http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/le-mans-dempsey-eyeing-lmp2-effor
t-for-2012/

Last weekend, Patrick Dempsey returned to Le Mans for a
once-in-a-lifetime
experience to drive Mazda's 787B around Circuit de la Sarthe, part of
the
Japanese manufacturers' 20th anniversary celebration of it historic win.
But as
it turns out, the multi-talented actor/racer wasn't just in France to
turn a few
demonstration laps.

SPEED.com has learned that Dempsey is in the evaluation stages of a
possible
LMP2 program for next year's 24-hour endurance classic, which could also
include
a full-season entry in the new FIA World Endurance Championship.

"I would love to come back here with Mazda," Dempsey told SPEED.com.
"That's
certainly a lot of what we were there to do [last weekend], to help
bring that
awareness and start to put certain elements together. Once you've
[driven] Le
Mans, you have to do it again. It was a life-changing experience in such
a
positive way for me."

Dempsey made his Le Mans debut in 2009 at the wheel of an AF Corse-run
Ferrari
F430 GT with longtime team partner Joe Foster and Team Seattle's Don
Kitch Jr.
The trio finished ninth in the GT2 category that year. It was that race
that
clearly ignited Dempsey's ambitions of returning not only as a driver,
but also
with his own team.

Now with two full seasons under its belt in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports
Car
Series, [3 rotor RX8] highlighted by a win last year and a podium finish
in
January's Rolex 24 at Daytona, Dempsey Racing could be the latest
American squad
to mount an attack on the global sportscar championship.

--------------------------------------------------------

John Doonan, Is it a rotary for Le Mans?

Paul Lamar


Hi, Paul...

Hope you are doing well.  Thanks for the question.

At the moment, we have no confirmed plans whatsoever.  Patrick's
attendance at Le Mans surrounding the 787B and the 20th Anniversary
celebration of the 1991 victory created a great deal of excitement.

Patrick also expressed his interest in taking his team back to Le Mans
to compete in a Mazda.

We (Mazda) are assessing all of our options regarding power plants across
all of our motor sports activities.  The challenge with Le Mans is that
the ACO regulations require a stock block engine in LMP2 and LMP1
unfortunately that requires an investment that is extremely big...and not
likely something we can afford.

So...we will have to see.  I will keep you posted...  Thanks again for
your message.

Talk soon-

John

Thanks John. IMHO that is the best advert money can buy.

I have long felt Mazda needs to res-erect the 3 rotor for use
in the RX8. Then they could run in GTEPro. They could also charge
what Chevy Corvette or Porsche is charging for street cars. They might even
make money on the project :) BTW the Le Mans Chevy V8 with the Ti rods
and forged everything else is only 457 HP. About what we were running in European racing  back in the late 1960's. That is what it takes to last
24 hours with a V8.

In the mean time we are going air racing.


Paul Lamar