Josef Chara: Motocross cosmopolitan who crossed borders

In the 1970s and 80s, Josef Chara was among the elite of Czech motocross riders. In 1986, he won on a Suzuki RM250 in the Teutschenthal valley. During this period, however, there were so many successful Czech riders that it was easy to lose track of them all. Jaroslav Falta, Zdenek Velky, Jiri Churavy, Miroslav Halm, Petr Kovar – to name but a few. They all competed for top places in the World Championship. The tragic story of Falta’s 1974 World Championship title, which was stripped of him on a bureaucratic decision, has now been clarified. The Czechs competed at world-class level for decades, yet to this day no Czech rider has won an official Motocross World Championship title. Josef Chara was not quite in the spotlight alongside the greats of that era, but his story is all the more fascinating because he was one of those Czech riders who had the privilege of competing for non-Czech teams in Western countries – something that was by no means a given during the height of the Cold War. I met Josef Chara at the Falta Memorial in Kostelec, and he shared some very interesting details that were previously unknown to me, at least.

All the Czech stars rode for Dukla Prague

All the well-known Czech motocross riders rode for the Kostelec-based army sports club Dukla Prague, including Josef Chara. Although, strictly speaking, the athletes were works riders for the CZ factory in Strakonice, formally they were members of the armed forces. Training and pre-season preparation at Dukla were organised with military precision. Consequently, the riders were inevitably part of the system – at least on paper and to the outside world.

Block-mindedness versus the sporting spirit

At heart, of course, they all simply wanted to pursue their sport. They couldn’t have cared less about the grand geopolitical issues of the time. Nevertheless, the relationship between sport and politics is important if one is to understand the situation back then. The riders were regarded as representatives of their state, who were also expected to showcase their state’s products. And the products of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic were, after all, CZ motorbikes, which enjoyed worldwide success in the 1970s. They also performed successfully on racetracks in the USA and Western Europe. In 1968, for example, West German rider Willy Bauer was also competing for the team run by CZ importer Neckermann. At that time, a Czech rider – a member of the military in a Warsaw Pact army – riding a Suzuki or Yamaha was tantamount to treason.

Why Josef Chara was nevertheless allowed to compete in France

In the 1980s, the Czech CZs fell further and further behind technically, and even the Dukla works riders noticed how their rivals, with their water-cooled and centrally-suspended Hondas, Suzukis and the like, were pulling away from them on the straights. At first, it was unthinkable for Czech riders to compete on home soil using foreign equipment. However, if an athlete could demonstrate a track record and had reached the age of 28, they were allowed to race in Western Europe. Chara explains how it worked: ‘From 1983 onwards, two groups were formed. Falta, Velky, Stodulka and I – we were allowed to ride with Western equipment. We also had the opportunity to compete for Western European teams. Other riders, such as Jiri Churavy and Radek Macourek, had to stay in Czechoslovakia riding CZ bikes. However, to be able to compete in France and West Germany, a rider had to have won the Czech championships twice and scored at least one World Championship point.” Until 1983, only the top 10 received World Championship points. It wasn’t until 1984 that the points system was extended to the top 15. Josef Chara finished the 7th round of the 125cc Motocross World Championship in Strbo (Czechoslovakia) in 7th and 6th place, putting him on the safe side in terms of World Championship points. Furthermore, riders had to be at least 28 years old. Presumably, the decision-makers back then – just as today – favoured the younger generation. At 28, you were considered too old, so the motocross veterans were granted a few final favours to mark the end of their careers. In France, Belgium and the Netherlands, countless motocross races took place in the 1970s and 80s – sometimes even on weekdays. Prize money in Western currencies was awarded for good placings. These foreign currencies were particularly sought-after in the socialist states of Eastern Europe.

The third man

From the mid-1970s, Chara was the ‘third man’ behind Falta and Velky, who were competing in the World Championship. ‘I had to compete in Poland, Yugoslavia and other Eastern European countries. From 1981 onwards, I competed in the 250cc World Championship alongside Falta.’

Seizing business opportunities

As Chara was based in Western Europe from the mid-1980s onwards and was earning money from his racing successes, he also had the opportunity to get hold of sought-after equipment. He supplied fellow motorcyclists in Eastern Europe and the GDR with sought-after accessories such as helmets, gloves, Scott goggles and Mefo tyres. In the end, he even managed to smuggle entire motorbikes across the intra-German border and swap them for older models before heading back.

A successful tyre business

After his active career, Chara drew on his contacts in the international MX scene and built up a successful tyre business. One of his partners was MEFO founder Willi Liebl, with whom he’d previously worked as an importer of Barum tyres. Despite the many races he’s competed in, Josef Chara has remained healthy and fit. “I preferred motocross in the 1980s,” he says candidly when reflecting on the golden years of motocross. After all, motocross remains popular in the Czech Republic to this day, and it’s not just the older generation who revere the legends of yesteryear. Whoever turns up on the track is instantly recognised, even if their successes date back 40 or 50 years. Josef Chara was a cool bloke back then, and he’s remained so to this day.