BATAVIA, OH., (May 20, 2024) – Wright Motorsports and Patrick Dempsey have joined forces again with the announcement of the actor and driver’s return to sports car racing competition. The duo has reunited to compete in the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America, a four-race championship for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and GT4 entrants. Racing the No. 98 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, Dempsey will be mentored by former Porsche works, Wright Motorsports driver, and co-driver Patrick Long. Dempsey-Wright Motorsports will proudly partner with longtime Porsche partner Mobil 1, paying homage to a 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning GT1 car adorned with the branding of the motor oil company. The first event of the season will take place next weekend at Circuit of The Americas, a fitting site for Memorial Day weekend.
“Racing is like an addiction,” said Dempsey. “Once you start, it’s hard to stop. During pre-production on the recent Ferrari film, I got a lot of seat time and fell off the wagon, of sorts. Having an opportunity to get back with John Wright and his team, I realized how much I was missing the culture and really wanted to get back in. I really enjoy the camaraderie.”
Both Dempsey and Long have each stepped back from professional racing in recent years to expansive roles as Porsche Motorsport ambassadors. Dempsey’s return to competition with Long at his side will be a welcome reunion for the Wright group.
Dempsey’s interest in racing dates back to his childhood. The actor began actively pursuing his dream of becoming a professional race car driver with amateur racing and gradually progressed to higher levels of competition. Dempsey’s racing career saw considerable success, achieving podium finishes at prestigious events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2015), the 24 Hours At Daytona (2011, 2015), and Petit Le Mans (2013, 2014). He eventually reached the dream driving alongside Patrick Long and for longtime Porsche team Wright Motorsports. He and Long raced together under various banners from 2013 to 2015, and celebrated a win in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji in 2015.
Feeling the pull to return to competition, Dempsey conducted a private test with Wright Motorsports in 2023. His longstanding relationship and record of success with Wright Motorsports, a team that has solely raced Porsches since its inception in 2020, along with its impeccable record and decades of knowledge make the team the prime choice for this new effort in the Porsche Endurance Challenge North America. This new series offers the perfect opportunity for Dempsey to get back in the racing waters, with the right blend of competition and fun for Porsche enthusiasts.
In its inaugural season, the Porsche Endurance Challenge is a four-round, one-make championship that will host three 60-minute races at Circuit of The Americas, Sonoma Raceway and Road America, culminating the season finale at Circuit of The Americas in a six-hour spectacle of competition. In the 60-minute races, is not required for each entry to have two drivers, it remains possible for Dempsey to be joined by another driver in the first three rounds. The season-ending six-hour race will require a co-driver, with Long potentially eyeing the opportunity to join his former co-driver back behind the wheel.
Dempsey will also race in the Porsche Sprint Challenge events that are scheduled on the same weekends, racing a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. These shorter, single-driver Sprint Challenge events are 40-minutes plus one-lap long races offering five different classes of competition, visiting some of North America’s favorite road courses.
For event information, visit wrightmotorsports.com or porschesprint.com.
Event Schedule
Round One | Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
May 26, 2024
Round 2 | Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
August 11, 2024
Round 3 | Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, California
September 29, 2024
Round 4 | Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
November 22-23
Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.
