Globe & Mail: McDreamy's other role....

From the Globe & Mail

By PETRINA GENTILE // From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009

He's best known as "McDreamy" - the heartthrob neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the hit TV drama series Grey's Anatomy.

But off the set, actor Patrick Dempsey has another passion with a faster pace. He's a racecar driver on the side, and he's serious about the sport.

"I've been racing the Mazda RX-8 in the Rolex series; this will be my fourth year. That's what I really love. It's a great car," the actor says.

While he hasn't made it to the podium yet, he did have a top-10 finish in this year's gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. He came in ninth in his class, driving a Ferrari F430 GT with Team Seattle and raising more than $250,000 for children's hospitals.

Dempsey has also raced in Canada at the Gilles Villeneuve track in Montreal and Circuit Trois-Rivières in Quebec. "The fans up there are phenomenal," he says, as his surprisingly lean body rests against a 2011 Mazda2 at the Los Angeles Auto Ahow.

Dempsey loves speed and fast cars. Off the track, his daily ride is a Porsche GT3 RS. But it can be challenging to drive at times.....

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