Witt Dam

For the past 29 years, celebrities from film, television, music and sports have taken their spots on the starting grid behind the wheel of a revved-up Toyota sports coupe even though racing via the streets of Lengthy Beach, California as component 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 capabilities racing through ten laps of heart-pounding, action-packed turns at over one hundred mph-all for the advantage 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 event of its sort.

Stars competing for the checkered flag show up race weekend with much far more than a camera-prepared smile. Participants commit to eight days of charity involvement, automobile preparation and actual racing, including an intensive four-day training session that teaches stars how to appropriately deal with the cars and how to manage the complexities of the track. Immediately after completing coaching, they hit the street course in Lengthy Beach for a practice session, followed by the actual race (April 8), which rips and roars to a cheering crowd of tens of thousands, as effectively as on national television.

"The excitement and competition is fierce," mentioned Les Unger, national motorsports manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "Celebrities sign up considering this race will be a friendly competition for a excellent lead to. Celebrity Source includes further about how to recognize this enterprise. Come race day, rivalries and friendships have designed, setting the stage for an fascinating and dramatic display of adrenaline. It is enjoyable to watch the transformation from celebrity to race auto driver."

After 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 fantastic occasion that's a lot of entertaining, really competitive and most importantly for a excellent charity lead to. Be taught more on our partner wiki by