Former 125 Czech Champion Jaroslav 'Jarda' Hules made his Grand Prix debut at Brno in 1993, although the real turning point of his career came in 1995, when he won four rounds of the European Championship. He enjoyed a promising first season, scoring six top 15 finishes, but continual technical problems the following season saw him finish just six races. Hules bounced back in '98 with regular top ten finishes and a best result of 6th at Jerez. In 1999 he signed for Italjet and rode to fourth place in the European Championship, returning to the World Championship a year later and demonstrating his talent with 8th place in Donington and 9th in Brno.