Editing Valentino Rossi (section)

===Junior career===
In 1993, Rossi was given his first opportunity to ride a 125cc motorcycle by former world champion [[Paolo Pileri]], who had become a team manager after retiring from competition.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eurosport.com/moto/paolo-pileri-dies_sto1092073/story.shtml |title=Paolo Pileri Dies |work=eurosport.com |date=19 February 2007 |access-date=20 May 2021 }}</ref> Later in 1993, with help from his father, [[Virginio Ferrari]], Claudio Castiglioni, and [[Cagiva]] factory racing team manager [[Claudio Lusuardi]], Rossi competed in the 125&nbsp;cc Italian Sport Production Championship on a [[Cagiva Mito]] alongside teammate [[Vittoriano Guareschi]].<ref>''MCN Sport'', Winter 2010, p. 28, Bauer Automotive, Petersborough, Cambs. {{ISSN|1473-768X}}</ref> At his first race meeting with the Cagiva team, he damaged his motorcycle in a first-corner crash no more than a hundred meters from the pit lane.{{sfnp|Rossi|2006|p=93–94}} He finished ninth in that race weekend.{{sfnp|Rossi|2006|p=93–94}}

Although his performance during his first season in the Italian Sport Production Championship was varied, he achieved a pole position in the season's final race at [[Misano Circuit|Misano]], where he would ultimately finish on the podium. In his second season, Rossi was provided with a factory Mito by Lusuardi and won the Italian title.

In 1994, Rossi raced in the Italian 125 CC Championship with a prototype called Sandroni, using a Rotax engine. The bike was built by Guido Mancini, a former rider and mechanic who had worked, in the past, with [[Loris Capirossi]]. A documentary about Mancini entitled Il Mago Mancini was released in 2016 by director Jeffrey Zani and covers the relationship between Rossi and the mechanic. In 1995, Rossi switched to Aprilia and won the Italian 125 CC Championship. He was third in the European Championship.