Friends and supporters of popular German TT rider Karsten Schmidt have rallied around in the Isle of Man to help after his treasured commemorative centenary TT helmet was stolen.

Karsten was seriously injured in a crash at Barregarroo during the 2010 TT and now lives in a residential home where he receives 24-hour care.

Helen Gibson, a friend of Karsten and his wife Simone, said the helmet, one that he had used on occasion for racing, was kept in sight on a cupboard near his bed side but it mysteriously went missing around Christmas time.

As it was a memento from his racing career, this upset him greatly and it has never been traced.

Helen said: ’Karsten remembers that he raced and his room is full of photos and memorabilia. This caused him great distress and Simone was in despair. We don’t know where it went, it might even have been taken by someone visiting the home.’

But following an appeal on Facebook, Stephen Fitzgerald, from Peel, former sector marshal at Ballacraine, made the generous gesture of donating his own centenary TT replica helmet to Karsten.

And after a further appeal FCX Worldwide Express at Ronaldsway was generous enough to deliver the helmet to Karsten free of charge.

Helen, who is in touch with the family quite regularly, said: ’He was wearing it within minutes. He remembers the Isle of Man and his racing career and people in the Isle of Man remember him with great fondness. He was very popular and a lot of people still keep in touch.

’When I posted something on Facebook, Steve saw it. He had bought the centenary helmet as a collector’s item but he decided there was no point in him hanging on to it if someone else would benefit.

’After I spoke to the carrier, it was delivered to Karsten within two days.’

She said although Karsten now lives in the home and uses a wheelchair to get around, he is visited almost daily by Simone and by their son who is now a teenager.

’His room is full of photos and memorabilia,’ she said.

After Karsten’s accident, a Facebook page, Get Well Soon, was set up by his friends to help them keep in contact and it was there that Simone had posted the news of the theft.

After starting racing in 1986 on an FZ750 Yamaha, Karsten’s first appearance at the TT was in 2003. He competed in more than 20 races on the Mountain Course.