Just before the start of the second day of qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours on Thursday, popular American TV actor/driver Patrick Dempsey drove the Mazda 787B in a demonstration run.

Amidst his extremely busy schedule attending the world premiere of the latest movie in which he stars, Transformers 3, Patrick Dempsey arrived at Le Mans directly from Charles de Gaulle Airport this afternoon and began preparations to drive. He was given instruction on how to operate the 787B and the functions of each of the switches by “Mr. Le Mans,” Yojiro Terada and members of the Mazda crew at the Mazda booth in the Le Mans village. The lecture finished after he had studied things to note such the sets of brake rotors and pads, all of which are brand-new, as well as the pattern and habits of the transmission. After concluding interviews and a photo session with the media, he changed into his racing suit. The assembled Mazda people were surprised when they saw him emerge. He was wearing the same RENOWN CHARGE racing suit as that used back in 1991. John Doonan, Director of Mazda Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations, told us, “Patrick and ourselves found some pictures from that time with the design of the racing suits, then pleaded with SPARCO to make the suit while also obtaining permission from RENOWN. His enthusiasm towards this event is fantastic, isn't it?” The suit arrived just this morning.

At 6:40pm, just before official qualifying, Dempsey firmly shook hands with Mr. Kanai, Vice President of Mazda Motor Corporation, and then got into the 787B. Manufacturer-based media and fans crowded around the control tower and stairs to focus on Dempsey's action. He fired up the engine in front of the grandstand from where many spectators watched. Dempsey then started the 787B demo run driving up to and under the DUNLOP Bridge. After finishing the 2-lap demo drive, Dempsey commented excitedly, “The track surface is rough and the tyres are still cold, that's why I couldn't run at racing speed, but I realized the 787B is very easy to drive. I really want to thank Mazda and all the staff for giving me such a great experience by allowing me to drive their treasure on this hugely important occasion.”

Dempsey is going to attend the Mazda press conference on June 10th. I suppose he will talk again about the demo drive and the 20-year anniversary of Mazda's Le Mans victory.