MOTORSPORT: Webber delivers Porsche world title

Mark Webber's latest sports car victory has secured the constructors' world championship for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship.

The six-hour race in Shanghai began behind a safety car in rain and Webber's co-drivers, New Zealander Brendon Hartley and German Timo Bernhard, drove on wet tyres before the Australian completed the job in the 919 Hybrid on slick rubber.

The other 919 Hybrid driven by Romain Dumas (France), Neel Jani (Switzerland) and Marc Lieb (Germany) gave Porsche its fourth one-two result of the season.

In just its second year back in top-level sports car racing Porsche now has an unbeatable 308 points to rival German marque Audi's 238, while last year's champion constructor -- Japan's Toyota -- has only 137.

It is Porsche's 13th world sports car title and its first since 1986, but it was out of the game for more than a quarter of a century.

Webber, Hartley and Bernhard head the drivers' championship, which will be decided at the final six-hour round in Bahrain on November 20.

They lead 155-143 over Audi's top trio -- Andre Lotterer (Germany), Benoit Treluyer (France) and Marcel Fassler (Switzerland).

Webber said that, after a long Formula 1 career that included nine Grand Prix wins, "it is impressive to come to this level (in sports car racing) and have these results".

"It's really hard to produce these cars and these top performances race after race," Webber said.

"Racing for these guys is amazing."

Porsche's triumphant season has included victory in the premier endurance race, the Le Mans 24-Hour in France in June, when it was a third 919 Hybrid driven by German F1 ace Nico Hulkenburg, New Zealander Earl Bamber and Britain's Nick Tandy that took the honours ahead of the Webber car.