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Fassbender’s Road to Le Mans a step close to reality this weekend

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ROAD TO LE MANS: Michael Fassbender's ambitions of tackling the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans Race will take a step closer this weekend. Photo: Porsche Media Services.

 

By Sean Moriarty

 

Local Hollywood A-lister Michael Fassbender’s dream of taking part in the biggest endurance motor race in the world will take a step close to reality this weekend.

The Fossa man has held long-term ambitions to contest the legendary 24 Hours Le Mans Race in France.

Last year, as part of his preparation, he competed in national-level Porsche Sports Club events in Germany at the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup as well as driving a Ford Escort Mk2 in the cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.

He also contested rounds of the Ferrari Challenge North America in 2017 and 2018.

His German Porsche Cup races featured on his popular online documentary ‘Road to Le Mans’.

The final rung on the ladder is the European Le Mans Series, a five round endurance racing championship that gets underway at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France this weekend.

Fassbender has signed for the Proton Competition team and will drive a Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE class in the series and a successful season will pave the way for his debut at Le Mans next June.

The 43-year-old will share the car with Porsche factory drivers Richard Lietz and Felipe Fernandez Laser.

“Even before I started acting, I had a big dream to go racing - it was clear to me at a young age,” he said. “My father was a driving enthusiast who taught me a lot.”

Porsche will work closely with the local Hollywood star and his progress in the European championship will feature in further episodes of ‘Road to Le Mans’.

“It’s always wonderful to be able to tackle new projects. This is a very special one,” says Proton Competition team owner Christian Ried who has worked with another notable Hollywood celebrity and Porsche racing enthusiast Patrick Dempsey at Le Mans. “It’ll be interesting to see how Michael progresses. As a team, we’re delighted to be able to accompany him on his ‘Road to Le Mans’.”

Following Sunday’s four-hour race, Fassbender will also tackle events in Belgium, Spain and Italy, ahead of the season finale in Portugal on November 1.

Fans can follow the race or Saturday’s qualifying session via: live.europeanlemansseries.com.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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