"It's always been a dream of mine to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans," says Michael Fassbender. "And the thing with dreams is you don't think about how much work you've invested or how many setbacks you've had to face. I not only learned what it takes to contest a race weekend but also how to be competitive. It's giving me a fascinating opportunity to show my full potential. It could be a one-off chance so I simply want to do my best."

Fassbender has been sat behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 race car for some time now. Porsche has been chronicling his journey in the aptly-named "Road to Le Mans" series on YouTube. That, by the way, is fantastic. The series acts as if Netflix's "Drive To Survive" F1 series only focused on the story of a sole driver, rather than the whole grid. Regardless, Fassbender is set to take his 515-hp Proton Competition 911 RSR racer to Le Mans this weekend.

Fassbender's time in endurance racing goes back further than that when he met fellow actor and Proton Competition co-owner Patrick Dempsey on a flight from London to LA. After what was clearly a very productive chat, Fassbender found himself meeting with Porsche, who offered to sponsor the actor on his journey to Le Mans.

Then, Fassbender began to climb the ranks of Porsche motorsport, starting at the Porsche Driving Experience, an entry-level program for ambitious Porsche drivers. Soon enough, the German-Irish actor found himself racing with Proton Competition for the 2020 European Le Mans Series (ELMS), finishing 6th overall. Next year, he managed 5th.

However, despite the ELMS series' name, this year will be Fassbender's first time at Le Mans. First-timers need a test in the simulator, followed by a very thorough safety briefing. "Michael may not be the most natural talent, but he's a hard worker," says his teammate Richard Lietz. "That's why I'm putting in such a big effort to help him and prepare for the challenge of the Le Mans 24-hour race. I quickly recognized his potential during our first season together."

If you've never watched Le Mans, this year might be the year. It's a great series to leave up in the background, and if you're in the States, you can catch the often-hectic twilight hours of the race during normal daylight hours due to the time change. Plus, now you've got someone to root for.