Demspey's Le Man podium finish: Great for Motorsport as a whole?

  • Thread starter A2K78
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A2K78

A2K78

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Think about it, the most prestigious race on the motorsport calendar, a big name celebrity that really, really has a passion for racing... could this actually be good motorsport in general?

Sure it won't convert people into motorsport fans overnight, but with more podium finishes likes this(and a class win) may the mainstream might actually take motorsports a little bit more serious.
 
A2K78
Think about it, the most prestigious race on the motorsport calendar, a big name celebrity that really, really has a passion for racing...
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Rosberg won the Monaco GP, as far as I recall. I'd never heard of Patrick Dempsey so, without wishing to split hairs, I'd therefore argue with him being so-big-a-name.

A2K78
could this actually be good motorsport in general?
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Of course 24H Le Mans was good motorsport, to see that you only have to look in the thread where your question belongs.
 
TenEightyOne
Rosberg won the Monaco GP, as far as I recall.



Of course 24H Le Mans was good motorsport, to see that you only have to look in the thread where your question belongs.
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You compare Monaco with LeMans? Really?? Oh boy. There is no single race that is harder to win than LeMans. Monaco is the most prestigous race in the F1 calendar but nowhere near LeMans when it comes to the racing. (Yes I know both are part of the triple crown)

But yes, we already have threads for this. And I think as long as McDreamy is a motorsport enthusiast and racer for several years, it can only be good for the sport itself because it gets even more attention.
 
I would venture to say that Dempsey's 2nd place finish in GTE Amateur got more column-inches in the US sporting press than any part of its LeMans coverage except for the overall winner.
 
IforceV8
Have you been on a moon base for the last 30 yrs? http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001131/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Dempsey#Racing_record
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I've never seen any of the things he's listed in and nor did I recognise his name for any other reason when I saw him at Le Mans. I have seen "About a Boy" from that filmography but, to my memory, it was Hugh Grant who played the lead. I certainly haven't seen any of the tranche of TV-movies or mini-series mentioned there.

I'd also venture to point out that he didn't win his class but in fact came second-in-class?
 
TenEightyOne
I've never seen any of the things he's listed in and nor did I recognise his name for any other reason when I saw him at Le Mans. I have seen "About a Boy" from that filmography but, to my memory, it was Hugh Grant who played the lead. I certainly haven't seen any of the tranche of TV-movies or mini-series mentioned there.

I'd also venture to point out that he didn't win his class but in fact came second-in-class?
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But you're not the person this thread is about. You are a racing fan already, I presume?

The point the OP is raising is that by having Patrick Dempsey in the race, the race's profile is raised outside of the world of motorsport so that folk who wouldn't normally bother with it may be more interested in the sport.
 
daan
But you're not the person this thread is about. You are a racing fan already, I presume?

The point the OP is raising is that by having Patrick Dempsey in the race, the race's profile is raised outside of the world of motorsport so that folk who wouldn't normally bother with it may be more interested in the sport.
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Fair point, I guess what I was getting at was the idea that he was a huuuuge star, there's as good a chance that non-motosport fans haven't heard of him. I definitely haven't lived on a moonbase for the last 30 years....
 
My guess is he has made much more negative pr for himself as an actor in quitting his very popular (in the US) tv series than he has made positive pr for auto racing. Keep in mind that when Steve McQueen made the movie "Le Mans" in 1971 he was an incredibly accomplished movie star, nearly 20 years in the business at the time, which was the only way he was able to make the movie. It was a box office flop even with his star power. Sure, it has developed a cult following in the decades since, mainly due to us racing nuts, but it was not a successful movie in any way. Then of course is the movie "Rush" Ron Howards film, a mega-star director. Latest numbers I can find are $38M to make and a gross of $26.9M, a money loser all around. A good explanation of why it was the first serious racing movie put out since Le Mans, a span of over 40 years! No, Dempsey's "star power" is going to do nothing for the sport of auto racing in the eyes of the general public.
 
TenEightyOne
Fair point, I guess what I was getting at was the idea that he was a huuuuge star, there's as good a chance that non-motosport fans haven't heard of him. I definitely haven't lived on a moonbase for the last 30 years....
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Patrick Dempsey isn't an A list star, but he IS a big name. And I would venture a guess that the reason you've never heard of him is because you're a male. As I learned from my own wife, ask a group of women who Dr. Dreamy is and they're much more likely to know. Dempsey came to speak at the hospitality tent at Lime Rock during the ALMS race back in 2012. Looking around, there was a higher percentage of girls around than I EVER remember seeing in one place at any racing event.

MustangManiac
Then of course is the movie "Rush" Ron Howards film, a mega-star director. Latest numbers I can find are $38M to make and a gross of $26.9M, a money loser all around. A good explanation of why it was the first serious racing movie put out since Le Mans, a span of over 40 years! No, Dempsey's "star power" is going to do nothing for the sport of auto racing in the eyes of the general public.
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Rush made $38 million in the US but the global total for RUSH was closer to $100 million. Nothing compared to a big blockbuster but it wasn't a loss for the studio. But that's because Rush wasn't really a racing movie. It was a drama about Hunt and Lauda that happened to involve racing. Which I think is a fundamental difference. Racing movies are few and far between. And most are awful. There's enough excitement in real racing that we fans are interested in watching the races themselves. But for those who aren't racing fans, Hollywood has to add a lot of artificial drama to spice up the show. Which makes it seem ridiculous for those who actually follow the sport.
 
