Jaroslav Falta (22 March 1951 – 27 March 2022) was a Czech professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1971 to 1982.

As a member of the ČZ factory racing team, Falta was one of the top motocross racers of the early 1970s in the F.I.M. 250cc Motocross World Championship, and is also a five-time Czechoslovak Motocross Champion.

Motorcycle racing career Falta was born on 22 March 1951 in Rumburk in Czechoslovakia (today in the Czech Republic) near the East Germany border. He grew up in the nearby Jiříkov. After joining the ČZ factory racing team, he scored the first World Championship points of his career at the 1971 250cc Swiss Grand Prix. He won the first Grand Prix race of his career at the 1972 250cc British Grand Prix.

Falta very nearly claimed the 1974 250cc world championship, however it was Soviet rider, Guennady Moisseev, who would ultimately secure the crown in a controversy-filled final race of the season. The 1974 250cc world championship was a season-long battle between KTM's Moisseev and CZ's Falta. Moisseev won the first race of the season and took the overall victory at the season opening Spanish Grand Prix. Falta won both races at the Italian Grand Prix followed with a win in the first moto of his home Grand Prix in Czechoslovakia but, then suffered two breakdowns in Poland while Moisseev won both races. Falta won a moto in Yugoslavia and at the halfway point of the season, he trailed the Russian rider by 20 points. Each rider took a second place at the West German Grand Prix but, Falta won a moto at the Dutch Grand Prix to close the points gap to 5 points going into the final race of the season in Switzerland.

At the final event of the 1974 season, Falta took the lead in the first moto and appeared to be heading for victory while Moisseev was struggling with rear suspension failure. When Falta came upon the slowing Russian rider and tried to pass him, the KTM rider made an attempt to obstruct him allowing second and third place riders, Harry Everts and Håkan Andersson to catch up. At one point Falta attempted to pass Moisseev, but the Russian rider collided with him causing him to fall off his bike. Falta was quickly able to remount but, finished the race in third place, losing some more points to Moisseev. Falta now had to win the final moto to have any chance to claim the world championship. As the race began, Falta once again jumped into the lead. Moisseev was forced to retire on the seventh lap with mechanical problems. A win looked certain, but Falta came upon two Russian riders, Victor Popenko and Eugeny Rybaltchenko, and both appeared to attempt to block Falta's passing attempts. Falta continued to pressure the two riders, and during another passing attempt, Rybaltchenko rode into him, knocking the Czech rider down. Falta remounted in third place, and race officials waved the black flag at the two Russian riders, disqualifying them from the race. Falta was able to catch up and pass Everts and Gaston Rahier to recapture the lead and win the race. This apparently clinched the world championship for Falta. However, two hours after the conclusion of the race, the FIM received a protest from the Russian team, alleging Falta had jumped the start. FIM jury officials ultimately sided with the Russian team and instituted a one-minute penalty on Falta. The penalty dropped him to eighth place, handing the world championship to Moisseev and relegating Falta to second place in the final standings.

Falta competed in his final World Championship race at the 1982 250cc Spanish Grand Prix at the age of 31. He won 16 individual heat races and 4 Grand Prix victories during his world championship racing career. He was a 250cc Motocross Vice Champion (1974) and a five-time Czechoslovak Motocross National Champion (1970, 1977-1980). Falta was a member of three Czechoslovak Trophée des Nations teams (1971-1973) and two Motocross des Nations teams (1976, 1978). Although Falta failed to win the world championship, he showed impressive ability when he defeated three-time 500cc world champion Roger De Coster to win the 1974 Super Bowl of Motocross at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Falta is noted for his loyalty to the Czech bikes he raced, and helped illustrate to the world that the CZ marquee were winning machines by scoring four Grand Prix victories against the world's best riders, such as Harry Everts, Joel Robert, Guennady Moiseev, Hakan Andersson and Gaston Rahier. Additionally, in 1974, Falta traveled to the United States, and raced selected Inter-AMA events with his teammate Zdenek Velky, and their trainer Hrebecek. To the surprise of many in attendance, Falta would clinch a victory in Los Angeles Coliseum in front of approximately 65,000 motocross fans.

