This youngster, who hails from Barcelona, made his competitive debut in the Catalonian Pocket Bike Championship in 1993, in which he finished 3rd. In the following seasons he regularly finished amongst the top riders in the Catalan and Spanish Pocket Bikes Series before taking the step up to 125cc in 1996. He made excellent progress and a second place finish in 1999 proved to be the passport to his Grand Prix dream. He made his MotoGP debut in 2000 with the Italian team Antinucci Racing, riding an Honda RS125