[Eve_]

Blog is up !

Patrick Dempsey Saturday Le Mans Blog Dempsey gives an update on Friday's activities in what's been a whirlwind week for the multifaceted actor and racer. I love a parade After our frustrating Thursday we had an off day on Friday. There was no racing at all, instead the day was spent in the routine of PR and sponsor meetings, talking to film crews, with the annual driver’s parade being the last official activity of the Friday. This whole week is amazing, but also long! The event started on Monday, and it’s now Friday. The race finally starts at 3 p.m. Saturday. This blog is going to be a little brief than my previous entries, as I need to start getting myself mentally prepared for the event. Once the race starts, I will do my best to do quick updates, but my focus will be on doing the best job I can in the race car, not at the keyboard. The parade was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It took place in the old part of Le Mans, and it was some 4 km long. All the drivers got to ride in old classic cars provided by local owner. It had a huge street party feel to it, especially with the huge crowd. The organizers predicted a terrible traffic jam to get there, and told me to go three hours early. We had a guide who took a very indirect, but very fast route to the marshaling area. There was little to no traffic, and we were all sort of wondering what the whole fuss was about. We sat quietly to the side in the Mazda6 until we needed to use the bathroom. The marshaling yard was right next to the cathedral and there was a door in the wall that opened to the caretaker's house. Joe asked the family if we could all use their bathroom, and the welcomed us to not only their house, but the side yard of the cathedral. It was a huge, beatiful grassy area when Joe, Don, and myself got to relax and enjoy. While the crowd built, we were getting the best relaxation of the week. The caretaker's 3-year-old son was out playing, and I got to practice my football skills with him. There was a great family feel to the yard. It was a calm oasis in the city and I know how lucky I was to stumble into this setting. I’m consistently amazed at how welcoming and gracious the people of Le Mans, the ACO, and entire country of France have been to me. Merci! When the doors opened up, and Joe, Don and I walked through the door out of our hidden sanctuary, and were greeted by a huge huge huge crowd. A stunning crowd. The sheer volume of people was stunning. The organizers gave a crowd count of 200,000 people! We climbed into Chi tty Chi tty Bang Bang and headed into the mob. It was just an amazing experience. First, I was presented a large trophy, and during the entire parade there were so many people smiling, cheering, and just making Joe, Don and I feel so welcome. We had a great security team take good care of us, and I even enjoyed the boos from a happy group of German Audi fans. It was absolutely overwhelming at times, but it will go down in history as an amazing and special day. After an unplanned and impromptu police escort away, it was dinner with the guys at the home base, and early into bed. Tomorrow we are up early, it’s race day! ~Patrick

I'm glad he was able to relax a little yesterday and enjoy the parade



I'm watching the race right now. So far so good. Joe is driving and they're in 15th position in their class (out of 17 cars)

There was a little incident in the warm-up this morning.
Paddy was at a turn and didn't see an Audi coming and the Audi tapped him on the back. The Audi spun around and so did Paddy.
But there was nothing wrong with the car. The Audi had to go back to the garage though...

[LostInTime]

Thanks for the update Eve, that is great that he got to relax , Oh how I would love to be that family lol

Hope he was able to shake off that incident in practice and just enjoy the ride Glad he was still blogging.... I am really going to miss the daily blogs from him lol

[Eve_]

A few videos :

Paddy takes us behind the scenes

PD on TF1 News

Interview before the race



+ New pics here, here and here

(Too tired to post them )

[LostInTime]

Hi Eve thanks so much but the first link doesn't seem to work, when you get a chance can you put it up again, please,
thanks



OK heading to bed just wanted to pop in and say
YEAH!!!! Patrick, Joe and Don have moved up to 10th place in their class at Midnight EST!
They are doing so awesome! I think they started at 17
I saw Paddy interviewed before he raced tonight and then after , He was talking a mile a minute after he got out of the car lol
So excited, he reminded me of my nephew the first time he won the game ball in Little League! His eyes lit up

Also he says hi to the kids and Jill every time and the first time he looked into the camera and told them hi and he missed them and loved them

This is why he is McDreamy to me lol
OK night all

[Bella Cullen]

Thanks for all the new info!!

Good placing for them so far!

[LostInTime]

I just watched speed channel from last night , I couldn't stay up lol I had to go to bed and DVR it on speed Patrick was so filled with emotion, tears in his eyes, and his voice choking and soooooooooooo tired looking but my gosh I wanted to cry with him I was so happy for them and Don said he got sick at night and Joe and Paddy had to do most of the driving.
Wow three rookies not only did they finish they finished in the top 10 in class

They have got to be on such a high
So happy for them
I hope YT has some of the other interviews up soon
TTYL

[Eve_]

Okay, the race ? ... was AWESOME !!!!!

