When the world feels too scary, look for the helpers

Mud. Sadness. Despair.

We’ve all seen the destruction brought by Hurricane Helene. I try not to watch, to be honest. As a Florida resident, I know that could easily be me. 

In fact, it has been us–if you expand “us” to include friends and family. During Helene, a friend in St. Pete was totally flooded. “Pro tip,” she joked online, “store your storm surge water in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator so it stays cool and fresh!” 

Thanks to flooding, she wound up throwing away most of her possessions. It was cathartic, she told me. Not sure I could maintain that stiff upper lip in her position.  

The New York Times shared a storm impact story from a little farther away–up in North Carolina. The reel followed Elizabeth Barker through the remains of her home. It still had four walls and a roof, but the floor was covered mud–deep, soft mud. The rising water even flooded the attic.

“It’s really hard to see everything you own and love covered in mud,” she muses, footage showing keepsakes unceremoniously tossed into a pile. 

Cut to her sister heading over to help.

Did the camera just show a wing hanging off her trunk lid? 

Cut to inside the sister’s car.

Is that the unmistakable burble of an uncorked Subaru? A halo seat? A nanosecond glimpse of an STi logo on the steering wheel? 

Cut to arriving at her sister’s home. Hugs, words of support. 

Did I just see a GRM logo on the back of her T-shirt? 

The sister of the flooding victim is Mary Samuel. She ran an early Impreza at Pikes Peak this year. After taking the checker, she tied the knot. The newlyweds drove down from the hill in tandem, “Just married” written on the windshields. I got a photo of both cars together and posted it on our forum. You can find her name in the race results on our website.

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

Suddenly, this became personal to the rest of us–as in those of us in the motorsports community. These weren’t random people living a million miles away. These were people we’ve paddocked with. 

And our community quickly moved to help them. Soon after photos of the destruction started to circulate, I got a press release from GMP Performance: Help us fill our haulers with supplies. They sought water, nonperishables, toiletries and more. The shop had a loading dock and pallet jack at the ready. 

Seemed noble, I figured, so we quickly turned it into an online news item. I replied to the press release, not even sure if that box was being watched. 

[GMP Performance: Help fill its haulers with hurricane supplies]

I immediately got a reply from Stephen Klitzsch, the president of the company: Thank you.

In his signature: German Motoring Passion since 1975.

Dang, that’s old. 

A short while later, it hit me: I’m equally old. Thirty-plus years ago, during my days at Automod, we moved a ton of Zender parts–mostly aero for BMW, Benz and Volkswagen. 

The Zender importer at the time? GMP Performance. Joe Klitzsch, Stephen’s dad, was our point of contact. I still have my master catalog. On the back cover: a sticker sporting GMP’s info. 

When someone breaks at the $2000 Challenge, who first arrives with a hand, a needed part and a welder ready to go? Fellow competitors.

When someone runs into car trouble at Solo Nats–or even a local autocross–who first offers a replacement ride? Fellow competitors.

We had someone at a local BMX skate park event blow a tire during competition. Two dudes–one from each side of the bowl–immediately ran over, offering their bikes so the run could be completed before the clock ran out. 

I constantly watch our forum community members help each other.

Egg on a bad idea? They could present a master class. 

Relay in parts from a few states away to help avoid shipping costs? Happens all the time.

Offer emotional support and, should things go sideways, a comforting shoulder? Yeah, they do that, too. 

Despite what I see in the news, I believe there is good in most of us. And I’m not totally naïve. I’ve stood across the street from Nazis. I’ve been called horrible names while marching for social justice. I watch the national news. 

But when it’s one on one, I think most of us choose to be good. 

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