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The fast life of Manfred Jantke - slowed down from 376 km/h to 7 km/h

Name: Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 1972
Brand: Porsche

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Created on May 2, 2020

Text:

Thomas Suter

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Archiv Jantke

Archiv Jantke (Foto Julius Weitmann)

Daniel Reinhard

Archiv Jantke

Archiv Jantke (Foto Julius Weitmann)

Manfred Jantke brought the sponsor Rothmans on board

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Manfred Jantke in his room full of memories of the past

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Manfred Jantke also organized tennis tournaments for Porsche

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Not everything always ran smoothly, as this bent connecting rod shows

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Manfred Jantke in the Formula Vau at the Norisring a few years ago

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Manfred Jantke was also on the road with the Beetle

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7 km/h applies in the pedestrian zone on Lake Constance

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Manfred Jantke drifting in a BMW 1500 for photos in the auto motor und sport magazine. The photo was taken by Julius Weitmann

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Manfred Jantke in his Formula V time in the years 1968/1969

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Manfred Jantke wins Formula V Rhine Cup race in Hockenheim 1969

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Celebrity visit - Jantke with conductor Herbert von Karajan in the bucket seat

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Prominent visitors - from left to right - Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann (Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG), Manfred Jantke, Helmut Bott (Member of the Executive Board of Porsche AG responsible for Technology), Herbert von Karajan (conductor) and Helmut Klauser (Porsche engineer)

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Manfred Jantke at the presentation of the Porsche Carrera RS in 1972

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Manfred Jantke with Georg Bohlender (Dunlop press manager) in the early 70's

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IAA Frankfurt 1973 - from left to right - Manfred Jantke, Jackie Stewart, Huschke von Hanstein, Mike Kranefuss and Jochen Mass

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Manfred Jantke in the three-liter Ford Capri touring car in 1973

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Jochen Neerpasch with Manfred Jantke in 1973

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Test drives with the 911 Turbo - from left to right - Helmuth Bott (Chief Technical Officer of Porsche AG), Manfred Jantke and Paul Frère 1973

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Manfred Jantke with the CanAm Porsche 917/30

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In the sponsors' clothing - Manfred Jantke with Jochen Mass (reclining)

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Manfred Jantke with Porsche team in (Boss) shell in 1976

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Manfred Jantke with Porsche Team in Temkleidung in 1976

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After the Le Mans victory in 1976 - Manfred Jantke with the winners Lennep and Ickx

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When it was still easy - agreement that the Le Mans prize money would be distributed among the drivers

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Manfred Jantke with all the prize money from Le Mans 1977

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Manfred Jantke (left) with Bob Wollek (right)

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At Porsche - from left to right - Manfred Jantke, employee of Count Rossi, Count Gregorio Rossi di Montelera (owner and head of Martini&Rossi)

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Manfred Jantke (far right in picture) finishes second with Tracy Austin behind Anne Overton and John Hafner at the Pro Executive Tennis Doubles in Mission Hills/California in 1978

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Dedication by Ivan Lendl for Manfred Jantke

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Ivan Lendl (tennis star) pushes Manfred Jantke in the wrong-hand drive kart

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Manfred Jantke also once competed in the fast two-man bobsleigh

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Manfred Jantke and Peter W. Schutz with the Porsche 956 Group C model in 1981

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Cheers in the Porsche pits at the triple victory at Le Mans in 1982

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Manfred Jantke (presenter) congratulates winner Martina Navratilova at the 1982 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt

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Manfred Jantke with Stefan Bellof around 1983

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Manfred Jantke with Ickx at the Paris-Dakar in 1984

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Manfred Jantke with works driver Jochen Mass

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Manfred Jantke with the three Andrettis at Le Mans 1988 (from left to right: Mario, Michael and John)

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Manfred Jantke with Jacky Ickx and his wife

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Summary

Manfred Jantke could have become a racing driver and would probably have been successful, as he had no lack of basic speed. But he opted for a career as a motoring journalist and race director, contributing not only to the success of "auto motor und sport", but also to that of Porsche. This portrait tells the exciting story of Manfred Jantke and shows the stages of his life in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Secondary school teacher as a goal
Jantke and the fast drift angles
Pioneer in Formula Vee
Jantke and the great white wall
Co-savior of the 911
Special friendships and enmities
Jantke and the racing drivers
Jantke and Le Mans
Jantke and Formula 1
Jantke and big names
Jantke and his own cars
Jantke today and racing
Jantke's family and the war

Estimated reading time: 21min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The car becomes lighter and lighter, more unstable. Downforce as in today's racing cars is still a foreign concept - it is difficult to keep the track at all, to be on the safe side a line in the middle of the road is chosen and the temptation to use the entire width of the road is resisted... The Porsche 936 thunders along the "Ligne Droite des Hunaudières" in Le Mans at 376 km/h, a straight six kilometers long and not yet disfigured by chicanes. Behind the wheel is not six-time Le Mans winner and Porsche works driver Jacky Ickx, but Porsche race director Manfred Jantke. "It was an extraordinary feeling to drive this race car at this high speed - the respect for the racing drivers who drive 24 hours at the limit cannot be great enough," is Jantke's summary after this hellish ride.

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