[Eve_]

^ Thanks for posting Lee

I saw the incident, it was nothing serious. He spun off at a corner and got stuck in the gravel.
They had to pull the car back in the garage to clean the gravel from underneath the car. They lost about 20 or 30 minutes because of that though...

It sucks that they qualified last


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Patrick Dempsey in paddock during previews before Le Mans 24 Hour race on June 12































+ Some more pics from yesterday :

[LostInTime]

You're welcome Eve and thanks for the information glad it wasn't that big but Man I am with you I am bummed about their place but I am more bummed that he spun out, I hope it doesn't dampen his fun and experience

thanks for all the pics he is gorgeous

[Eve_]

Nah, after the incident they interviewed him and he was still smiling from ear to ear
He said he still had a lot to learn. It seemed like he didn't beat himself up over that.

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Video from practice : YouTube - PD at Le Mans - Practice session

Mostly just talk about him. They show him @ 1:28 and @ 3:08

I wish I had a DVR, I would've put the qualifying session on YT too. They showed the driver change. Don getting out of the car, and PD getting in. It was fun to see.
But someone will put that on YT too probably...


+ Interview

"A little boy gets to come out and play for 24 hours" Awww, so true !

His kids race around the living room in little electric cars

[LostInTime]

Originally Posted by Eve_ (View Post) Nah, after the incident they interviewed him and he was still smiling from ear to ear He said he still had a lot to learn. It seemed like he didn't beat himself up over that. ------------------------ Video from practice : YouTube - PD at Le Mans - Practice session Mostly just talk about him. They show him @ 1:28 and @ 3:08 I wish I had a DVR, I would've put the qualifying session on YT too. They showed the driver change. Don getting out of the car, and PD getting in. It was fun to see. But someone will put that on YT too probably... + Interview "A little boy gets to come out and play for 24 hours" Awww, so true ! His kids race around the living room in little electric cars

Thanks Eve I know you would have put it up if you could have, If any of us sees it posted on YT I am sure one of us will post it
Thanks for all your commentaries and I am so glad he was still all smiles
I soooooooooo can't wait to read today's blog, that should be the last one, right?
Gosh I am going to miss reading his blogs after this lol
I can't wait to watch the interview you posted, I have to wait a bit but thanks

[Eve_]

I hope today isn't the last blog !
I hope he still does one on saturday and sunday. Or maybe just one on sunday after the race.

I'm gonna miss them too. It's so much fun to read them. To know how he feels and all... He's a great blogger

[LostInTime]

Originally Posted by Eve_ (View Post) I hope today isn't the last blog ! I hope he still does one on saturday and sunday. Or maybe just one on sunday after the race. I'm gonna miss them too. It's so much fun to read them. To know how he feels and all... He's a great blogger

I am telling you I was thinking the same thing, he is a born blogger, He should continue to blog after this,
I don't know if he can blog Saturday cause the race is 24 hours long, I can't remember what they said on speedtv about how many days they were doing this. I don't want it to be the last either ,,,hmm maybe I will re read them now lol
OK I need help!

[Eve_]

I've re-read them too. The 2nd one at least.
I've saved them to my laptop so I can read them whenever I want

I can't wait for blog #3 !
I guess it's a little later than usual because he had to be at the driver's parade from 6 to 7 PM local time.


Pic from the parade, not a great one...

[LostInTime]

I know I am going to save them to mine as well
Thanks for the picture Look at him sitting up so high.
Love him!

[Eve_]

Wow ! This is the place Paddy is staying at in France, a 12th century Chateau.
(He mentioned it in his first blog)

[LostInTime]

Wow that is so beautiful look it comes complete with a swan
I would love to see the french countryside in person some day

[Eve_]

Pics from the parade :

[Eve_]

3rd blog is up !!

