Patrick Dempsey - Patrick and Racing #5: We want to see Patrick win his first race this season!

Immunity · 12-07-2010, 01:29 PM

• • • Patrick Dempsey and Racing • • •

Appreciation Thread !

By ?

• • • Info • • •

Patrick Dempsey enjoys auto racing in his spare time, having driven the pace car in the Indianapolis 500,
and raced in the Rolex 24 at Daytona sports car race and the Baja 1000 off-road race.
He is currently the co-owner of IndyCar Series team Vision Racing and the Grand-Am team Hyper Sport/Dempsey Racing.
In 2008, he competed in 5 of 12 races in the Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2009, he raced a Team Seattle Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT
in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans's GT2 class. They finished 9th in class and 30th overall.

• • • Videos • • •

Panoz Racing Montage | Patrick Dempsey Highlights | PD GMA Interview Indy500

PD at the press conference of Indy500 2007 | PD on FOX News | PD on the Indy500 parade.

PD takes ED for a Indy 500 Pace Lap | Indy 500 Celebs: Patrick Dempsey | PD, ED take in the Indy 500 experience

PD interviews at Rolex 24 Hours in Daytona ('08) | PD interviews from Watkins Glenn and Daytona ('08) | PD at the Barber KONI race ('08)

PD at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal ('08) | PD at New Jersey Motorsports Park ('08) | PD at the Rolex 24 Hours in Daytona ('09) - Part 1

PD at the Rolex 24 Hours in Daytona ('09) - Part 2 | PD Rolex 24 in Daytona interview | PD at New Jersey Motosports Park ('09)

PD at Laguna Seca ('09) | PD at Watkins Glen | PD - "In your own words"

PD on Grand-Am weekly (radio interview) | PD at Daytona - July 4th '09

Le Mans Videos

Test Days - PD and Don Kitch Jr. | Test Days - PD & Don Kitch Jr. - P2 | PD Le Mans interview - P1

PD Le Mans interview - P2 | PD Le Mans Flash | PD pre qualifications interview | PD at Le Mans - Practice Session

PD at Le Mans - Qualifying Session | PD at the Le Mans Parade | PD Backstage at Le Mans | PD Le Mans Autograph Session

Interview right before the race | PD interview right before his last stint

Patrick Dempsey and Racing - From the GA S3 DVD

Patrick Dempsey Racing 1 | Patrick Dempsey Racing 2

- Recent PD racing interview (article)-

By hockeyish

• • • Previous Threads • • •

http://www.fanforum.com/f242/patrick...indy-62801923/
Patrick and Racing thread #2 : Because He's driving us wild

by Blog de dempsey-addict - Skyrock.com

• • • Fans of Patrick and his Racing • • •

oo1: Eve_
oo2: LostInTime
oo3: bluewhiteheart
oo4: PatrickDempseyRocks
oo5: Eternal Flame
oo6: lenaMD
oo7: *DaretoDream*
oo8: mcdreamy_fangirl

By ?

• • • Dempsey Racing • • •

Dempsey Racing official site : Team Hyper Sport/Dempsey Racing

- About -

Formed in 2002, Hyper Sport LLC is a professional sports car racing team competing at the top levels of American endurance sports car racing.
Having just completed its most successful season yet, Hyper Sport garnered 2nd Place Team and Driver’s Championship honors with its Ford Mustang FR500-C program.
Beginning in the American Le Mans Series in a factory-backed Panoz GTLM, Hyper Sport has advanced into Grand Am sanctioned road racing and has competed both in the Rolex and Koni Challenge Series in BMW, Infiniti, Ford and Mazda products.

Since late 2005, A-list movie and television actor Patrick Dempsey has been a co-owner and driver for Hyper Sport in both its Koni Challenge and Rolex Series activities.
Bringing a new level of media value and competitive spirit to the team, Patrick has proven himself on track as well as ensured that Hyper Sport and its partners receive a huge return on branding investments. In 2009 the team changed it's name to Dempsey Racing, but still operates it's customer program under the Hyper Sport brand. The two organizations will operate as one, but will go racing as Dempsey Racing.

The Hyper Sport/Dempsey Racing team currently resides in a 10,000 square foot shop facility in Atlanta, Georgia. This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with all the engineering, fabrication and materials to build and maintain multiple road race cars. In addition to its technical capabilities, Hyper Sport can administered successful marketing partnerships during the last two years with high profile companies such as Mazda, Ford, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Patrick Dempsey's Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, Ironclad, Piloti and Specialized Bicycle.

...

Dempsey returns for his second season in Rolex Series GT class competition in 2009 with teammate and driver coach Joe Foster.

