Christian Menzel – Driving a Porsche to slow down

Christian Menzel has experienced a great deal in motor racing. He not only won the German Kart Trophy in 1989, but also the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and in Daytona as well as the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Asia. Today, he contributes his experience behind the wheel as an expert in driving safety and driving dynamics, TV commentator and test driver for the Fast Lap format of auto, motor und sport. There he puts sports cars from yesterday and today through their paces. He is known for one thing in particular: Christian Menzel doesn’t mince his words. We met the multiple Carrera Cup champion at the Nürburgring and found out why today he often prefers to drive very slowly.

What makes a good racing driver? Christian Menzel has his very own theory!

Anyone who knows Christian Menzel from television or YouTube knows that the native Rhinelander always has a snappy line up his sleeve! Want an example? At the beginning of the 90s, Christian was invited to an interview with Renault race director Rolf Schmitt as part of a sighting. When asked what makes a good racing driver, his competitors replied with phrases such as: “He has to be able to sell himself well” or “He has to be fast”. And Christian’s answer? “You first have to score points with the sponsor’s wife, where the money comes from! She has to like you!’”

Anyone who thinks Christian is just a joker is very much mistaken. “I’ve always lent a hand” recalls the racing driver, who was born in 1971, looking at his old racing kart hanging on the wall in the garage. Even as a 12-year-old, the he worked at his parents’ petrol station to finance his dream of a go-karting career. This eagerness to work has characterized Christian throughout his whole career.

You first have to score points with the sponsor’s wife, where the money comes from! She needs to like you!

Christian Menzel

Together with his father Hans, he formed a two-man team during his go-karting career. Although Hans Menzel supported his son’s career as much as he could, the Menzels were unable to keep up financially with the top teams. Nevertheless, Christian won his first major title in 1989 – the German Kart Trophy.

From formula racing to touring cars

This was followed by numerous race wins in the ADAC BMW Formula Junior, Formula Renault and Formula 3. 1996 saw his first outing in the Super Touring Car Cup. There, Menzel earned his first merits in closed cars and was promptly promoted to works driver at BMW thanks to good performances and winning an assessment. He rewarded this with a 3rd place in the 1997 Spa 24 Hours, the title of STW Rookie of the Year 1997 and overall victory in the 1998 Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Porsche one-make cups – the “coolest and most honest form of motorsport”

Christian Menzel competed in a Porsche one-make cup for the first time in 1999. The driver from Langenfeld got off to an excellent start. Although he only took part from the third race onwards, he secured the runner-up title. After a brief intermezzo in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) with Opel, Christian’s path led him back to the Porsche Carrera Cup and the American Le Mans Series in 2001.

He has fond memories of his time in the Porsche 996 GT3 Cup: “These cars simply worked well straight away. The conditions were identical for everyone. It really depended on the driver. It was not without risk though, because many have failed in Porsche one-make cups. But anyone who knows a thing about it also knows how hard the fighting is there. That’s still the case today. That’s why Porsche one-make cups are still the coolest and most honest form of motorsport for me”, Christian explains with a twinkle in his eye.

This is no surprise, as Christian Menzel also took the runner-up title in that year’s Carrera Cup. Although he had to miss two races due to contractual obligations in the USA, he was only beaten by a certain Timo Bernhard. From 2002 to 2004, Christian was somewhat unlucky in the Carrera Cup with his Tolimit team, but always achieved respectable successes. In the Porsche Supercup, which is held as part of Formula 1, he again finished runner-up in 2004.

Then in 2005 came the final breakthrough: “With Tolimit, I took four victories, two second places and a third place in the season and we achieved first place in the driver and team rankings”, recalls Christian. In 2008, he moved to Asia. In the Carrera Cup there, he took four wins in his first year and missed out on the championship by just two points. The following year, he won the Carrera Cup Asia title, which he even defended in 2010. Christian Menzel’s CV also includes numerous VLN successes – including in the Haribo Porsche of the Manthey team.

Christian Menzel now also drives a Porsche in his private life

This special relationship with sports cars from Zuffenhausen continues to this day. Christian Menzel owns a Porsche Cayman GT4 from the 981 generation. “This car simply offers a great mix. It is relatively light, has a great engine, a nice manual gearbox, drives very well-balanced… And it may sound a bit boring, but the car is also practical. Thanks to the large frunk and trunk, you can even use it for trips for a few days”, says Christian, summing up the advantages of his speed yellow mid-engine sports car.

“I think people choose a Porsche for three reasons. Firstly, the driving pleasure and the emotion. Secondly, the build quality of the cars. Thirdly, because they hold their value very well”, summarizes the car tester. I want to know what exactly Porsche does so well in these disciplines in his eyes. “I think there are still people working in the right positions at Porsche who have a real passion for sports cars,” he says. “There aren’t many manufacturers today who still manage to build such good and emotional cars despite all the legal requirements and high cost pressure.”