Patrick Dempsey Friday Le Mans Blog Dempsey reflects back on the team’s bitter-sweet run in qualifying on Thursday evening. Sometimes, You’re The Windshield I should have taken the start of Thursday as a premonition. My body has no idea what time zone I am in, I am tired at the wrong times, awake when I should be sleeping. I woke up late, was late leaving the chateaus, and the traffic at the entrance to the track was backed up, and I was late all day. My French friends keep telling me that this is how it is in France, and I am now adjusted. But today is the last practice and qualifying before the race, and my day is full of sponsor meetings, media interviews, and trying to get fitted and more comfortable in the car. Downshifts were my problem last night, and I’m working with the other two drivers and the fun mechanics as AF Corse to find a pedal height solution that will work for everyone. That is another challenge of endurance racing, in that compromises must be made in driving positions, seats, etc, so the car can fit 3 drivers from 5'10 to 6'4. The fan and media coverage is amazing, touching, but also a little overwhelming. In the Grand-Am Series I am used to the ritual, and the fan base has been growing and taking more and more time. The there’s 100 times the amount of fan attention here compared to a Rolex weekend I want to make sure I make this clear that I am not complaining. As an actor, these fans buy the movie tickets, watch TV, and as a Racer these fans buy the products my sponsors sell. Taking care of these commitments is part of my job, and I know how lucky I am. I would not be here without them, so I do try to make sure I spend time talking, signing autographs, and visiting with partners and their guests. What I do hope people understand it that this does take energy and attention, and today it is taking its toll. I am one of the most fortunate people on earth, but today I am also one of the most tired. I also keep thinking that there are so many fantastic drivers with exceptional stories to tell more interesting than mine. I wish they got to tell their stories more often, and that they were able to enjoy more of the limelight than me. I know I am getting the attention due to my day job, but I am working hard to develop my skills on the track so I will get attention for them too. And after my lap times in the rain last night, I was feeling pretty good heading into qualifying. Finally, gratefully, it is time to put on the Sparco suit and do what I came to France for: qualify for the 24 Hours of Le Mans! The evening qualifying sessions were broken up into two sessions. The first from 7 until 9 p.m., the second from 10-12. There were three main objectives and thousands of minor ones. Joe will qualify the car as well as possible, and Don and I will qualify for the race. Since we had completed both our minimum lap requirements the night before the last thing is we both need to run laps times within 115% of the fastest car in the class. Based upon last night in the rain, I am confident of both a top-10 starting position if not top-5, and then Don and I will make it easily in the field. Then, suddenly, we actually discovered why Le Mans is Le Mans! The start of the session was delayed due to some track repairs caused by a wreck in the other races. The pressure builds and builds. Finally, almost 25 minutes late the track opens and Joe takes to the track. This session was the last chance (and basically my first chance) to drive the car in the dry and in the daylight. Joe did a couple of laps, came in for some qualifying tires, and headed out to set our team time. His warm up lap was good, and lap two was when he would have gotten well up the grid. We saw the first segment, almost three seconds up on the previous lap, which was the best of the week so far. As we waited for the second segment to pop up with further improvement, excitement built, then we waited, and waited. Finally the segment times pops up on the screen and our hearts sink. A Peugeot threw it off going for a fast time, and Joe was badly balked, almost having to come to a complete halt. So much for our dreams of a top time, but Joe's warm up lap was still looking decent and now we needed to get Don and I into the race. I mean, howbad could it be, right? Don went out and was struggling with a loose condition. Without knowing what the pole time would be, it was always hard to know exactly how fast we need to be, but we knew that Don was too close to the edge. He was also having radio issues, and no one was sure if he could see or read the pit board. My tension level was almost to redline, despite Jacques and Jim working hard to relax and distract me. I could also feel my fatigue. Finally, with the session almost over, it was my turn to make the show. We felt like Don was in, and now I needed to complete the team. Accelerating down the straights, braking hard, delaying my downshifts just a little hoping for smoother engagements. Ahh, better, the Ferrari V-8 barking with each blip of the throttle. The first flyer was great, actually my best time of the weekend. We met the minimum time, so that monkey was off my back. It was back down the straights, hard right at Mulsanne. I was feeling good, process, process, apex as I headed towards Indianapolis, what did Bruni tell me I could do there? Carry 5th? Yeah, I got it, I can do it...or did he say 4th? I was thinking that to myself as the back of the car rotated into the gravel trap on the outside of Indianapolis, backwards. It was a very lonely place to sit in a gravel trap, as you couldn’t move. You feel like every eye in the world is staring at you, along with all of Europe since the session was being covered live on Eurosport. Yep, that actor, there in the gravel trap. Where were they last night when I was fast in the rain just 24 hours ago? What gear did he say I could carry? They pulled me out of the gravel, and I drove back to the pits staying well off line because I know I was now and Italian gravel spreader. That is what pro driver do, they stay off line out of the gravel. And all drivers sooner or later end up in the gravel trap. So I just had to add that to my list. After my crew finished cleaning the gravel out of the car, I did a few more laps just to get back up on the horse. OK, Patrick, focus, focus, focus. By this point the fatigue of the day caught up with me, and I was frustrated. The checkered flag came out and I was thinking of a place to hide! Between sessions I hung with Patrick and Jim and just slowing calmed myself down. The reality is that I’m racing at Le Mans. I’d just officially qualified for the race based upon speed and I would get another crack at it later in the night. The pressure I was feeling was only the pressure I put on myself. Poor Joe was suffering too, along with the crew. Don’s sunny nature wasn’t any better, either. He had a lot of outside pressure that that he was just trying to make the field. The last session proved to be exciting for the fans with the battle for the pole between Audi and Peugeot. At Team Seattle, our battle was mostly self-inflicted created by our expectations and own fatigue. In the end, Don made the speed that was needed, and poor Joe kept seeing our number in the worst of the best position. But we were in the field, but nowhere where we wanted to be. The drive home may have been the highlight of the day. Here’s five friends, giving each other the support required but also the crap that guys who love each other do. Poor Joe was on the phone telling friends and well wishers that we are in the field; we qualified, but we’re a little ways back, he told one caller. As soon as he hung up, the entire car started screaming with laughter. We spent the rest of the ride home coming up with different spins on how to say we’re the slowest car in the field. Back pole was a favorite, along with a few more descriptions that got progressively worse. Still, we all took a step back and realized we’re in the 24 Hours of Le Mans! And by Sunday, actually 10 minutes into the race on Saturday, the only thing that matters is that we’re here and in the field. ~Patrick

