WEC: Porsche takes the title in Shanghai

It’s been a crazy few weeks for the World Endurance Championship (WEC), as Audi announced that it would be pulling out of the series.

However, the other VW-owned team, Porsche, provided a much-needed boost after winning the manufacturer’s title over the weekend.

The Six Hours of Shanghai race saw the Porsche 919 Hybrid of Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard take their fourth win of the season, claiming the manufacturer’s title with a race to spare.

The race was a dominant affair, as the number one Porsche led most of the running.

The number six Toyota of Stephane Sarrazin, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi followed in second place, roughly a minute behind. Rounding out the podium was the number five Toyota of Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, one minute and six seconds behind the lead car.

The next race of the season is the Six Hours of Bahrain, in two weeks.

It’s been a rollercoaster over the past few weeks for VW-owned WEC teams

However, while the manufacturers championship may be sewn up, the drivers title is still up for grabs. The other Porsche car of Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani lead the table by 17 points from the Toyota of Sarrazin, Conway and Kobayashi.

The Toyota team could clinch the title if they win the race and the Porsche finishes seventh or lower. But Porsche merely needs to finish sixth if the Toyota wins, to claim the drivers title on countback (having claimed more victories than the Toyota).