2011 Rolex Series Schedule

Immunity · 12-07-2010, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Hey Lena, don't you wanna be added to the list of fans of Patrick's racing

of course I will

I don't follow all of his races but I'm a fan

Quote:

Thanks Eve. I already have tickets to Road America. Which is June 25 & 26. I just wanted something else to look forward to. I do not like the series much, but its a bi-product since we have season pass to the track. I only watch the 24 Hr from Daytona race every year.]

Hello

lucky you hope for you PD will be there

Eve_ · 12-07-2010, 02:06 PM

TFTNT L

I added you

...Although you could have added yourself

Immunity · 12-07-2010, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eve_ (View Post)

TFTNT L

I added you

...Although you could have added yourself

You're welcome

I know but I wanted to give you something to do

Eve_ · 12-07-2010, 04:02 PM

Oh

Well I had fun adding you

Immunity · 12-08-2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eve_ (View Post)

Oh

Well I had fun adding you

Glad you had some fun

Eve_ · 01-07-2011, 06:01 PM

So it's the Roar before the 24 this weekend and PD is scheduled to be there tomorrow

Hopefully we'll get some pictures!

This is what the car looks like

Eve_ · 01-08-2011, 01:08 PM

Pictures!

+ Video

Full Press conference

WFTV Video

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Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GTs Turn in Solid First Day of 2011 Practice at Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona

Quote:

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 7, 2010) – The No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT, with Joe Foster at the wheel, turned a top-10 time in opening practice Friday at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona test where James Gué, Dane Cameron and Dave Lacey also put the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving & Salvage/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT through its paces.

“I think both Dempsey Racing Mazdas had a good day and we came here with a long list of stuff to try,” Foster said. “We found a few things that worked but we also eliminated a bunch of bad ideas. I think, if you look at the overall pace compared with the other Mazdas, we’re doing well. Obviously the rules package has changed over the winter and it’s clear that the Mazdas are kind of in a class of their own at the moment. Nowhere near the front and all we can do is get the best out of our cars and certainly the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Dempsey Racing Mazda did a great job.”

Foster’s morning lap of 1:52.688 (113.730 mph) was the ninth fastest of the session and the quickest of the eight Mazda RX-8 GTs in action at the test. The No. 40 is a brand new chassis that the team is running at Daytona for the first time.

“It’s a new car that we shook down at Homestead just last December,” Foster said. “The guys have worked brutally hard hours in the last month to get this car here. It’s here, and it ran reliably all day and it’s very, very tight. It’s very, very well put together and it’s certainly a big change for us to have a car that feels new. Certainly the old No. 40 is doing a great job on the show-car circuit as we speak, but the new car ran great.”

Foster’s co-lead driver and motorsports business partner Patrick Dempsey will arrive in Daytona in time to take part in the final two test days Saturday and Sunday. The teammates joined Charles Espenlaub, who was also among the drivers testing No. 40 on Friday, and Scott Maxwell in finishing a Dempsey Racing team-best sixth-place in last year’s Rolex 24.

Gué, Cameron and Lacey will co-drive the No. 41 in the Rolex 24 with Ian James and Don Kitch Jr. The entry turned a top lap time of 1:53.390 (113.026 mph) before encountering a minor gearbox issue in the afternoon session.

“I think overall today was a good day,” Gué said. “You always hope to accomplish a bit more, but we had a pretty long list of stuff we were trying to get through. We had a few hiccups throughout the day and ended that last session a little short. We thought we had a little gearbox issue and we are still trying to sort that out. Overall I’m happy, we’re kind of in learning mode right now with the new tires and we made quite a few changes in the off-season, but so far, so good. I’m happy.”

Cameron completed his first official test day with his season-long teammate Gué and the Dempsey team.

“More than anything, it’s the first time back in a GT car for me in over a year now, basically, so I’m just kind of getting back in the swing of the GT car,” Cameron said. “It’s also my first chance to work with the whole team, getting James and I a chance to work together, and with Scott Besst our engineer, so it was good just to get a feel for how I fit in with everybody. James and I are turning out to be quite similar so I think that’s promising for the rest of the year. We weren’t able, unfortunately, to get Ian in the car today but we got Dave in the car and got him some time. It was just nice to kind of get the wheels in motion. For me, more than Daytona, it’s about how James and I and everyone else are going to work together for the remainder of the year. It was nice to get things rolling.”

Both the No. 40 and No. 41 will be in action Saturday and Sunday for the final two days of the test. Several announcements centered around Dempsey Racing and the No. 40’s sponsorship and final Rolex 24 driver lineup will be made in a press conference Saturday at 12:10 p.m. in Daytona’s infield media center.

