Ricci was born and bred in the shadows of the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
"Imola is my hometown. I was born there, and lived there until the end of high school," he says.
"The region is host to many famous car and motorbike makers, so people are very passionate about motorsport in general.
"The playing fields at my Primary School bordered the circuit at Turn 9 and Turn 10."
This was back in the 1980s, and with a mix of V8 and V12 engines on the grid, it was hard to not get hooked.
"I have so many memories from that period," explains Ricci.
"Cars were much louder back then, so if there was someone testing then we would all go to the grandstands to see what was going on.
"In those days you still had to pre-qualify, so there were so many cars on the grid."
As the 80s ticked over into the 90s, Ricci started high school, and found himself on the other side of the circuit. It did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm and passion for motorsport, and he even got to watch his first Formula 1 race up close.
Even if he was not exactly a paying customer...
"In 1992 I remember getting through a hole in the fence to watch the race," he says.
"We got so close to the cars - there was only a policewoman between us and them!"
It did come at somewhat of a cost though.
"The fuel fumes were terrible back then, it left us with swollen eyes and pain in our airways for the next 24 hours!"