Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/18/mazda-skyactiv-d-diesel-to-power-dempsey-racing-lmp2-challenger/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/18/mazda-skyactiv-d-diesel-to-power-dempsey-racing-lmp2-challenger/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/18/mazda-skyactiv-d-diesel-to-power-dempsey-racing-lmp2-challenger/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mazda prototype race car

The Grand AM GX class isn't the only place where Mazda will be running its 2.2-liter turbocharged Skyactiv-D four-cylinder diesel next year: it will power the LMP2 contender fielded by Dempsey Racing, a team co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey. Mazda will also provide the engine to other teams running in the class at Le Mans, in the American Le Mans Series and the World Endurance Championship.

Mazda raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 18 years before winning in 1991, then took its rotary-powered 787B out of the running. Mazda was been providing its four-cylinder MZR engines for the past decade for teams like OAK Racing Pescarolo, but ceased development on those in 2011. The Skyactiv-D will replace the MZR series, and along with the non-running Lola-built LMP2 chassis (pictured) showed off at this year's Le Mans, is meant to mark Mazda's full-bodied return Le Mans after 22 years.

The engines are being developed by Mazda in Japan and the U.S. as well as SpeedSource Engineering in Florida. Track testing should commence later this year, and it's frankly good to see Mazda making such moves in spite of its financial battles. Scroll down for a press release with more details.

Continue reading Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans

Mazda Skyactiv-D diesel to power Dempsey Racing LMP2 challenger at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>24 hours of le mansdempseydempsey racingdieselle manslmp2mazdamazda dieselmazda skyactiv-dpatrick dempseyracing skyactiv-dskyactivskyactiv-dMon, 18 Jun 2012 10:31:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20260169/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/06/18/mazda-skyactiv-d-diesel-to-power-dempsey-racing-lmp2-challenger/20260169/article-detail.xml 20260169 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/06/mazdalolalmp2_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/06/mazdalolalmp2.jpg <![CDATA[Patrick Dempsey makes ALMS debut at Laguna Seca]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/14/patrick-dempsey-makes-alms-debut-at-laguna-seca/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/14/patrick-dempsey-makes-alms-debut-at-laguna-seca/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/14/patrick-dempsey-makes-alms-debut-at-laguna-seca/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dempsey Racing Lola B12/87

Actor Patrick Dempsey is no stranger to racing. After his wife sent him to a three-day Skip Barber driving school, the actor fell in love with road racing has gone on to compete in Grand-Am for the last several years. McDreamy even got the chance to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009, finishing in 9th in the GT2 class behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 GT.

After getting a taste of Le Mans, Dempsey now has aspirations to return to the legendary endurance race, but this time with his own team and his own car. At the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year, Dempsey Racing announced that they would be fielding a car in the P2 class for part of the 2012 ALMS season with the eventual goal of competing at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Dempsey and his team took the first steps towards their Le Mans goal this past weekend by debuting their new V8-powered Lola B12/87 race car in the P2 class at the six-hour ALMS race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This was Dempsey's first time driving a modern prototype race car, and he admitted there would be a steep learning curve.

"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," Dempsey said after a practice session with the car. "It's an amazing machine and it is incredible to even have the opportunity to race in a car like this at this level, and what better track to start with than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca."

Dempsey and his team eventually finished 30th overall and fourth in class - not bad for a brand new team with a rookie driver. They plan to compete in several more races this year and will be running the full ALMS season in 2013.

You can see photos of the Dempsey Racing Lola B12/87 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the gallery above.

Patrick Dempsey makes ALMS debut at Laguna Seca originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>almsamerican le mans seriesdempsey racinglaguna secamazda raceway laguna secapatrick dempseyMon, 14 May 2012 19:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20237174/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/14/patrick-dempsey-makes-alms-debut-at-laguna-seca/20237174/article-detail.xml 20237174 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/dempsey-racing-lola-b1287_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/dempsey-racing-lola-b1287.jpg <![CDATA[Patrick Dempsey rescues teen from flipped car outside Malibu home]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/patrick-dempsey-rescues-teen-from-flipped-car-outside-malibu-hom/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/patrick-dempsey-rescues-teen-from-flipped-car-outside-malibu-hom/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/30/patrick-dempsey-rescues-teen-from-flipped-car-outside-malibu-hom/#commentsFiled under: ,

Patrick Dempsey

"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on television." So went the script for countless television commercials of yore, featuring the stars of medical dramas capitalizing on their on-air personae to shill for pills, HMOs and what-have-you. But one television doctor didn't hesitate to jump into action when duty called - medical training be damned.

That actor is one Patrick Dempsey, who most might recognize for his role as Dr. McDreamy on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. He's also a consummate race car driver - arguably today's Steve McQueen or Paul Newman - competing in such events as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Baja 1000 rally raid. These seemingly disparate aspects of Dempsey's life, however, converged when a kid flipped his Mustang in front of the actor's house in Malibu last week.

Having rolled the Ford three times, 17-year-old Weston Massett was trapped inside the wreckage when McDreamy came to the rescue, crowbar in hand, to get the kid out of the car, nursing him until the airlift arrived and following him to the hospital. Massett is expected to make a full recovery from the concussion and stretched optic nerve that were his only injuries to speak of. Scroll down for the television report.

