The Canadian Press

This should be one set of lines Canadian actor Dan Aykroyd has no trouble memorizing.

He's been named the grand marshall of next weekend's American Le Mans Series race at Mosport International and will be in charge of uttering the words that get things going -- "Drivers, start your engines."

"I'm so nervous I can't even believe it," Aykroyd said Thursday with tongue firmly in cheek. "Now you've given me stage fright. I'm sure I'll stutter my way through it."

Aykroyd will also spend time in the Patron tequila tent while visiting the racetrack in Bowmanville, Ont., on Aug. 24. He's the Canadian co-distributor and importer of that liquor -- one of several entrepreneurial enterprises Aykroyd has dabbled in outside of acting.

The 56-year-old has a deep affection for automobiles and is looking forward to checking out some of the cars while at Mosport. He remembers being taken to Lansdowne Park in Ottawa to watch stock cars as a kid and has even attended a driving course in West Virginia.

"They let you sling these old police cars around a track and show you things you didn't know you could do with a car," said Aykroyd. "I learned a lot in Hollywood -- the J-turns, bootleg turns, flipping the car off the highway from behind.

"It was great to brush up on those skills."

If it was up to Aykroyd, he would one day take a drive around a NASCAR track.

However, there's just one problem.

"I can't even get into a stock car," he said.

Instead, Aykroyd is left to ride around on one of his Harley Davidson motorcycles or in one of his Ford automobiles. He gave a lengthy answer when asked about his current stable of vehicles and clearly takes pride in his choices.

Lately, he's been driving a Ford Super Duty F-350 pickup truck.

"It runs like a Mercedes," said Aykroyd. "It is a phenomenal automobile. It's one of the best cars ever made."

The American Le Mans Series race he'll attend next weekend is one of the largest held in this country each year. It features many of the drivers that participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race each year in France.

When he's not marshalling the race, you can expect to find Aykroyd milling around the garage.

"It's really very exciting," he said. "I was very honoured to be asked."