HE might be an Oscar nominated actor but Michael Fassbender is also up there with the elite when it comes to motorsport and he is looking forward to showing off his prowess behind the wheel when he competed in the Killarney Rally of the Lakes on the May bank holiday weekend.
The celebrated Fossa actor – who was inducted into the Order of Innisfallen in Killarney on 2017 and turns 42 this Tuesday– will double up as official ambassador for the rally to mark its landmark 40th year and he was in Killarney at the weekend to test drive some of the vehicles available to him for the big event – including a Porsche 911, a Mk 2 Ford Escort and a Ford Puma S1600. The Porsche is of particular interest to Michael as he is currently driving with the German marque in the Porsche 911 Cup series.
Fassbender tried out the cars on a track around Killarney racecourse and Clerk of the Course, Dermot Healy, that it has all the makings of the best rally the town has ever seen.
“Our 40th anniversary event is generating huge support and we hope to have a very strong entry for the event,” he said.
Dermot and his crew have introduced a challenging twist to this year’s 16-stage event, offering drivers some extra variety that has been absent in recent years. Three of the Saturday’s classic stages, Ardgroom, Cod’s Head and the Healy Pass, will be run in reverse to offer crews a new challenge.
Sunday’s stages stay close to home with four loops of two. Centralised service in Liebherr car park and a short road section to the finish ramp make the Sunday stages very compact for spectators and crews. Total competition distance of 234kms takes in some of the most famous stages in Ireland.
For the first time in Irish rallying, the organisers will oversee the introduction of a pre-1990 section and this new and innovative section will bring a fresh dimension to the event.
The rallying years leading up to 1990 included the golden age of rallying. Many of these iconic rally cars are still running but many remain out of view from the Irish rally fan. This new section is open to 50 entries and is run over 10 stages untimed.
Exclusive pictures: Valerie O’Sullivan. Click on individual images for details
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