So sad to read how disappointed he was.

I didn't know where it went wrong at the beginning until I read this. Joe was doing pretty good, he was in 12th position at one point, so I was hoping he could maybe get into the top 10... Damn Peugeot ! Poor Joe ! (Lol, I loved how he kept saying that)

And then of course, Paddy's little incident. They could've done without that. Thank god the car wasn't damaged !
Sad to read that he was embarrassed in that moment...
"Where were they last night when I was fast in the rain just 24 hours ago?" - Exactly !

"The checkered flag came out and I was thinking of a place to hide!" - Aww
I knew he was gonna beat himself up over that. But after seeing an interview with him after the incident, he was still smiling and all...
So I thought he didn't think it was that bad. But apparently he did...

"As soon as he hung up, the entire car started screaming with laughter." - At least they could still laugh at themselves. But it's their first time participating, so it wasn't that bad... Yes, they were last, but it's not the end of the world.


Also, maybe if they gotten to France sooner, his body could have adjusted better to the time change and he wouldn't be so tired at the wrong times.

Amazing to read how popular he is there in France ! But, you know, who doesn't love our boy



Another great blog !!
God, I'm gonna miss them after Le Mans !


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More pics from the parade :

[LostInTime]

EVE!!! I hate that he got so upset and felt embarassed
I want to hug him
But look at these pictures.. so glad they were able to take it for what it was worth and enjoy things after all

[Eve_]

I know !
I feel so bad for him...


Here is a video of him coming out of the car last night.
He looks upset, even though you can't really tell with the helmet still on.
But he disappeared rather quickly...
And he got a few pats on the shoulder


----------------------------

Pictures from fans :

[LostInTime]

Aww thanks Eve
Hey Look at Paddy, he is taking videos of others for a change lol

I adore this guy more and more

I am sending all my positive vibes out to France tomorrow!