Grey's Anatomy Star Patrick Dempsey Prepares for MX-5 Cup Races
TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. (Aug. 18, 2007) -- Better known for making
hearts race as Dr. Derek Sheperd, a.k.a. McDreamy, on ABC's
Grey's Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey will take part in some more
traditional racing at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières when he competes
in Round Seven of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5
Cup.
A hectic filming schedule has kept Dempsey's race-seat time to a
minimum so far this season, but after wrapping up work on his latest
movie, the actor is ready to return to his favorite hobby in a series
that will quickly bring his skills back up to par.
"I think the competition is unbelievable in MX-5 Cup,"
Dempsey said. "If you can be competitive in this series, you can be
competitive in any series. It really teaches you momentum and working on
your line, plus the cars are a lot of fun to drive."
Dempsey's love of racing is a life-long one. Growing up attending
races like the Indy 500 with his father, it wasn't long before
being a spectator wasn't enough and racing school beckoned. As his
acting career blossomed with the success of Grey's Anatomy, so did
his racing career. Now an Indy Racing League team owner as well as driver
in SCCA and Grand-American races, Dempsey has found that racing and
acting give his life a calming yet productive balance.
"It's in my contract when I renegotiated that I had to be
able to race," smiled Dempsey. "It's important for my
well being and their well being, because I come back to the set humbled
and grateful that I got the opportunity to slip away. I appreciate my day
job more and vice versa when I get to come to the track.
"A lot of the pros I've met through the racing schools, so
they've known me before [Grey's Anatomy]. They're
pretty good natured in tearing me down and keeping me in line with
practical jokes and things like that. I'm glad I got into racing
prior to the success of the show, but certainly the success of the show
helps me with sponsorship. Supercuts® has been really great and I have a
great relationship with Mazda and got to do the voiceovers for all their
commercials."
For Sunday's 45-minute MX-5 Cup race, Dempsey will step behind the
wheel of the No. 29 AutismSpeaks.org/Team MER MX-5. As a parent of three
children, the mission of Autism awareness is easy for Dempsey to identify
with.
"We're seeing more cases of Autism being diagnosed and we
don't know where it's coming from or why it's
happening, especially more in boys. I have two young sons and it's
certainly a concern of mine. I think for anyone who's a parent and
anyone who has to go through this, it's a difficult thing, but
there's a lot of help out there now that wasn't there before.
The big thing is to be aware and watch your newborn, talk to your doctor
and educate yourself about it. That's why it's great to be a
part of Autism Speaks."
"We're really happy that Patrick has agreed to drive the
Autism Speaks car," Team MER representative Marc Miller said.
"Ever since my son was diagnosed it's been a passion of mine.
Thankfully with the support of the team we can provide some exposure to
the organization and what they're doing and having Patrick driving
the car is an added boost to the whole program."
Dempsey will return to MX-5 Cup competition, September 20 -- 22, at
Miller Motorsports Park for the series finale. The Salt Lake City, Utah
road course was the site of Dempsey's MX-5 Cup debut last year.
All the latest news from Round Seven of the MX-5 Cup, including live
timing and lap notes can be found at www.mx-5cup.com. Sunday's race
is scheduled to go green at 9:20 a.m. (EDT). Every MX-5 Cup race will be
broadcast on SPEED, dates and times TBD.
For more information about Autism Speaks visit www.autismspeaks.org
-credit: scca
