František (Franta) Juhan (1914-1992) was a Czechoslovak motorcycle racer in

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

and

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

Career

He has won the

Golden Helmet of Pardubice The Golden Helmet of Pardubice (Czech: Zlatá přilba) is a speedway competition hosted annually in Pardubice, the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known a ...

in 1938 and was a member of the 1937 medal-winning Czechoslovakian Six Days Trials Team. He was the brother of the famous Porsche racer and Pan America champion Jaroslav Juhan. Jaroslav won for Porsche also raced a

Ferrari Testarossa The Ferrari Testarossa (Type F110) is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer. The Pininfarina-designed car was originally produced from 1 ...

250TR in 1958 at

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

. In Jaraslov's book "Life Without Brakes The man who brought Porsche to the Carrera" by Jan Králík and published Grada Publishing there is a section on Franta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1waIq7Ko8LE&list=PLsNlN6Y46p_rZBTowLTLIbIyHURQov1Aa Juhan raced most of the historic brands of the era including Jawa,

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

Gilera Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio. History In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was, at ...

Moto Guzzi Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its historic role in Italy's motorcycling ma ...

and

MV Agusta MV Agusta (, full name: MV AGUSTA Motor S.p.A., original name: Meccanica Verghera Agusta or MV) is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in ...

. He immigrated to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

(

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

), where he became a businessman. He founded the award-winning Honda Centre in 1965. His son Frankie Juhan continued to run the shop after his father passed away and both Franta and Frankie were inducted into the Greater Vancouver Motorsports Pioneers Society in 2018. Franta Juhan raced in the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

in 1935 and 1938. In 1938 he raced a

Velocette Velocette is a line of motorcycles made by Veloce Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. One of several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham, Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling almost as many hand-built motorcycles during i ...

. In 1948, he won the Grand Prix of Europe in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

(

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

), riding a

Velocette KTT The Velocette KTT is a racing British motorcycle made by Velocette. The most significant variant of the Model K series of overhead camshaft Velocette motorcycles, the ''TT'' designation indicated the machine was intended for racing, and was an ...

350 in which he set a new lap record. Franta Velo Postcard

The Juhan family were all winners Franta Juhan and his son Frankie Juhan in Motorcycles and Jaroslav Juhan on four wheels with Ferrari and Porsche, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBVlR_nryqQ&list=PLsNlN6Y46p_oFlFRsE_m_SOxFtrNXyMcj&index=55

References

6: Gold Hemet Picture from Frankie Juhan {{DEFAULTSORT:Juhan, Frantisek Czechoslovak motorcycle racers Czechoslovak emigrants to Canada 1914 births 1992 deaths Sportspeople from Pardubice