At 16 years of age Simone Sanna stormed to victory in his first ever minibike race and, despite having no previous racing experience, he decided to forge a career in the sport. In 1995 he competed in the Italian Sport Production Championship and earned himself a Grand Prix ride the following year. He arrived in World Championship competition in 1999 armed with a wealth of raw riding talent and soon built a reputation for both his speed and fiery temperament. Sanna backed up two wins in the 2000 season with a further victory in Germany last year, but so far has lacked the consistency to be a genuine title contender.