Hollywood actor and TV star Patrick Dempsey is back racing Porsches again, but thanks the Ferrari movie for relighting his motorsport fire.
While many know him best for playing ‘McDreamy’ in TV’s smash hit Grey’s Anatomy, it was Patrick Dempsey’s brilliant motion picture portrayal of Italian racing ace Piero Taruffi in Michael Mann’s Enzo Ferrari biopic that got his competitive juices flowing again.
Dempsey’s real-life racing past included him scaling “his Everest” by standing on the podium of the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, finishing second for Porsche in the GTE-Am class. But after the 2015 season, in which he both drove and ran a team in the World Endurance Championship, his family life demanded that he returned to playing the role of ‘Dad’.
Now, with his kids grown up, and the age of 60 approaching, he climbed back behind the wheel of a racecar in 2024, contesting Porsche’s customer racing series in a 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, and starred in a fly-on-the-wall documentary series on Hagerty’s YouTube channel.
“Because I did all the driving in Ferrari, I really forgot how much I missed it and how much I really needed it,” says Dempsey, who speaks to duPont REGISTRY straight after a practice session at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas. “Just psychologically, there’s something about getting behind the wheel and driving it on the limit. It’s just really cleansing for the soul and for the mind, and that really kind of got me going well, you know, wouldn’t it be nice to get back into a racecar?
“After 2015, I wanted to be home for my kids at the sacrifice of racing, which was a full-time commitment. It was great to be at the pinnacle of endurance racing, and winning the race in Fuji [the legendary racetrack in Japan] was like winning a championship for me, it was an incredible experience. It’s hard to top that.
“But you have to be disciplined, you have to sacrifice and give up some stuff, and it took a big toll on my family. Now, my kids are about to graduate high school. My daughter’s through college and I’ve got a little bit more free time to be able to get back into it. But the catalyst was certainly getting behind the wheel and driving those cars in the Ferrari movie.”
Another step along the road was Dempsey taking on the challenge of Mexico’s famed Carrera Panamericana in 2023: “I had such a great time doing the road race in Mexico, it reminded me of the Baja, except you stay on the main roads, and I just really needed to try it. And that was it, I hadn’t lost the passion. It’s a part of who I am, and I need to do it.”
Dempsey is an unabashed car fanatic, and his ever-expanding collection is only constrained by the space at his homes in Malibu and his native Maine.
And his love of Porsches runs deep, as we inquire what he currently owns: “I’m waiting on the Dakar right now. I have the R that I got in 2015. My 356 from 1963, a Coupe from 1964, a ’72 T that’s in the collection, and I’ve got my little tractor too, the Junior.
“I’m currently doing driving the Turbo, which I really love as a daily driver. It’s fantastic. I just got my daughter the Macan, so she’s really enjoying that car. And my wife has the Targa, so we’re full-on Porsche family, and my boys love them too.”
The 356 has a backstory of its own, as it was his dream car purchase after appearing in Can’t Buy Me Love in 1987.
“I spent my whole paycheck on that car; I think I got the car for $8000 or $9000,” he recalls. “Probably the best investment I’ve ever had! You know, to this day it just makes me smile, and it’s so easy to maintain. I’ve had a lot of different brands, a lot of different cars, but there’s nothing like that. It’s incredible, and it’s been with me for over 30 years-plus now.”
So, what’s next for Dempsey, on his Porsche racing odyssey?
“There’s a bunch of other races I’d like to do, like the Mille Miglia, that’s a challenging race and I’d like to have that experience – some of those classic events,” he muses. “We’re really kind of discussing what will be next year’s program.
“I love the Carrera Cup racing. I think if you’re getting into sport, if you can do it, that’s the best place to be. So, I’d love to do some Cup races as well. It just really depends on sponsorship, funding and then availability with scheduling, and then testing, that’s the important thing.
“I’m fortunate enough to be able to have this opportunity, it’s just the joy of driving and competing, it’s just incredible.”
This article appeared in our February 2025 Issue.
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