Christian’s favorite Porsche? His Porsche Diesel Junior tractor!

Anyone who thinks that Christian Menzel prefers to go full throttle in his private life after all his racing experience is mistaken. Because even after being a driving dynamics enthusiast for more than three decades, he prefers to enjoy deliberate slowness. And on this subject, the mischievous smile and shining eyes are back. “I love driving around in my Porsche Diesel Junior tractor. It doesn’t reach a top speed of 20 km/h. It’s a brilliant way to slow down mentally!”

And Christian actually uses his 1959 Junior in the right way. “For a long time, I dreamed of having a meadow and mowing it with a Porsche tractor. I was able to fulfill this dream three years ago”, beams the passionate hobby-mechanic. We can hardly contain his enthusiasm. Without further ado, he prepares the Porsche’s bar mower and gives us a demonstration. Even at 65 years of age, the Junior starts up immediately and gets going.

“The tractor is my friend – it does the work, doesn’t whine and as long as the battery has enough voltage, it starts on the button!”

Christian Menzel

David and I can’t help but smile. We are not alone in this reaction – the ex-racing driver is also grinning ear to ear. “I take the tractor up to the Nürburgring from time to time. It doesn’t matter what kind of racing cars or hypercars are in the paddock. When I drive around there with the Junior, people freak out and cheer. They cheer me on, telling me to do another lap around the paddock!”

Menzel views some developments at the Nürburgring with concern

After Christian has mowed his meadow, we take the Cayman for a spin on the winding country roads around the Nürburgring. It’s a great area with lots of beautiful roads and scenic views. We take a short break at a small parking lot near Welcherath. While we philosophize about the characteristics of the GT4, a BMW drives around the bend in a somewhat uncontrolled drift.

The otherwise cheerful, humorous ex-racing driver suddenly becomes serious. “The Nürburgring is the most beautiful playground in the world. Unfortunately, in addition to the many positive Ring maniacs, there are also more and more idiots who drive mindlessly along the country roads and think it’s a legal vacuum. This is incredibly dangerous and causes serious accidents time and time again. The region loves the Nürburgring, but not all parts of the new public”, says the driving safety advocate, almost in a rage. His plea: “Have fun on the Ring, do training sessions under controlled conditions, but stay sensible on the road! Every true Nürburgring fan and Nordschleife driver will thank you!”

Have fun on the Ring, do training sessions under controlled conditions, but stay sensible on the road!

Christian Menzel

Which first Porsche does someone who has already driven so many at the limit recommend?

There are probably few people who have driven more sports cars at the limit than Christian. So I take the opportunity to ask him for his opinion on a topic that comes up again and again for me: “Which model would you recommend to someone who wants to buy their first Porsche?” Christian doesn’t think twice. “Buy an older Boxster or Cayman. Even the base models have great engines that sound fantastic. They are also relatively light and give a lot of feedback,” he concludes.

I would also like to know where Christian would start to improve the driving experience even further. “First of all, you need proper tires and the right pressure. That also means driving tires with an N designation, because they were specially developed for the respective Porsche models. Anyone who says that’s not so important has no clue in my eyes.”

Christian’s second tip concerns the suspension geometry. “Especially if you want to go on the racetrack from time to time, it makes sense to set up your car’s camber and toe properly. Ideally, you should do a proper alignment and, if your suspension is adjustable, have it adjusted with the help of a wheel load scale.”

And Christian Menzel’s dream car?

An interview on Elferspot traditionally ends with the question about the dream Porsche, assuming money was no object. This is where Christian Menzel becomes somewhat philosophical. “As I said, all Porsches are actually great cars in their own right. Of course, I could say Carrera GT or 918 Spyder, but I’ve probably already found my dream car in the Cayman. It has everything I expect from a sports car. After all, a road car is more about the feeling than pure performance anyway”, says the former Porsche works driver.

But he does have a favorite car from his active racing career: “In terms of pure driving satisfaction, my favorite would be the 997 GT3 Cup. You already had a sequential gearbox, but you still had to engage the clutch and downshift yourself!” – And there it was again, the gleam in the eyes of the former racing driver.

You can follow Christian Menzel on Instagram at @christianmenzel.motorsport

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Meet our contributor

Richard Lindhorst is our chief-editor and lives in Northern Germany. He thinks about cars and bikes almost 24/7. If you’ve got a story for him, or just want to get in touch, feel free to contact him on his Instagram (@rchrdlndhrst).

© images: David Fierlinger, Elferspot