I was sooo freakin' excited, I posted this on the GA board
(I'm just gonna post this because I don't wanna type all over again how I felt And I still feel this way hours later)

OMG guys, I am sooooooooooooo excited, I can't type ! Zoom Zoom Paddy and Speedy Joe (and Don) are doing AMAZING at Le Mans !! (Yeah, we gave them nicknames ) 9th place !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am dying !!!!!!!!!! I've been watching all night I haven't slept. ME and some people on Twitter were talking about the race all night The most exciting night of my life !!! Paddy looks like HELL ! SO TIRED !! He hasn't slept !!!! I'll come back later when I'm calmed down !!

And then also :

OMG ! ..yeah I still haven't calmed down !! So they finished 9th ! Which is beyond AMAZING Joe and Paddy did most of the driving today and they did great ! I love my Speedy Joe and Zoom Zoom Paddy Before his last stint (which was about 45mins before the end) SpeedTv interviewed him. They said things about finishing in the top 10 and all.... And Paddy began crying !! (more like tears in his eyes, but that's crying to me ) OMG it was so great to see. He was so overwhelmed and happy and all of those things. And I was totally crying with him I am soooo proud of Team Seattle !! Of course they did many other interviews during the race, which hopefully will be posted on YT soon ! I'll be back later to post some stuff... I still need to calm down It was so amazing ! Totally worth staying up for the entire night !

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


The interview where Paddy gets emotional
(Very loud! Turn down your volume!)

Fan videos from the parade : 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Patrick Dempsey - Automoto



+ Pics from yesterday and last night




















































+ HQ Pics from the Le Mans Photoshoot HERE
(You have to register to able to see them)

[PatrickDempseyRocks]

Okay, the race ? ... was AWESOME !!!!!

It was
I can't calm down

[Eve_]

[LostInTime]

Thanks Eve so much for the videos and pics
I wish I knew you guys were on twitter I would have followed with you, maybe you would have helped keep me awake
I tried so hard to stay up but I couldn't make it

If you get a chance can you re post that one link for the video where PD takes us behind the scenes of LeMans it was in your post yesterday that link kept saying there was an error

Thanks again and I am still as stoked as you are for Patrick , Joe and Don

I didn't realize Joe had been doing this for 25 years, I think Patrick was as happy for him as for himself when he was saying that at the beginning of the race

On to MidOhio next week then Daytona....
Woo hoo

[Eve_]

Great article

Demsey Race Team #9 at Le Mans with El Grado Dempsey, Foster and Kitch Persevere For Ninth Place Finish in 24 Hours of Le Mans Debut with Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle LE MANS, France (June 14, 2009) – Teammates Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster carried the No. 81 Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Ferrari F430 GT they shared with Don Kitch Jr. to a solid ninth-place GT class finish in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans where all three drivers were making their debuts in the classic endurance race. Dempsey, who was at the wheel for more than nine hours in one of the best performances of his career, drove the No. 81 Ferrari across the finish line and received an ovation from the enthusiastic French crowd second only to overall winners and national favorites Peugeot. “The last hour I was just focused on not making a mistake,” said Dempsey who moved the Ferrari into ninth place in the highly competitive GT class a little over two hours from the finish. “You felt like that through the entire night, anyway, but even more so at the end. Around the last 10 minutes you could see the pace of everybody slowing down and the celebration started. Then it was just such a relief.” Dempsey has been racing with, and more recently, motorsports business partners with Foster for six years. At Le Mans this weekend the duo combined for one of their most impressive and certainly longest races after Kitch fell ill with a severe head and chest cold earlier this week. After a pair of opening stints early in the race, Kitch’s only other shift came on Sunday morning. Dempsey and Foster combined to drive for more than 20 hours. “This is like a win,” Dempsey said. “To be here and be in the top 10, it’s like a win to me. I have never driven so much in my entire life. I battled to stay focused. We knew that Don was sick in the last 12 to 15 hours and we had to double up. It was just unbelievable and this is Joe’s life-long dream.” Foster did reach a goal he set as young child. He drove well over 10 hours at Le Mans and was consistently the team’s fastest driver. “I feel like we climbed a big mountain just to be here,” Foster said. “There are so many friends and family members from when I was a little kid in go karts to now who helped me do this. This was an amazing experience and it exceeded all of our expectations. This was my dream and I am just so grateful to have shared this with Patrick. We had a plan that we followed regardless of what anybody else said or did and that was what worked.” All three drivers frequently talked about how much of a learning experience Le Mans was and Dempsey, for one, is walking away with quite a bit of knowledge. “I will take away so much from this race that I will now apply to every other race that I am in,” Dempsey said. “It comes to pacing and just being smart when it comes to endurance racing. You have to find a pace and not get caught up in other people’s races.” While Kitch’s time behind the wheel was limited due to his unforeseen illness, the 24 Hours of Le Mans still represented a victory for his Team Seattle/Racing for Children program. More than a quarter million dollars was raised from donations and lap pledges up to and during the race. “I felt terrible the last few days but deep down I am so happy for what we were able to accomplish for the children,” said Kitch, who is planning to retire from racing at the end of this season. “This program has been a big part of our lives and I am happy we were able to bring it to Le Mans.” The No. 81 Ferrari ran consistently and competitively the entire race and was prepared by AF Corse, the top European sports car team. The Italian-based organization was as professional as any team the drivers have ever raced with and the Ferrari only had minor issues that could be described as typical in endurance racing. The No. 81 Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Ferrari was one of 17 entries in the GT2 class. Support for the effort came from El Grado Spirits, LLC, SeeLiveSurgery.tv, @SportsTV and Racing for Children in support of the Seattle Children’s Hospital and French partner hospital Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. Next up for Dempsey Racing is next Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Dempsey and Foster will race the No. 40 El Grado/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT class.

