<p>Dempsey Racings year of milestone achievements continued in a wet-and-wild Bosch Engineering 250 atVirginia International Raceway (VIR) Saturday where co-drivers James Gué and Dane Cameron posted their highest race finish as a duo with a fourth-place showing in the No. 41 Team Seattle/Global Diving & Salvage Mazda RX-8 GT while Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster used the rainy race as a learning experience for Dempsey in the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/ModSpace/Construct Corps Mazda RX-8 GT.</p><p>
</p><p>
That race seemed about as long as two of them, said Cameron, who drove the No. 41 to the finish. It seemed to go on forever and about as many things happened as usually do in two races, but I think it all ended up quite well. We had the fourth quickest car and we ended up fourth, so I feel we did all we could. I thought maybe we had a bit of a sniff for second and third there at the end, but didnt quite have enough. Pleased for fourth, good day for points also and this weekend we made a lot of headway with the car. We just kind of had to keep our nose clean today, James did an outstanding job in the wet and just staying out of trouble and surviving, it was so bad out there.</p><p>
</p><p>
While Gué drove in nearly entirely rainy conditions, Cameron was at the wheel when the track was drying later in the race.</p><p>
</p><p>
We were one of the first cars that went to dry tires, which was pretty exciting for a couple of laps, but it was absolutely the right decision and it paid off in the end, Cameron said. And it was pretty good fun, once it kind of started drying up you could see certain corners were coming first and you could push harder.</p><p>
</p><p>
Gué had an eventful race from the beginning and did a great job to jump from seventh to fourth on the very first race lap.</p><p>
</p><p>
The start was pure luck to be honest and I dont think anyone could see more than 10 feet in front of them, Gué said. It just happened that the seas sort of parted there, we had a gap and we went for it, and it was just more survival than anything, staying out of trouble. Late in the middle of my run the windshield wiper flew off, which made it really tough. Dane did an outstanding job there at the end and especially, all things considered to be the first Mazda, it was a good weekend, and good points too.</p><p>
</p><p>
The No. 41 Team Seattle Mazda team is now in a three-way tie with 100 points for fourth in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT Team Championship standings, just 16 points out of first place.</p><p>
</p><p>
For No. 40 teammates Dempsey and Foster, Saturdays race was less about championship points and more about taking advantage of a great learning opportunity for Dempsey in some tricky conditions.</p><p>
</p><p>
I had a really good time, I had a blast the whole time, Dempsey said. We knew going into the race that I was going to stay in as long as possible. I learned a lot, it was great to be out there and running withsome drivers I usually dont compete with. I learned who is going to race you cleanly and who is going to stick their nose in, and you are going to pay the price for that. That put us a lap down when I had a flat tire and then coming out of the pits then with the cold tires I got caught out at the top of the esses. Then I got greedy going into Turn 1 and tried to late brake and justlocked up. I think most of the mistakes I made this weekend were just getting too greedy. Well dial it back a little bit but the amount of experience I got was just really valuable. I have got to thank the team for being so supportive and allowing that to happen. I had ablast, I really felt relaxed and comfortable.</p><p>
</p><p>
Foster drove the final stint in the No. 40 and crossed the finish line in 13th place.</p><p>
</p><p>
This isnt just about Patrick coming and wearing a uniform, this is about him coming and driving a race car, so we wanted to get him a lot of seat time in the race, Foster said. We let him pound around in really, honestly, treacherous conditions, which is really great training for him, we did that on purpose, and he did a great job.</p><p>
</p><p>
Foster had a pretty good seat to watch the No. 41s top result.</p><p>
</p><p>
Mainly I was just riding around in the back of the lead pack wishing I could be up helping the 41 car because Dane had a fantastic drive in that car, Foster said. I was itching to get up and help him, so I just sort of drove around behind all of the cars on the lead lap watching all of the animals at play. We definitely had the pace of the lead pack, and in the whole weekend the fastest Mazda lap overall was done by the 40 car in first practice on Friday.</p><p>
</p><p>
Dempsey joined Foster in being more than pleased with another strong showing by the No. 41 team and drivers.</p><p>
</p><p>
The 41 car did a great job this weekend, Dempsey said. They really kept it together and Dane once again proved how talented of a driver he is. He is going to win a championship in this series, or another series, some day and we just hope its with us.</p><p>
</p><p>
Next up for Dempsey Racing and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is the Memorial DayClassic at Connecticuts Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day Monday, May 30. The race can be seen live on SPEED at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.</p><p>
</p><p>
About Dempsey Racing</p><p>
A fulltime and year-round enterprise, Dempsey Racing (www.dempseyracing.net) is a professional sports car auto racing team based in the greater Atlanta area in Norcross, Georgia. Owned by actor/driver Patrick Dempsey, the team races insupport of the Team Seattle Guild (www.teamseattle.com) to benefit the Seattle Childrens Hospital Heart Center (www.seattlechildrens.org) and the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (www.dempseycenter.org) in Dempseys hometown of Lewiston, Maine.</p><p>
</p><p>
Dempsey Racing Partners</p><p>
Dempsey Racing is an official Mazda (www.mazdausa.com) racing team and has competed exclusively in Mazda RX-8 GTs since 2007. Additional team partners include Global Diving & Salvage (www.gdiving.com), the largest diving contractor on the West Coast, VISIT FLORIDA (www.VISITFLORIDA.com), the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, ModSpace (www.modspace.com), a North American leader in temporary and permanent modular buildings and portable storage, Construct Corps (www.constructcorps.com), a leading provider of temporary skilled workers for the construction industry, and Specialized Bicycle Components (www.specialized.com), a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of technically advanced bicycles and related components.</p>
