LE MANS, France — Actor Patrick Dempsey finally got on the podium at the 24 Hours Le Mans endurance race, finishing second in the GTE Amateur category on Sunday.
The 49-year-old American, a long-time star of Grey’s Anatomy, was one of three drivers in the Dempsey-Proton Porsche 911 RSR team. They finished behind the winning Ferrari.
Dempsey is a huge motorsports fan and was driving Le Mans for the fourth time, but this was his first top-three finish. He has also competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance race.
The actor was emotional when speaking to French television after the race.
“I think it’s hard to put into words how much it means to be on the podium in Le Mans. Phenomenal effort and support from Porsche,” Dempsey said. “It’s an amazing accomplishment, you always dream about moments like this. I’ve worked really hard over the last three years to make this happen and I’m here. Vive la France!”
Dempsey’s teammates were countryman Patrick Long and Germany’s Marco Seefried.
Victor Shaitar, Andrea Bertolini and Aleksey Basov drove for the victorious SMP Racing.
The main race was won for a record 17th time by Porsche – its first victory since 1998. The winning car featured Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany.
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