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When Patrick was cut/left Grey's I don't even think 5% of people discussing it knew of his racing career and passion for it. I think that awesome Velocity channel documentary "Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans" was probably the biggest contributor to his fanfare when it came to his career.
 
My girlfriend noticed McDreamy when I was watching Le Mans.

It got her excited for the race for exactly the time his face was on screen.
 
The best headline it's managed to muster so far is "Dempsey comes second in amateur race" (no joke). Anything outside of F1 is still outside the bubble, so even an A list star probably wouldn't do much.
 
twitcher
David Letterman??? Surely you mean Jay Leno?
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I don't think Leno has had much involvement with motorsports. Letterman on the other hand has part ownership of IndyCar and Sports Car teams. He also had a tradition of having the winner of the Indy 500 on his show.
 
Northstar
I don't think Leno has had much involvement with motorsports. Letterman on the other hand has part ownership of IndyCar and Sports Car teams. He also had a tradition of having the winner of the Indy 500 on his show.
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Oh my bad, I didn't realize Letterman was that involved! My mistake.

Funny coincidence that the two biggest names in late-night TV over the last 20ish years are both car guys.

Leno definitely does have some involvement (had the new NISMO GT-R on Jay Leno's garage before it went to Le Mans)...but I guess he focuses more on the machines, Letterman maybe moreso on the sport of racing?
 
Dempsey's win is an interesting way to raise interest... but the problem is it's the wrong kind of demographic.

You want interest by younger women (Gray's Anatomy is sooo ten years ago) and especially younger men.

Get Justin Bieber in a car. Bang. You've got the girls.

Bang. You've got the guys. Who will be watching in the hopes he crashes out of each race.*




*This is not an expressed desire to see said person crash out of any race, as this is against the rules of the forum.
 
niky
Dempsey's win is an interesting way to raise interest... but the problem is it's the wrong kind of demographic.

You want interest by younger women (Gray's Anatomy is sooo ten years ago) and especially younger men.

Get Justin Bieber in a car. Bang. You've got the girls.

Bang. You've got the guys. Who will be watching in the hopes he crashes out of each race.*




*This is not an expressed desire to see said person crash out of any race, as this is against the rules of the forum.
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Omg a mod nearly broke forum rules. :embarrassed: :lol:
 
My sister who never watches any racing told me she had saw Patrick Dempsey finish 2nd in 'a big race with funny looking cars'.

If anything its good promotion for Dempsey and should help him find sponsors. But in terms of increasing motorsports popularity, no. For that to happen he would have to consistently finish higher and start winning races. Then there would be more coverage from all the television outlets. One 2nd place finish is not enough to change anything.
 
Fabien Barthez is the most recognisable non-motorsports driver motorsports driver I know. But he was a professional soccer football player, not an actor in the "entertainment" world as I'm sure this Dempsey bloke is coming from.
 
The Toyota Celebrity races, Mazda Celebrity challenges, Rush Hour 3 on the side of a Stock Car and Star Wars on an F1 car, still won't interest people that wouldn't give a rats about cars. Even loud ones. Youd have to have race cars in videos constantly for interest to start. I know Wyclef Jean bought a McLaren F1 way back. That did nothing for racing awareness amongst the hip hop community. Bill Cosby funded Willy T. Ribbs' racing program as well. Alfonso Ribiero ran in Mazda Formula cars. I think GT Academy helped peek interest to the masses more than Dempsey this weekend.

Funny how things work out. Patrick Dempsey does the movie, "Run". Starts with him delivering a Porsche 911 cabriolet. 30 years later he wins Le Mans in a Porsche 911 RSR. Cool stuff.
 
To be honest it annoys me the attention he have. When he's racing he's just another racing driver, he's doing his job but the attention he gets is unfair for all the other drivers doing the same things.

Not his fault I admit. I dont have anything bad to say on him. It was funny when Francois Hollande and him met and Mr president had no idea who he was lol.
 
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05XR8
I think GT Academy helped peek interest to the masses more than Dempsey this weekend.
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Funny thing... playing around with Google Trend, "GT Academy"
inspires more searches than "Nissan Le Mans". :dopey:

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Celebrity races suck. They're moderately fast celebrities beating the snot out of moderately slow celebrities. Having a number of celebrities who can genuinely drive (like Patrick Dempsey) in a reality show about racing would be a much better idea.
 
niky
reality show
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The absolute drizzling 🤬 of society. A documentary would be more interesting. But then, that wouldn't draw in the non-motorsport fans, would it?
 
It might make sportscar racing a tiny bit more popular in the us but will make no long term difference for the rest of the world where he is as much of an unknown as any other gentleman racer.
 

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