“Yesterday, after ten o’clock in the evening, Jarda died. It was sudden, it allegedly hit the heart,” said family friend and Falt’s manager Jiří Hejtík.
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Falta, a native of Rumburk, made his debut on the international motocross scene at the age of 17. Between 1971 and 1982, he placed in the top ten eight times in the 250cc World Championships and won four Grand Prix. In 1974, he won the title of world champion, which he lost behind the scenes by political tricks, and the Soviet representative Gennady Mosesev became the champion.
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In the last race of the even season, the Soviet riders tried to slow down Falta in various ways, yet thanks to the victory in the final race, he managed to get the necessary points for the title. After the race, the Soviet team protested him for an early start and the jury accepted him in close proportion. Falta was penalized and fell from first to eighth place. At the later FIM Czechoslovak Congress. the officials withdrew the dispute from the agenda.
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In 2001, Falta was declared the Czech motocross racer of the century, a year earlier he finished second to František Šťastný in the poll for the best domestic motorcycle racer of the century. The year before, President Miloš Zeman awarded him the Medal of Merit of the First Degree. After racing, Falta renovated his old motorcycles. His career is charted by the book The Stolen Title.
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