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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1467929
brother will need it." While Jaroslav Falta may have tried to forget motocross, motocross' fans would not forget him! In 1997, Ivo Helikar (the son of my father's coach) and I wrote a book about my father's career. It was called "Ukradený titul," which translates to "Stolen Title." For the first time in years, he began to open up and share some feelings about his rac- ing. Still, he was often unable to speak comfortably about the 1974 incident. We would do book tours and many interviews, but when the conversation turned to Wohlen and the Swiss Grand Prix, my father would get tears in his eyes, and he could not answer the questions. It was not until the last few years of his life that he would return to coaching and riding. He began making trips around the world to ride in vintage events, some of them for CZ riders only. Along with his old friend and CZ teammate Zdenek Velky, Dad traveled to the United States for the CZ World Championships as a guest of honor. He was often introduced as the "real" 1974 250cc World Champion! He was overwhelmed by the attention he received from these race fans. I set up a Facebook page for him and he would scroll through, read the many affectionate com- ments, and just shake his head in disbelief. He had no idea how greatly he was loved. Ironically, the fact that he did not win the title seemed to make him some- thing even greater than a cham- pion for motocross fans around the world. He slowly began to embrace motorcycles and his beloved sport of motocross once again. He even began coaching young riders here in the Czech Repub- lic. This year, my mother and father were planning a special trip—to Switzerland! He even planned to return once again to the city of Wohlen. Perhaps the healing process had begun! I called my father on March 22, which was his 71st birthday. He was in a great mood—working in his shop and fixing something. We didn't phone each other often, so when my mother called me again just five days later, I knew immediately that some- thing was wrong. My mother said he hadn't been feeling well that day. Initially, they had attributed it to an old spine injury suffered in a motorcycle accident in 2007. He had learned to live with a lot of pain; some days, he simply just needed to rest, which is what he was doing that day. But when he said he was struggling to breathe, my mother called for the ambulance. The man who defeated the world's best riders on the race- track, who would later overcome a life-threatening blood disease and a nearly paralyzing back injury, would not go gently from this world. He was revived twice, before finally, resting in my mother's arms, the man who I loved and adored more than any words can say was gone. His funeral was held at the largest funeral hall in our coun- try. Friends came in on buses and airplanes to honor my father. His former teammates, some of them now needing the help of walkers and crutches, stood guard at his casket. His friend Zdenek Velky told everyone, "as much as we raced and fought on the track, that much we also loved each other. We were at each other weddings as best men—and now we are here." The pathology report showed something that we had long suspected: my father had a large heart—one-third larger than that of a normal human being! It did not contribute to his death; in fact, I like to think that his special heart helped make him the spe- cial man that he was, to both you and me. As I mentioned, my father was famous for bringing home things that we thought were not necessary. "Maybe one day," he said, "you will need it." I now know that one of those things that he brought into my life was his courage. Tata, you are right—I do need it, now more than ever before. "Stolen Title," the story about Jaroslav Falta's life and career will be published in English in the fall of 2022... Editor Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives CN III ARCHIVES P124