THE CZECH

The late Terry Pratt captured this image of Jaroslav Falta during practice at the 1972 Trophee des Nations in Genk, Belgium, where his Czechoslovakian team would finish second to the Roger De Coster-led Belgians. At the time, Falta was a barely-known entity on the FIM World Championship circuit. But over the years, the friendly, charismatic, and fast CZ rider would become the darling of the Grand Prix paddock, in part because of his constant battles with the Gennady Moiseev-led Russians. It all boiled over at the ’74 finale in Switzerland, where Falta survived several take-out moves by Moiseev and his teammates to claim the world title, only to later be disqualified, following a dubious protest, for jumping the starting gate. You will find much more on Falta and the CZ brand in Sir Jack Burnicle’s feature “When Everything was Simpler”.

Photo By: terry pratt