ALMS – Patrick Dempsey arrives in LMP2

He recently expressed his desire to be present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013 with his own team. And to best prepare for this deadline, what could be better than the race itself, and even more so when it is long and takes place partly at night, as will be the case this weekend at Laguna Seca . The third round of the American Le Mans Series will indeed offer the public present the opportunity to witness the ALMS debut of Patrick Dempsey, aka Dr Mamour, star of the series Grey's Anatomy. For this, the team acquired a Lola-Judd LMP2. At the wheel, Dempsey will be supported by his compatriot and team principal Joe Foster, and by the young and fast Briton Jonny Cocker. Before participating in this event, the team carried out a shakedown then initial tests at Miller Motorsports Park not far from Salt Lake City.

“It is an impressive experience in many ways, admits Patrick Dempsey about his first experience behind the wheel of a prototype. It seems familiar and at the same time so much more intense. The brakes, the acceleration, the cornering speed and the power, everything is a step above any GT I have driven. It’s an impressive machine and it’s truly incredible to have the opportunity to race in such a car at this level. And what better route to start than Laguna Seca. This race will be a continuation of our learning and testing process. But this time, it will be in front of a large audience.”

Dempsey and Joe Foster therefore executed the planned plan well, having announced last March that they wanted to compete part of the ALMS season in LMP2 before registering for the year in 2013, with the addition of a participation in the 24 Hours of Mans. “There have been a lot of adventures in recent months to put the program in place, underlines Joe Foster for his part. Patrick and I are very excited. We have known for a long time, especially after having had an exceptional moment at the 24 2009 Hours of Le Mans, that Patrick wanted to return there with his own team and his own car. So we have been trying to put this program together for several years. And that’s it, it can finally begin”.

This is enough to attract even more fans to the rounds of the American Le Mans Series. As a reminder, Dempsey Racing is already fielding an Oreca 09 FLM in LMPC for the Ende-Lewis-Richard trio.