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Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey has revealed that he coveted a drive in the Bathurst 1000.
While known for his acting credits, including a leading role in hit drama Grey’s Anatomy, Dempsey is also an avid motorsport fan and competed regularly.
The American has driven in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship, his highlights including a class victory at Fuji in 2015.
While those exploits have taken him to famous circuits such as Le Mans and Daytona, Dempsey is yet to make an appearance at Mount Panorama.
That is something the 57-year-old regrets, as he stated in an interview which aired on Network 10’s Studio 10 programme, when invited to the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix by entertainment reporter Angela Bishop.
“I’ve never been over there; I’d love to do that,” Dempsey replied.
“But, the one race I wish I had been able to do is the Bathurst 1000, which is probably one of the all-time greatest races,” he added.
‘McDreamy’, as his Grey’s Anatomy character was nicknamed, is far from the only Hollywood figure to have graced the race track as a driver and/or team owner.
Paul Newman enjoyed immense success in the Champ Car World Series as a co-owner of Newman Haas Lanigan Racing, which won four titles in a row with Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais and eight in total.
Nowadays, Mike Lanigan is a partner of three-time championship-winning driver Bobby Rahal and late-night talk show legend David Letterman in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team which fields three full-time IndyCar entries and tasted victory as recently as July’s Toronto round courtesy of Christian Lundgaard.
Michael Fassbender, star of films such as Haywire, is, like Dempsey, a gentleman driver who has also contested WEC.
Formula 1 nowadays draws plenty of star power and that extends to Melbourne’s Albert Park, where the Australian Grand Prix has become one of the hottest tickets in town.
Hot enough, indeed, for Dempsey to suggest he might pull some strings with a driver with whom he has shared the track in WEC.
“I’d love to talk to Mark Webber and see if he’ll bring me over,” he concluded.
The 2024 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix takes place from March 21-24 and will be Round 3 of the world championship.