"Dempsey drove the No. 81 Ferrari across the finish line and received an ovation from the enthusiastic French crowd"
- Wow ! Just wow ! A standing ovation at Le Mans ! I can't imagine what that must have done to him. He was already tearing up when he still had to do his last stint in the car !
God, how I wish I could've been there to see it !

"To be here and be in the top 10, it’s like a win to me."
- That's what it felt like to me too !! They were amazing !

"This was my dream and I am just so grateful to have shared this with Patrick."
- *wipes away a tear* I love Joe ! I'm sooo happy for the both of them


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

If you get a chance can you re post that one link for the video where PD takes us behind the scenes of LeMans it was in your post yesterday that link kept saying there was an error

I hope this works : YouTube - Patrick backstage at Le Mans

On to MidOhio next week then Daytona.... Woo hoo

Woohoo


I would have loved it if you tweeted with us !
Maybe this weekend during the race !



Almost time for a new thread !
We gotta have a Le Mans title !!!
....I'm thinking of some...

[LostInTime]

Originally Posted by Eve_ (View Post) Great article "Dempsey drove the No. 81 Ferrari across the finish line and received an ovation from the enthusiastic French crowd" - Wow ! Just wow ! A standing ovation at Le Mans ! I can't imagine what that must have done to him. He was already tearing up when he still had to do his last stint in the car ! God, how I wish I could've been there to see it ! "To be here and be in the top 10, it’s like a win to me." - That's what it felt like to me too !! They were amazing ! "This was my dream and I am just so grateful to have shared this with Patrick." - *wipes away a tear* I love Joe ! I'm sooo happy for the both of them ------------------------ I hope this works : YouTube - Patrick backstage at Le Mans Woohoo I would have loved it if you tweeted with us ! Maybe this weekend during the race ! Almost time for a new thread ! We gotta have a Le Mans title !!! ....I'm thinking of some...

Yes it worked this time thank you somuch for re posting that link Eve!

I would love to follow you guys if I can this weekend, I have to check my schedule
My twitter acct is nightengaleo

OMG Ok what can the title be

I am trying to think of some of the things he said in the interviews, I swear I was tearing up with him this morning when he was talking about the experience and coming in the top 10....
He was so terrific in racing I hadn't realized til this morning that Don was so sick and out most of the race
Wow Paddy and Joe really did a lot of racing
They must be so proud but I wanted someone to hold him up in that last speed channel interview he looked like he was fighting to stay awake and on his feet

Do you have any idea how long the race is on Saturday?

[Eve_]

I swear I was tearing up with him this morning when he was talking about the experience and coming in the top 10.... He was so terrific in racing I hadn't realized til this morning that Don was so sick and out most of the race Wow Paddy and Joe really did a lot of racing They must be so proud but I wanted someone to hold him up in that last speed channel interview he looked like he was fighting to stay awake and on his feet.

You and me both !
God I was really tearing up when I saw him. He was barely holding it together. I wanted to give him a hug so badly

Yep, Joe and Paddy did like half of the race by themselves.
By the 12th hour, Don became really sick.
So Joe and Paddy were doing double stints the whole time.
And Paddy hadn't even slept, at all ! Joe slept for about an hour and a half...

These 2 were simply amazing this weekend !!
They practically ran the race by themselves !
No, that's not fair, Don did drive for about 6 hours

Do you have any idea how long the race is on Saturday?

About 2 hours and 45 mins. or 250 miles. Which ever comes first.
You can watch it at 5PM on SpeedTv !

[LostInTime]

Here is a Link to Team Seattle's facebook photo page there is one of Patrick
look at the little blurb about the picture

I wish I knew how to post a picture here but I don't so you have to follow the link to see the pic but then you can see a bunch of photos there from leMans
Team Seattle's Photos - Le Mans Race (Ongoing Photographs) | Facebook

Here is the blurb though

Patrick, wide eyed after his first leg of Le Mans. After this shot he and Joe embraced each other and it was a very emotional shot for them both.

[Eve_]

Woohoo Finally some new pics !


Paddy after the race




He looks so happy Love the


With Joe




Aww !