“What is this? Where did this come from? Who are these names?”

The young, scraggly haired baggage screener at Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, bolts from his state of reverie and snaps to full attention.

He asks again, this time louder: “What is this thing? Where did you get it? Who are all these names?”

I almost croak when he yanks the white racing helmet from its bag and begins examining its autographs. I finally stammer, “They’re Grand Prix champions. You know … Formula One drivers. All of them are great racers, great champions.” He looks confused before finally showing signs of vague recognition. “Senna?” he asks. “Where is Senna’s name?”

I explain that the late Ayrton Senna’s name isn’t on it. “Massa?” he asks. I say that Felipe Massa was almost a World Driving Champion but not quite. He seems satisfied when I show him autographs from Brazilian legends Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet. After glancing into the empty bag, he stuffs the helmet back in and hands it to me. “Go ahead,” he says, motioning toward the departure gate for TAM Flight 8076 to Miami. “Have a good trip. Next, please.”

That eternity in December 2008 in Manaus was the only time I feared for my project. I had carried the white Simpson helmet through 17 airports in the United States, France, England, Germany and Brazil without incident. Screeners had occasionally admired it, but this kid was the first to give it the evil eye. I was terrified that after getting most of the autographs I needed, some midlevel customs bureaucrat would say it couldn’t leave the country.

Meeting Michael Schumacher in Toronto during a hectic April in 2008.

In November 2007, I’d begun collecting autographs from retired and active F1 World Driving Champions. My aim was to raise money for children’s charities, selling a helmet signed by (at the time) the 20 surviving F1 champions. The first was Phil Hill’s, in California, shortly after the Phoenix NASCAR weekend. Six days later, in south Florida, I added Jacques Villeneuve and Fittipaldi. Two weeks later, in Pennsylvania, it was Mario Andretti. Three days after that, I got Sir Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and John Surtees in London.

A little more than a month later -- January 2008 -- I visited Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso in Paris. I went overnight to rural England for Jody Scheckter’s autograph. In February -- on very short notice -- I dashed overnight from Virginia to Sebring, Florida, to meet with Nigel Mansell. Within 12 hectic April days, I got Michael Schumacher in Toronto and Niki Lauda in Vienna. In late May, a colleague helped with Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen in Monte Carlo.

Later that summer, I got Alan Jones’ signature in California before shipping the helmet to Sir Jack Brabham in Queensland, Australia. In December 2008, I met Lewis Hamilton in London and Piquet in Brasília. After taking 2009 to regroup, I got the last two champions I needed --Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel -- in December 2010 in London. The helmet is up to date through last year: 20 living champions plus the now-late Phil Hill and Brabham.

Despite being an outlier of the highest order -- an aging American NASCAR writer -- I was treated royally by F1’s drivers and staff. Prost’s housekeeper offered refreshments and opened the trophy room while the four-time champion rushed home from a meeting. Schumacher couldn’t have been nicer, showing up precisely on time and on location, then patiently standing for photos. Instead of calling a cab, Piquet schlepped me from his office back to my hotel in Brasília. (En route he apologized for taking a business call.) Lauda graciously posed for photos and insisted I rest and refresh in his office before taking the overnight train from Vienna back to Cologne. Jones extended an autograph session at Laguna Seca when he saw me deep in line, frantically waving the helmet. Stewart asked politely if he might sign across the bottom, just below the visor. (You, sir, can sign anywhere you’d like.) In countless ways great and small, the F1 community embraced me at every turn. FYI: A few NASCAR drivers could learn manners from these gentlemen.

Mario Andretti signs helmet

Start to finish -- and skipping 2009 -- the project took from November 2007 to December 2010. I endured 50 takeoffs and landings. On the other hand, Europe’s high-speed trains entranced me. I got autographs on three continents, in eight countries and 12 states and logged about 68,000 miles on land, sea and air. I managed on the cheap, scouring websites for travel bargains, using frequent-flier miles and accepting travel vouchers from colleagues. I rarely paid for lodging, sleeping mostly at airport departure gates and on trains, buses and ferries. I found a McDonald’s in Monte Carlo, a Burger King in Brasília and a KFC in London. I navigated the London Underground and the Paris Metro, and mastered the Nice-Monte Carlo shuttle. All the while, the helmet and Sharpies never left my side.

Why I did it

Years ago, I began selling autographed racing helmets to help support the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina. The Petty family built VJGC to honor Adam Petty (Richard’s grandson, Kyle’s son), who was creating the facility for special-needs kids when he died in a 2000 NASCAR accident. The first helmet carried every surviving Daytona 500 winner’s autograph. Next I did a helmet autographed by every surviving Indy 500 winner; later, helmets autographed by Sprint Cup champions, Sprint Cup championship owners and Chase drivers. Every dime from every sale—about $25,000—went to VJGC and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, the camp’s annual fundraising event. (Visit the camp, witness the courage and spirit of those kids and their families, and leave a changed person.)

In October 2007, knowing I needed another charity project, longtime friend and world-class motorsports journalist Randy Hallman of Richmond, Virginia, blithely suggested F1 champions. I quickly dismissed that as folly until friends at Indy provided their USGP contact list. With nothing to lose, I dispatched letters and emails around the world, pitching my idea and recounting past successes. Richard and Kyle Petty, Roger Penske and Mike Helton sent endorsement letters, and friends in the NASCAR media called people who offered to help. After all, it takes a village … and that village helped me accomplish something many doubted could be done.

So what becomes of the helmet carrying the autographs of 22 men with a combined 45 F1 titles? On May 14, the good people at RM Sotheby’s auctions are offering it for public sale during a showing in Monte Carlo. Hopefully, someone with a love of Formula One history and an abiding concern for children’s causes makes a generous bid. Depending on the laws of the buyer’s country, the accepted bid becomes a tax-deductible donation spread among four 501(c)(3) charities doing extraordinary things for children: the Victory Junction Gang Camp, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation.

One question remains: After scaling the Mount Everest of motorsports autographs, what’s next?

How to Bid on a One-of-a-Kind Collectible

You want this classic motorsports collectible, don’t you? Absolutely. You’re a serious Formula One fan who appreciates the value of a helmet signed by 22 World Driving Champions. Plus, you know that income from the sale will support charities that do extraordinary work for children. Only problem is, you’re busy May 14, the day RM Sotheby’s will auction the helmet in Monte Carlo.

Not to worry.

Become a bidder by registering at rmsothebys.com/registration/

When the sale begins, a button on the website’s homepage reading “bid live” will direct you to the online bidding system. Bidding requires advance registration, done on the RM Sotheby’s website.

You can become a bidder four ways: on-site and in person in Monte Carlo; by telephone; by the online system; or absentee. The latter is a maximum bid for RM Sotheby’s to execute on a client’s behalf. If bidding exceeds that amount, the client is shut out; if the highest bid is below the absentee amount, the client gets the helmet for the lower amount.

For those bidding by phone, a RM Sotheby’s representative will call 10 minutes before the sale and stay connected until the helmet is sold.

You want it, and imagine the good you’ll be doing for children served by the Victory Junction Gang Camp, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation and the Jimmie Johnson Foundation.

Knock yourself out … and thank you.

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