Patrick Dempsey, the good doctor from Grey’s Anatomy, who’s a pro racing driver – and also a life saver in real life, will take part in his first American Le Mans Series race this weekend at Laguna Seca. Patrick will be driving a LMP2 prototype race car, which is a big leap from the cars he’s used to. But, there’s a first time for everything.
Patrick races a modified Mazda RX-8 with his own team, Dempsey Racing, in Grand-Am GT championship and he’s also part of Aston Martin’s GT4 team. But he’s never driven in a Le Mans race, and he’s never driven a LMP2 car before.
“It feels familiar but so much more intense, the braking, the acceleration, cornering and power, it is all on a much more dynamic level than the GT cars I have driven,” says Dempsey.
Still, Patrick seems to be doing pretty well in everything he drives, considering we’re talking about a man whose motorsport career began with a three-day Skip Barber Racing School course his wife bought him as a gift. For Patrick driving is more than just a hobby though. There has been rumors before that he might quit Grey’s Anatomy to focus on racing. Good man.