Falta is somewhat of a motocross hero, and proved inspirational to many riders and a model to follow for many fans. Michel Turk, President of Motor-Union Luxembourg, admitted: "With his win in Los Angeles, Jaroslav Falta gave me the "last kick" to decide that I wanted to be a motocross racer in 1975. I want to thank Jaroslav for the wonderful time he has given me. I admire him very much and I want to thank Jaroslav for being my hero for many years as a young boy, and I hope to meet him somewhere in a near future."

Several publications in the Czech Republic narrate Falta's career, including the book Ukradený titul written by Ivo Helikar, sport editor of CMN and the son of one of Falta's trainers, František Helikar. There are also English versions, thanks to the translation of Martina Faltová, Jaroslav's daughter. Falta lived in a small village outside Prague. He continued to be in touch with motocross, restoring old bikes and occasionally visiting motocross races. He has been a visitor at past Grand Prixs held in Loket in the Czech Republic.

Motocross Grand Prix Results

Points system from 1969 to 1980:

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 1971 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP- CH8 CH10 POL- POL- GER3 GER7 YUG3 YUG7 ITA6 ITA6 NED9 NED- GDR9 GDR7 FIN- FIN- SWE- SWE- UK13 UK- AUT7 AUT3 9th 36 1972 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP- FRA2 FRA26 NED- NED9 TCH- TCH- YUG- YUG9 GER3 GER- POL6 POL4 USR9 USR5 FIN6 FIN5 SWE9 SWE8 UK1 UK2 CH- CH- 9th 39 1973 250cc ČZ ESP7 ESP- ITA- ITA3 BEL- BEL6 CH4 CH4 POL5 POL4 YUG- YUG2 FRA- FRA- FIN6 FIN6 USR5 USR- SWE8 SWE- AUT6 AUT4 6th 86 1974 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP3 ITA1 ITA1 TCH- TCH1 POL- POL- YUG- YUG1 UK4 UK7 GER- GER2 NED- NED1 FIN2 FIN- SWE- SWE4 CH3 CH8 2nd 139 1975 250cc ČZ ESP5 ESP8 AUT1 AUT1 BEL- BEL- TCH- TCH1 POL- POL- YUG- YUG- GER- GER- UK- UK- FRA- FRA- SWE- SWE- FIN- FIN- CH- CH- 11th 54 1976 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP- BEL1 BEL5 TCH5 TCH1 POL- POL- USR- USR6 YUG- YUG- ITA8 ITA8 FRA- FRA- UK10 UK- GER- GER- NED- NED- SWE- SWE- 10th 54 1977 250cc ČZ ESP6 ESP2 CH- CH- BEL- BEL- TCH- TCH1 ITA10 ITA6 AUT6 AUT6 USR3 USR- YUG- YUG- GER8 GER- UK- UK- SWE10 SWE- FIN- FIN9 9th 64 1978 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP9 ITA- ITA4 TCH- TCH- YUG7 YUG4 AUT1 AUT2 GER- GER6 UK- UK- FRA- FRA- USA8 USA- SWE7 SWE- FIN- FIN- USR- USR- 9th 61 1979 250cc ČZ ESP1 ESP5 NED- NED- ITA6 ITA7 BEL- BEL- YUG7 YUG- TCH4 TCH- POL- POL- FRA- FRA- FIN5 FIN- USA- USA- GER- GER- BUL3 BUL- 10th 58 1980 250cc ČZ ESP- ESP1 TCH1 TCH4 GER6 GER7 BEL- BEL2 POL10 POL- USR8 USR5 UK- UK- FRA- FRA- NED- NED- USA- USA- FIN10 FIN3 SWE- SWE- 7th 80 1982 250cc ČZ CH10 CH- ESP3 ESP- BEL- BEL- TCH- TCH- ITA- ITA- FRA- FRA- UK- UK- NED- NED- USR- USR- USA- USA- FIN- FIN- SWE- SWE- 23rd 11Sources:

References

External links Jaroslav Falta photographs Czech Television documentary "Motokrosař století" (Motocross racer of the century) about Jaroslav Falta - in Czech