Mary Ann “MeAnne” Espinosa, a sales consultant at Porsche Center Philippines, had the distinction of making it to an elite club of sales professionals for the Stuttgart-based supercar manufacturer.

Espinosa, who has worked at Porsche for three years, was recognized as one of the top 100 Porsche sales consultants worldwide and was feted via the Porsche Sales Excellence Award 2016. The winners were flown to France – first to Paris where they enjoyed pampering in a five-star hotel and a scenic tour of the city, and then onto Le Mans via land travel aboard Porsche vehicles to take in the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

VIP treatment for Espinosa and the rest of the winners also included a breathtaking helicopter ride to marvel at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe from a most exclusive perch. A more comprehensive guided ground-level tour was additionally made available. Meanwhile, awardees with the compunction to speed were able to sign up for a stint aboard a go-kart, or take it slow and deliberate aboard the scenic Big Wheel for sweeping, panoramic views of the Le Mans countryside.

“I feel extremely proud to be the only Filipino to be recognized with this award. I’ve always taken seriously the privilege of being able to sell Porsche vehicles, and I thank my Porsche Philippines family for the opportunity and trust to do so,” said Espinosa.

As mentioned, the 100 winners of the Porsche Sales Excellence Award had a front seat to the most famous endurance race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The perfect, elusive blend of history and challenge has made it a Holy Grail in motorsports. Since 1923, the world’s oldest active sports car marathon has captivated the imagination of participants and fans alike. Le Mans has given rise to similar competitions held in locations such as Daytona, Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst.

Inextricably linked to the legend of Le Mans is German supercar maker Porsche, by far the most winning marque in the hallowed race. The Stuttgart-based brand, already noted for its distinguished motorsports history spanning six decades of more than 30,000 victories, further cemented its place of honor in Le Mans by recently notching yet another triumph – upping the brand’s collection of victories there to an incredible 18.