Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1494211
reap the financial fruits of his la- bor. "We were told that Motokov [the Czech government arm that oversaw international motor- cycle and automobile business] had burned down. They said, 'there is nothing left.'" Apparently, all Velky's prize money had been stashed in the building, because he net- ted nothing for his efforts other than, "a small check I received from Champion Spark Plugs and Castrol Oil endorsements." After the Inter-Am Series, Velky returned to Europe and scored two impressive 250 Grands Prix victories, winning both the West German and French GPs. The following sea- son, CZ moved him to the 125 class, where he struggled to be competitive. "I was not happy with that bike. The engine was very weak…not good performance. I didn't even want to come to the USA for the 125cc GP that year, but I did, mostly so my teammate Jiri Churavy would not have to be alone. Also, the team told me that I would be responsible for travel expenses, regardless of whether or not I made the trip." On that day, Velky went 10-5 for fifth overall, which would be one of the top European perfor- mances on a day dominated by American riders Marty Smith, Bob Hannah and Billy Grossi. Velky's professional career ended in the 1980s, though he continued to race until 2017, when he was invited to compete in the CZ World Champion- ships in California. "I was surprised to see so many CZ machines in such fabulous condition," he says. "It is wonderful that people are still rid- ing and racing them." No longer under the iron fist, he and his good friend Jaroslav Falta (who passed away last year) were able to visit the plac- es that had been off limits years earlier. "We saw Joshua Tree, Tahoe, Yellow- stone and Big Sur," he says. "I love nature! And driving the coastal highway while dodg- ing California fires was quite an adventure!" And what became of CZ? How could a brand that was so successful in the 1960s and early '70s, capable of winning supercross races in 1975, disap- pear from the motocross scene just a couple of years later? Velky, now 71, believes that the success of the team riders on the CZs may have ironically helped usher in the company's demise. "The works bikes had many modifications to be competi- tive," he says. "We had different ignition, carburetor, forks and shocks. But the factory only saw that we were winning races and they decided that the everyday bikes were fine. They saw noth- ing wrong with your average CZ." While that "average CZ" may have been a good motorcycle in 1975, motocross was evolv- ing, and last year's bikes were like yesterday's fish. By 1977, CZs had vanished from AMA results. As late as 1992, the company was still offering a 400cc model that was sprung with twin shocks, powered by an air-cooled motor and looking very much like it was 1975 all over again. "They were stuck" Velky says today, "in the lost, glory years." CN thanks Martina Faltova- Cope for her assistance in trans - lation. For more information on, "The Stolen Title," the story of her father Jaroslav Falta's 1974 Grand Prix season, visit falta - book.com. CN CNIIARCHIVES P132 Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives ships in California. "I was surprised to see so many CZ machines in such fabulous condition," he says. "It is wonderful that people are still rid- ing and racing them." No longer under the good friend Jaroslav away last year) were able to visit the plac- es that had been off the coastal highway while dodg- Velky and fellow countryman Jaroslav Falta went 1-2 at the Inter- Am round in Lexington, Ohio, in 1974.