Peter Dempsey has become one of the standout performers in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 class this season. The Irishman’s signing with Racing Team Turkey by TF to drive the #34 Corvette Z06 GT3.R came as a surprise to many, given that his last full-time professional campaign came on the IndyCar ladder back in 2013.
Dempsey has hardly looked out of his depth, though. He was quick from the start, setting the fastest qualifying time at the season-opening 6 Hours of Imola before going on to win at Interlagos. He has since added programmes in GT World Challenge Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, winning the Bronze Cup title in the former. Consistently among the best bronze-rated drivers in the paddock, he will be upgraded to silver next season.
GT REPORT caught up with the 40-year-old GT3 rookie ahead of the 6 Hours of Barcelona – another new challenge, with the circuit a new venue on the WEC calendar – to talk about his season so far and the road that brought him here.
From team boss to bronze driver
Peter Dempsey (L) and Charlie Eastwood (R).
Dempsey never really left motorsport during his time away from the cockpit. He runs his own Turn 3 Motorsport team in USF Pro 2000 on the IndyCar ladder, so when long-time friend and fellow Irishman Charlie Eastwood – now his Corvette teammate – raised the possibility of a reclassification to bronze in early January, he jumped at the chance.
Every LMGT3 crew in the WEC must include a bronze-rated driver, and the timing suited Racing Team Turkey, which had just lost Salih Yoluç as its bronze following his own promotion. Dempsey was testing just three days after his reclassification.
“The first few tests were really just about seeing where I’d fit in, how my speed was and what areas I needed to work on. I was fortunate that the first test I did was at Sebring, a track I’d known for years.”
Further tests in Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai followed. Dempsey described the learning curve as steep, but said the team has done a good job on pace this season.
Racing with zero pressure
Dempsey admitted he never thought he would race again after stopping in 2013. This year has given him and his family a huge number of memories, with his wife and children travelling across Europe with him. His biggest motivation now is the chance for his kids to watch him race, which he describes as an “amazing experience.”
“But does this mean I want to continue racing? Not really. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll do it, but I’m racing with zero pressure, not trying to resurrect my racing career. I’ll go back to my job if I get fired one day.”
That job is his role as team principal in USF Pro 2000, which he has kept alongside his racing. Dempsey said recent weeks have been his busiest stretch yet: “I felt tired going into a race weekend for the first time this year, between a busy schedule, Indy, then the USF Pro test, flying back.”
That has not dented his competitive drive, and he is still enjoying himself.
“Seven of the last eight races I’ve won, so I’ll try to keep that streak going.”
His performances in the WEC have opened doors elsewhere, including last weekend’s GT America races and the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Dempsey has been to the Speedway many times over the years, but it was his first race on the road course and his first start there since his Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) days. He took pole in GT America but had to start from the back of the grid, then drove through the field to win in the Maserati. He followed that up in the Indianapolis 8 Hour, where MAD Joker Racing secured Am class honours by a mile.
Older, wiser, more in control
Dempsey feels he has grown a lot as a driver since his last full-time season in 2013.
“I was a very impatient driver, where I would lay everything on the line all the time and expose myself to a bad situation. So it was very hit or miss: I either won or I crashed. But now, having worked with my own drivers and my own team, getting older and wiser has definitely made me a more mature and aware driver. I am in more control of my situation on track compared to back when I raced. So there have definitely been huge advantages in that. Seeing my own drivers [in USF Pro 2000] make their own mistakes and coaching them, teaching them how to fight for a championship and keep yourself alive through the season, I think that’s probably what has got us to where we are today.”
Barcelona, Monza and beyond
Dempsey wrapped up the Bronze Cup title at the weather-hit GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup round at Barcelona two weeks ago, aboard the #93 Ziggo Sport – Tempesta Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Like many of the drivers who raced there, he was hoping for rain this weekend.
It has been a strong season for the #34 Corvette he shares with Eastwood and Yoluç. The car sits third in the teams’ championship and will aim to stay in the title fight heading into the season finale at Monza – “not necessarily to win it, but it would be fun to have a chance.”
Of the circuits he has raced this year, Dempsey said Le Mans was a special experience and São Paulo holds great memories after his win there. Imola, though, was probably his favourite to drive – the season opener being the highlight, where he set what he called “the best qualifying lap I’ve done all year.”
While under no pressure to race more, Dempsey wants to prove he deserves his silver status. He will contest the Asian Le Mans Series this winter with AF Corse’s Ferrari 296 GT3, a car he already raced at Spa earlier in the year.
“I don’t have a factory contract with anyone, so I am happy to pick up opportunities when they’re available.”
Having now driven the Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche and, last weekend, the Maserati MC20 GT2, Dempsey said the GT3 platform has amazed him with how balanced each car is, despite their differing strengths and weaknesses.
Beyond the Asian Le Mans Series, he has nothing else lined up yet.
“There are a lot of silver drivers out there who are better than me, so I’m less valuable as a silver. But if I keep performing well, maybe something happens.”
His dream would be to race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona next January.
“Racing at Daytona would be a full circle moment for me. But driving a race car has brought me the most joy I’ve had in a long time, so I can’t be too picky.”
