National 125cc Champion three times over and European Championship runner-up in 1999, Jakub Smrz was named Best Czech Motorsport Representative a year later after finishing 11th as a wildcard rider at Brno having marked his Grand Prix debut a fortnight earlier with 18th place at Sachsenring. 2001 saw Smrz contest his first full season in one of the most competitive 125 categories for decades, the youngster holding his own with five top ten finishes including a fifth place at the Dutch GP. His move to the 250cc class in 2002 was more complicated than expected and he only managed to score a single point in Brazil. 24th overall in 2003 and 20th last year, he continues his career with Arie Molenaar's team.