The Pink Pig Porsche 911 RSR race car has won the 2018 Le Mans 24-Hour. The winning driver line up of Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Michael Christensen delivered a commanding performance, holding the lead in the 92 car for most of the race and finishing on the top step of the podium after 344 laps of flat out racing.

The sister car of Richard Lietz, Frédéric Makowiecki and Gianmaria Bruni completed a one-two victory for Porsche in GTE-Pro. The result has helped Porsche to extend its lead in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

“It was an incredible race,” said Christensen. “The car was fast right from the start. We had a little luck during a safety car phase and we managed to pull clear of the field a little. From that point on, we focussed on extending our lead. In the final third of the race, we simply tried to avoid taking any risks to bring the car home in one piece. This worked perfectly.”

“This double victory is fantastic for Porsche and our team,” said Bruni, who claimed pole for the Rothmans-tribute RSR 91 with a terrific qualifying lap of a 3:47.504. “We had a great race and a great fight with the 92 car. We tried everything but our colleagues made no mistakes. They deserve the win.”

With two rounds of the 2018 WEC now complete, Porsche leads Ford in the manufacturers’ championship by 96 points to 50, with Ferrari, Aston Martin and BMW not too far behind. Estre and Christensen top the drivers’ table with 56 points ahead of Billy Johnson, Olivier Pla and Stefan Mücke in second with 48 points. Lietz and Bruni lie third on 40 points each.

This season has another year left to run, however, as it continues until after the 2019 Le Mans. Many more miles lie ahead before anyone can claim ultimate victory in the longest-ever endurance racing championship.

The AF Corse Ferraris and BMWs worked their hardest, but were let down by penalties and technical issues that cost them time in the pits. Aston Martin Racing debuted two new cars at Le Mans and both made it to the finish, which will give the team every confidence for the rest of the season.