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</p><p>
That race seemed about as long as two of them, said Cameron, who drove the No. 41 to the finish. It seemed to go on forever and about as many things happened as usually do in two races, but I think it all ended up quite well. We had the fourth quickest car and we ended up fourth, so I feel we did all we could. I thought maybe we had a bit of a sniff for second and third there at the end, but didnt quite have enough. Pleased for fourth, good day for points also and this weekend we made a lot of headway with the car. We just kind of had to keep our nose clean today, James did an outstanding job in the wet and just staying out of trouble and surviving, it was so bad out there.</p><p>
</p><p>
While Gué drove in nearly entirely rainy conditions, Cameron was at the wheel when the track was drying later in the race.</p><p>
</p><p>
We were one of the first cars that went to dry tires, which was pretty exciting for a couple of laps, but it was absolutely the right decision and it paid off in the end, Cameron said. And it was pretty good fun, once it kind of started drying up you could see certain corners were coming first and you could push harder.</p><p>
</p><p>
Gué had an eventful race from the beginning and did a great job to jump from seventh to fourth on the very first race lap.</p><p>
</p><p>
The start was pure luck to be honest and I dont think anyone could see more than 10 feet in front of them, Gué said. It just happened that the seas sort of parted there, we had a gap and we went for it, and it was just more survival than anything, staying out of trouble. Late in the middle of my run the windshield wiper flew off, which made it really tough. Dane did an outstanding job there at the end and especially, all things considered to be the first Mazda, it was a good weekend, and good points too.</p><p>
</p><p>
The No. 41 Team Seattle Mazda team is now in a three-way tie with 100 points for fourth in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT Team Championship standings, just 16 points out of first place.</p><p>
</p><p>
For No. 40 teammates Dempsey and Foster, Saturdays race was less about championship points and more about taking advantage of a great learning opportunity for Dempsey in some tricky conditions.</p><p>
</p><p>
I had a really good time, I had a blast the whole time, Dempsey said. We knew going into the race that I was going to stay in as long as possible. I learned a lot, it was great to be out there and running withsome drivers I usually dont compete with. I learned who is going to race you cleanly and who is going to stick their nose in, and you are going to pay the price for that. That put us a lap down when I had a flat tire and then coming out of the pits then with the cold tires I got caught out at the top of the esses. Then I got greedy going into Turn 1 and tried to late brake and justlocked up. I think most of the mistakes I made this weekend were just getting too greedy. Well dial it back a little bit but the amount of experience I got was just really valuable. I have got to thank the team for being so supportive and allowing that to happen. I had ablast, I really felt relaxed and comfortable.</p><p>
</p><p>
Foster drove the final stint in the No. 40 and crossed the finish line in 13th place.</p><p>
</p><p>
This isnt just about Patrick coming and wearing a uniform, this is about him coming and driving a race car, so we wanted to get him a lot of seat time in the race, Foster said. We let him pound around in really, honestly, treacherous conditions, which is really great training for him, we did that on purpose, and he did a great job.</p><p>
</p><p>
Foster had a pretty good seat to watch the No. 41s top result.</p><p>
</p><p>
Mainly I was just riding around in the back of the lead pack wishing I could be up helping the 41 car because Dane had a fantastic drive in that car, Foster said. I was itching to get up and help him, so I just sort of drove around behind all of the cars on the lead lap watching all of the animals at play. We definitely had the pace of the lead pack, and in the whole weekend the fastest Mazda lap overall was done by the 40 car in first practice on Friday.</p><p>
</p><p>
Dempsey joined Foster in being more than pleased with another strong showing by the No. 41 team and drivers.</p><p>
</p><p>
The 41 car did a great job this weekend, Dempsey said. They really kept it together and Dane once again proved how talented of a driver he is. He is going to win a championship in this series, or another series, some day and we just hope its with us.</p><p>
</p><p>
Next up for Dempsey Racing and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is the Memorial DayClassic at Connecticuts Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day Monday, May 30. The race can be seen live on SPEED at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.</p><p>
</p><p>
About Dempsey Racing</p><p>
A fulltime and year-round enterprise, Dempsey Racing (www.dempseyracing.net) is a professional sports car auto racing team based in the greater Atlanta area in Norcross, Georgia. Owned by actor/driver Patrick Dempsey, the team races insupport of the Team Seattle Guild (www.teamseattle.com) to benefit the Seattle Childrens Hospital Heart Center (www.seattlechildrens.org) and the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (www.dempseycenter.org) in Dempseys hometown of Lewiston, Maine.</p><p>
</p><p>
Dempsey Racing Partners</p><p>
Dempsey Racing is an official Mazda (www.mazdausa.com) racing team and has competed exclusively in Mazda RX-8 GTs since 2007. Additional team partners include Global Diving & Salvage (www.gdiving.com), the largest diving contractor on the West Coast, VISIT FLORIDA (www.VISITFLORIDA.com), the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, ModSpace (www.modspace.com), a North American leader in temporary and permanent modular buildings and portable storage, Construct Corps (www.constructcorps.com), a leading provider of temporary skilled workers for the construction industry, and Specialized Bicycle Components (www.specialized.com), a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of technically advanced bicycles and related components.</p>
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