There's a simple, perfectly reasonable explanation for how VR46 Ducati rider Luca Marini began on his journey to MotoGP.
"We were lucky because at my age, a lot of families [in Italy] wanted their kids to try pocket bikes," Marini told ESPN. "It was a period around 2000 when [MotoGP] was a very important sport in the world, and especially in Italy, because of Vale."
The "Vale" that Marini is referring to is Valentino Rossi, a nine-time motorcycle grand prix world champion almost universally considered to be the greatest of all time. He also happens to be Marini's half-brother.