Patrick Dempsey to drive Porsche at Le Mans

Hollywood star Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd (aka McDreamy) in the TV medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy', has been confirmed as a factory Porsche driver for this year's Le Mans 24 hour sportscar race (June 22/23).

It's not the first time Dempsey has been in the cockpit for the gruelling 'round-the-clock classic. Having strapped in to a Ferrari in the 2009 event, he'll be steering a Porsche 911 RSR this time around.

And he's not the only show business celebrity that's taken on the endurance challenge at the famous Le Sarthe circuit in central France.

Film legend Paul Newman famously finished second outright in the 1979 running, Steve McQueen took on some driving duties in the making of his 1971 feature film tribute 'Le Mans', and notorious petrol head, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason took part in the event several times in the early 1980s.