Brad Pitt gets engines, hearts revving at Le Mans

If you want to see some stars this weekend — and don't mind loud engine noises and sitting in bleachers all night — Le Mans is the place to be.

The 24-hour road race recruited none other than Brad Pitt to wave the start flag on Saturday, ushering the cars off on their first of many, many laps of France's famed Circuit de la Sarthe. Teams of three take turns driving and sleeping for a full day.

And Pitt's not the only star in town: Patrick Dempsey, soon to be seen in Bridget Jones' Baby, is back in LeMans as an ambassador after bringing an unprecedented level of American interest to the race with his team's second-place finish last year. He turned the experience into a documentary last year.

Keanu Reeves, whose motorized passions run more towards the 2-wheeled variety, has been spotted at the track this week repping his Arch Motorcycle line.

What's the appeal of Le Mans? Dempsey offered some insight in his documentary.

"With a car, it's very clear cut," said the actor, who confesses he feels more comfortable on the track than the stage. "Hollywood is not clear-cut. Hollywood doesn't make any sense. Why something's successful, you don't know. But when you do well at the track, there's nothing more satisfying than that. You know what it's taken. You've suffered immensely through the course of a race. You've worked it out mentally ... It's a very spiritual experience."