*DaretoDream* · 01-08-2011, 10:32 PM

Lena TFTNT

Love the op

Love the new pictures.
Can I be added please

Eve_ · 01-09-2011, 02:26 PM

Sure, added you!

Great to have another PD&Racing supporter! We need more of them

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When Dempsey walks into garage, they see driver now

Quote:

DAYTONA BEACH -- After all this time, finally a new way to disappoint women.

Ever enter a room and have the heads turn, then watch the faces sag when it's obvious you're not the person everyone was waiting to see? If not, enter a room where a Hollywood heartthrob is expected to arrive at any minute.

It's funny how well-dressed, perfectly combed women will appear out of nowhere when Patrick Dempsey is scheduled to headline a press conference at Daytona's infield media center. Cameras in their hands, nervous energy in their tapping feet, anticipation in their eyes. Imagine the deflation each time the door opened and, um, someone else stepped in.

Eventually, Dempsey arrived Saturday, everyone was happy, and within minutes, he sounded like just another race-car driver -- and that, obviously, is fine with him.

Along with learning the ins and outs of competitive auto racing over the past six years, he's also learned how to seamlessly transition into the hyping of a team sponsor.

In this instance, it's "Visit Florida," described as the "official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida." The colors and logo will adorn the Mazda RX-8 that Dempsey's race team (that would be "Dempsey Racing," by the way) will field for the Rolex 24 here in three weeks.

With the possible exception of NASCAR's Champion in Perpetuity -- the moonlighting Jimmie Johnson -- no one turns more heads in the Grand Am garage than the "Grey's Anatomy" star. But by and large, Dempsey has more and more become just another guy with a golf cart and fireproof jumpsuit.

"At first you're just excited to be here, but now you really want to be up there and have the results," said Dempsey, who has five starts at Daytona in the past three years (three in the Rolex 24, two in the Brumos Porsche 250). "It's really up to me to conduct myself professionally and hopefully concentrate on reachable goals and be consistent with that, and the rest will follow."

Dempsey is the latest in a short line of Hollywood types who treated auto racing as something more than a hobby or a place to dump expendable income -- Jim Garner, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were the most serious racing actors. People in the sportscar community now look at Dempsey as a resident, not a visitor.

"I hope they do; that means a lot to me," he said Saturday during Day 2 of the three-day Grand Am test session. "I really want to bring something positive to this sport."

In any endeavor that involves ticket sales, additional attention qualifies as something positive. Those serving in the Dempsey Racing orbit are quite aware why so many fans -- yes, including all those women -- gather near the team's garage stall, pit box and hauler.

"It's a good position; you can't complain," said Charles Espenlaub, one of Dempsey's co-drivers for the Rolex along with Joe Foster and Tom Long.

Espenlaub's personal highlight came a few years ago at Daytona, when he was filling in for Dempsey during a practice session while Dempsey was busy with the birth of his twins. The car carried Dempsey's number, and the name above the door said Patrick Dempsey.

"I come pulling into the garage," recalls Espenlaub. "I get out and there's this sea of people standing there. I've got my helmet on and they're taking pictures. You hear click-click-click-click. Then I take off my helmet and you hear click-click . . . . nothing.

"They say, 'You're not Patrick.' I said, 'No, his twins are being born and he's not here.' And off they went."

But Dempsey is here now. And he'll be here in three weeks, and as much of the season as his "day job" allows.

Eventually, he hopes to hear Dempsey Racing roll off the tongue of motorsports fans and industry insiders.

"I think as a team, we've always talked about how it would be nice to field a team at Indy under Dempsey Racing," he said. "For motorsports in general, I want to build a brand. I want to stay in this series. Would love to go back to Le Mans. Haven't been to Sebring yet -- that's something I want to do.

"We want to build and get the brand to where it's real solid in motorsports."

He appears to have half of the demographic wrapped up. On-track success and continued growth is what generally turns those other heads.

Poor Charles!

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Dempsey geared up for fourth Rolex 24

Quote:

Actor/racer Patrick Dempsey unveiled a bright yellow Visit Florida on his No. 40 Mazda RX-8 and a special Dempsey Racing ticket package on Saturday. Dempsey is looking to make his fourth Rolex 24 start, co-driving with Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub and Tom Long.

In last year's Rolex 24, he finished 13th overall and sixth in the competitive GT class.

"To come back to Daytona is always phenomenal," Dempsey said. "It's the greatest race for us. Hopefully we will have a good run this year. You never know what's going to happen. I love being a part of this series. I love racing with these guys.

"We've got really good energy this year. We're a little more relaxed but yet very focused and very professional."

Daytona International Speedway and Dempsey Racing have partnered on a unique ticket package that will let fans experience the excitement of Rolex 24 At Daytona while benefiting two important causes.

