Pasini was born in Riccione, Province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, and has two younger sisters. He began racing at the age of nine. In 1998, at the age of thirteen, Pasini suffered a serious motocross accident resulting in multiple broken bones and permanent nerve damage to his right arm.
Pasini debuted in the 125cc World Championship in 2004 as a teammate to Roberto Locatelli. He finished 15th overall in his rookie season, earning the rookie of the year award. His best result that year was a 7th place finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He secured his first victories in the 125cc class in 2005, winning the Chinese and Catalan Grands Prix, finishing the season fourth overall. He continued to be competitive in 2006, winning the Italian and German Grands Prix and again finishing fourth overall.
The 2007 season began poorly for Pasini due to mechanical issues. Despite securing four wins – matching the championship leader Gábor Talmácsi and Héctor Faubel – he finished the year fifth overall. In 2008, Pasini moved to the 250cc class with Polaris World Aprilia, winning the opening round in Qatar and achieving three podium finishes in the first five races. However, his form declined, and he finished the season 8th overall as rookie of the year. He secured a victory at Mugello in 2009, but struggled for consistency.
In 2009, Pasini had the opportunity to test a Ducati MotoGP bike for Pramac Racing as a potential replacement for Mika Kallio. However, he was ultimately not selected to race for the team. Prior to the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2009, Pasini faced difficulties with Team Toth’s ability to finance the leasing of Aprilia bikes. Daniel Epp then assisted in securing a lease under the banner of Team Globalgest, utilizing mechanics from Toth and the Emmi – Caffe Latte team’s garage. In 2012, Pasini stepped up to MotoGP with the Speed Master team, riding an Aprilia ART CRT bike and achieving a best result of 10th place at Assen.
After a period without a full-time ride, Pasini returned to Moto2 in 2016 with Italtrans Racing, finishing 11th in the championship. In 2017, he won the Italian Grand Prix and finished sixth overall. He secured another victory at the Argentine Grand Prix in 2018, ending the season ninth in the championship. In 2015, Pasini adapted tarmac racing bikes and implemented a system he had previously invented for motocross, transferring front braking duties to his left arm due to the permanent nerve damage in his right arm, a system he continued to use in Moto2.
In 2020, Pasini worked as an Italian commentator for the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, before substituting for Jorge Martin at Red Bull KTM Ajo in the Emilia Romagna and Rimini’s Coast Grands Prix, finishing 16th. He returned as a wildcard for GasGas Aspar Team at Mugello and Misano in 2022, achieving a 15th place finish at Mugello and fighting for 5th place at Misano before a crash. He also raced at Valencia for RW Racing, in place of the injured Barry Baltus. In 2023, Pasini raced as a wildcard for BMP Tappi RW Racing GP team in Misano.
Pasini made his four-wheel racing debut with Inter Europol Competition in the 2021 European Le Mans Series, driving a LMP3 class Ligier JS P320 at the 4 Hours of Barcelona, finishing 7th with one podium and 37 points.
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