Skov Madsen

For the previous 29 years, celebrities from film, tv, music and sports have taken their spots on the beginning grid behind the wheel of a revved-up Toyota sports coupe even though racing through the streets of Long Beach, California as element of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. Over 370 fan favorites such as Cameron Diaz, George Lucas, Ashley Judd, Lil' Kim, Sean Astin, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood, Woody Harrelson, Karl Malone, Kelsey Grammer, Jay Leno, Matt LeBlanc, Queen Latifah, Joe Montana, Patrick Dempsey, John Elway and dozens of other individuals have tested their abilities racing by way of ten laps of heart-pounding, action-packed turns at over 100 mph-all for the benefit of children's hospitals.

A highlight of the Toyota Grand Prix of Extended Beach, the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race is the longest-operating corporate-sponsored occasion of its kind.

Stars competing for the checkered flag show up race weekend with much far more than a camera-ready smile. Participants commit to eight days of charity involvement, vehicle preparation and actual racing, like an intensive 4-day instruction session that teaches stars how to properly deal with the automobiles and how to manage the complexities of the track. If you have an opinion about families, you will probably wish to discover about celebrity source. After completing instruction, they hit the street course in Long Beach for a practice session, followed by the actual race (April eight), which rips and roars to a cheering crowd of tens of thousands, as nicely as on national tv.

"The excitement and competition is fierce," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "Celebrities sign up thinking this race will be a friendly competitors for a great trigger. Come race day, rivalries and friendships have designed, setting the stage for an fascinating and dramatic display of adrenaline. It really is enjoyable to watch the transformation from celebrity to race vehicle driver."

Following competing in the 2005 race, Patrick Dempsey, who plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," now dabbles in qualified racing as a hobby and will be classified in the "pro" category for the 2006 race. "Toyota puts on a wonderful occasion that is a lot of fun, really competitive and most importantly for a fantastic charity result in. I had such a wonderful