Available for $59 per ticket, the Dempsey Racing package includes:

- Two-day infield/grandstand admission (Saturday, Jan. 29 and Sunday, Jan. 30)

- Group meet and greet with Dempsey Racing drivers on Saturday morning prior to the start of the Rolex 24

- Dempsey Racing hero card

- Rolex 24 event hat

A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold will benefit both the Team Seattle Guild and the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

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Patrick Dempsey Joins Teammates at Rolex 24 At Daytona Test as Team Completes Productive Day On and Off the Race Track

Quote:

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 8, 2010) – Patrick Dempsey joined his teammates at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) Saturday morning for a full schedule of on- and off-track activity, including both day and night practice sessions for the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT and the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving & Salvage/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT.

Dempsey took his first laps in the team’s new No. 40 Mazda RX-8 GT on the newly-repaved Daytona track. He will share the Mazda in the Rolex 24 with lead co-driver Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub and new addition Tom Long, who was named to the team today in a series of press announcements in the DIS media center. Other announcements included VISIT FLORIDA returning as the full-season title sponsor of the No. 40, ModSpace signing as an associate sponsor and a special Rolex 24 ticket offer from DIS that will serve as a fundraiser for both the Team Seattle Guild and the Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

“It’s just great to be back in the car,” Dempsey said. “It’s been such a long time. I’m really, really happy that I got to Miami and had that test last month. To get back here and get used to the new paving is a big thing. It’s very green, but we’re starting to get used to that. More seat time is really the most important thing coming out of this. It was really nice to see how the car has come along. I’m really, really happy with all the work the guys have done. They’ve been working really hard, long hours and they’ve just really done a fantastic job, so I really want to thank those guys.”

Dempsey spent his first stint in the No. 40 resetting his focus on the high-speed demands of sports car racing at Daytona.

“The first session I was thinking about things too much,” Dempsey said. “The second session, I was thinking less and just letting things happen, and that’s what I need to work towards. Just situational awareness is really important and getting familiar with the car again and everything that’s going on there. It just gets better, more relaxing and easier each time we’re out there. We’re going to go and bang out a lot of laps and see what happens.”

The No. 40 Mazda team’s top lap of 1:52.259 (114.165 mph) was turned in Saturday morning’s opening session while the No. 41 Mazda team overcame some minor mechanical issues Friday and today to post Dempsey Racing’s best time of the day during night practice with a lap of 1:52.037 (114.391 mph). Lead No. 41 drivers James Gué and Dane Cameron will be joined by Ian James, Don Kitch Jr. and a returning Dave Lacey for the Rolex 24.

“Things are going great,” Lacey said. “I’m thrilled to be back here with Team Seattle. It’s a group of guys I know well and we ran really well together last year and jelled really well. To be running with guys like Ian James and Dane Cameron and James Gué, they’re all just terrific teammates and all very, very capable guys. Today was a little bit difficult. We had some challenges with the differential, so we’ve taken that apart and put it back together, but that’s the nature of the test, right? You come here to sort those things out and get the bugs out and get ready for the race.”

While this year’s GRAND-AM rules seem to favor cars other than the Mazda RX-8 GT, Dempsey is typically emphasizing the positive.

“Everybody is trying to keep expectations in check, but at this point, we really want to be competitive and we want to do the best we can do,” Dempsey said. “Certainly, with the rules package right now, there’s only so much we can do and that’s fine. Hopefully, they’ll make adjustments after this, but as long as we can be one of the most competitive Mazdas out there, we’d be very happy and we’ll see what else happens. At this point, I just want to get faster. I just need more seat time. Stepping away for the last half of the season last year was not helpful, but I can get back up to speed a little bit faster. Tomorrow, I’ll probably feel a lot better.”

Both the No. 40 and No. 41 will be in action on Sunday for the final day of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona test.

*DaretoDream* · 01-10-2011, 10:17 AM

Thanks for that Eve.

Immunity · 01-10-2011, 04:45 PM

Thanks for posting Eve

will read it later when I have more time

*DaretoDream* · 01-20-2011, 09:12 PM

I still need to read.
Ok Eve cause I always forget and you are so good about keeping up on this stuff will you let me know when he comes to Utah please

Eve_ · 01-21-2011, 09:42 AM

I'm afraid there is no race at Miller this year

Maybe you could go to another race closest to you. I think the closest one is at Leguna Seca, California...

*DaretoDream* · 01-22-2011, 09:59 AM

Why in the worl is there no race at Miller Sports this year

that is so sad

Well thank you for hte info.


Fan Forum > Male Celebrities > Patrick Dempsey > Patrick and Racing #5: We want to see Patrick win his first race this season!