers at high speed. Based on the footage, it looks like Fassbender locked the brakes up, sending the car sideways into the wall. Thankfully, he was unhurt. But plenty of heartbreak lay ahead of the X-Men star.

At least Fassbender's weekend got better compared to how it started. He didn't win, nor did he even win in his class. The crash during qualifying meant that Fassbender's #93 car started in 60th out of 62 cars, so near dead-last. With four hours to go, Fassbender and his teammates managed to push the #93 car up into P17 in its class, a respectable position. Things might have ended there, with Fassbender and Co. managing to crawl back from an otherwise desperate starting position.

At 11:36 PM local time, disaster struck again for Fassbender. Another incident sent the green Porsche 911 RSR spinning off into the gravel at Arnage, a tricky right-hander made trickier by the confines of darkness. Reports indicate that one of #93's other drivers, Zacharie Robichon clipped another car. The resulting trip into the gravel set the team back permanently.

By the time the chequered flag fell at Le Mans, the #93 Proton Competition car crossed the finish line in 51st place overall. It was a far from ideal finish for Fassbender's team, but still nine places ahead of where the team started. Had it not been for that incident at Arnage, the team's finish would have been far more ideal.

We expect this isn't the end of Fassbender at Le Mans. Could you have such a disappointing weekend at the race of your life and hang up your helmet? We imagine Fassbender can't either. And if it means more of Porsche's excellent Road to Le Mans series, we're all for it.