Continue reading Patrick Dempsey rescues teen from flipped car outside Malibu home

Patrick Dempsey rescues teen from flipped car outside Malibu home originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Actor Patrick Dempsey is no stranger to racetracks, nor to the pages of Autoblog. We've run into the Gray's Anatomy star at various races and automotive events over the past few years, most recently piloting a '90s Mazda RX-792 LeMans racer in the Historics at Laguna Seca. We've even seen him run at Long Beach, although that was in their annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity race that usually features as many crashes and spins as a roller-derby match.

This year, Dempsey is set to return to the streets of Long Beach, but not in a Scion tC, nor even his usual ride, the Mazda RX-8 he runs in the Rolex Grand-Am GT series. No, Patrick will instead be driving the wheels off a 2010 Mazda3 prepared by Tri-Point Motorsports for the World Challenge race during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. So what was it like going from a push-me to a pull-me? Dempsey says he was impressed with the Mazda3, the first front-driver he's ever raced, though not surprised, as his daily driver is a Mazdaspeed3.

We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him when we head to Long Beach in a couple of weeks to cover the racing activities, which will include IndyCar, World Challenge and ALMS action. There's a longer press release from Mazda after the jump, with more details about the weekend of racing from Long Beach.

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading Patrick Dempsey to race at Long Beach... but not in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race

Patrick Dempsey to race at Long Beach... but not in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Throughout the history of motorsports several Hollywood actors have had aspirations to be professional racecar drivers. Steve McQueen and the late Paul Newman come to mind, both of whom were very successful, and some modern era actors have also had a go at it too like Jason Priestley, Eric Bana and the annoyingly ignorant Franky Muniz. Adding to that list is Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey, who has competed in the Daytona 24 Hour Race and the Baja 1000 and has been competing in Grand Am's GT class since 2007. This June he'll be stepping up his game even further when he takes on the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Team Seattle and last year's Grand-Am Koni Challenge champion, Joe Foster. Dempsey will be driving a Ferrari F430 GT prepared by Advanced Engineering who has previously won the GT2 category in the FIA GT, although he'll have his hands full taking on the likes of factory-supported teams from Porsche, BMW, Panoz, and Ferrari. We wish him the best of luck!

[Source: ColdTrackDays]

Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey to race Ferrari at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>24 Hours of Le Mans24HoursOfLeMansFerrari F430 GTFerrariF430GtGrand AmGrand-AmGrandAmLe MansLeMansPatrick DempseyPatrickDempseyTeam SeattleTeamSeattleWed, 25 Feb 2009 08:27:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1467429/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/02/25/grays-anatomy-star-patrick-dempsey-to-race-ferrari-at-le-mans/1467429/article-detail.xml 1467429 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/dempseylemans3_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/dempseylemans3.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: Taking McDreamy up the hill at Goodwood]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/14/video-taking-mcdreamy-up-the-hill-at-goodwood/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/14/video-taking-mcdreamy-up-the-hill-at-goodwood/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/14/video-taking-mcdreamy-up-the-hill-at-goodwood/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



Last year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed we spied our first Lotus 2-Eleven hypercar in the flesh. Turned out the owner was our friend, Patrick O'Neill, who had graciously agreed to be the lone Lotus representative in the supercar category. Apparently when Patrick lined up in the paddock to take his shot at the hill on day 2, a familiar face appeared at his side. While he wasn't sure exactly who it was, he knew he knew that mug from somewhere. Turned out it was another American named Patrick - Patrick Dempsey. That's right, McDreamy himself. While O'Neill chatted with Dempsey he learned that the actor was quite a Lotus fan as well as a promising racer. Dempsey asked if he could go along for the ride and O'Neill obliged. It took a little while, but O'Neill just sent us a video clip of their encounter.

What you'll see in this video clip is just a snippet of the hour or so that the two Patricks spent together on that morning in West Sussex. As O'Neill describes it, "This was a cool experience...I was very lucky to be able to drive my Lotus 2-Eleven in the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year. Patrick Dempsey. AKA Dr. McDreamy, is a Lotus fan and asked for a ride. I got to spend over an hour with him and he is a great guy and a real racer." Watch the clip closely and you'll notice the Pininfarina P4/5 custom Enzo of James Glickenhaus ahead of them and an Aston Martin behind being driven by former F1 champion Damon Hill behind. Enjoy. Thanks for sharing, Patrick!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Taking McDreamy up the hill at Goodwood

VIDEO: Taking McDreamy up the hill at Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ladies swoon over Patrick Dempsey on Grey's Anatomy so much that he's garnered the nickname McDreamy on the show. McDreamy himself, however, dreams about ponies - a particular pony, in fact, in the form of a Ford Mustang FR500C built for the Grand Am Road Racing KONI Series. Dempsey recently competed in the Grand Sport (GS) class with co-drivers Joe Foster and Rick Skelton. The season ended on Oct. 7th at Virginia International Raceway, and Dempsey's best finish ended up being sixth place at Miami back in April. He says he strives to get faster, so hopefully we will see more of the good doctor behind the wheel of a Mustang.

Dempsey credits his passion for racing to the days of watching major motorsports events like the Indianapolis 500, Dayton 500 and Monte Carlo Grand Prix with his father. Surprisingly, he got his start in racing through the Skip Barber and Panoz driving schools, though no doubt his money and fame helped land him in the driver's seat of an actual race car. He attributes his draw towards the Ford Mustang to the aura generated by the works of Carroll Shelby and the Mustang's deep history. This pin-up doctor is apparently much deeper than we thought.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading McDreamy can only be tamed by a wild Mustang

McDreamy can only be tamed by a wild Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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