VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P131
it was! Falta, in his first-ever su-
percross event, was the overall
winner at the Superbowl, while
Velky secured the championship
in the four-race Inter-Am series.
"The 1974 trip was my first
visit to the United States," recalls
Velky. "Jaroslav and I were like
little kids! Everything was so new
to us. Even visiting the 7-11 [con
-
venience store] was an experi-
ence, as we couldn't understand
how American gasoline stations
worked."
It was a difficult time to be a
Czechoslovakian resident, living
under watchful Communist rule
and during their time in the U.S.,
Velky and his CZ teammates
were closely monitored by their
team managers.
"We didn't get to travel any
-
where other than to the races.
Our trip was work, just a summer
break and when it ended, we had
to return to Europe for the Grand
Prix season."
Although though the once-
prestigious series had faded in
its importance by the mid '70s,
the Inter-Am series was still con-
tested by all of the major teams.
Even Roger DeCoster would
make an appearance in the '74
series. Velky took overall wins
in Lexington, Ohio, and again in
Springfield, New York, to capture
the series' crown for CZ.
He returned to the U.S. in 1975
but was unable to successfully
defend his title. The Nebraska
event was Velky's best ride,
though his second-moto vic
-
tory that day wasn't enough to
overcome a fourth-place finish
in the first race, and he finished
second to series' champion Tony
DiStefano.
It would be at the Superbowl
of Motocross where Velky nearly
snagged what would've been the
signature win of his career. He
easily won the first moto (indoor
events still used a three-moto
format at that time) and finished
second in moto two, only to en
-
counter bad luck in the third and
final moto.
"I could've won it, but I had a
few falls in the third moto. The
atmosphere was amazing. We
were used to big crowds, espe-
cially on our home tracks such
as the Holice GP, but they were
spread out over the countryside,
not sitting next to each other in a
stadium."
Like his Czech teammate
Falta, Zdenek Velky would not
Velky won the Inter-Am MX Series Championship aboard a CZ in 1974.
