Pro Circuit Race Team edit
| Base | Carona, United States Of America |
|---|---|
| Principal | Mitch Payton |
| Motorcycle | Kawasaki KX250F |
Team Pro Circuit is a professional Motorcross and Supercross team currently competing in the United States. The team is based in Corona, California[1]. Team Pro Circuit was formed in 1991 by Mitch Payton[2]. Upon opening a performance motorcycle component business, mainly servicing Husqvarna motorcycles, Payton was approached to start his own professional racing effort utilising his components.
Team Pro Circuit has become one of the most successful Motorcross and Supercross teams in the history of American motorcycle racing, having numerous notable riders compete under its banner such as Ricky Charmichael, Jeremy McGrath and Ryan Villopoto.
Team Pro Circuit have over won over 30 professional championships, other accolades include: 150 AMA Supercross wins, over 100 AMA Motocross wins and 6 MXON victories .[3][4]
Pro Circuit has won more championships AMA championships than any of their competitors.
History edit
Team Owner Mitch Payton started riding motorcycles after his grandparents bought him a Honda C90 Step Through when he was young. His passion developed over the years to the point where he was racing motorcycles competitively in the deserts of California. At age 17, Payton was competing in California City, California. Payton fell violently down a steep hill, damaging the nerve passages on his spine, resulting in him losing the use of his legs.[5]
Following the incident, Payton wanted to stay around the motorcycle racing community and did so by purchasing the motorcycle store that supported him during his racing days " Anaheim Husqvarna " in 1978. Along with selling Motorcycles themselves, Payton designed and produced components such as exhaust pipes and suspension components to improve the performance of the motorcycles. Payton thought it unlikely that other motorcycle shops would stock and sell his performance parts if they were under the business name of a competing motorcycle shop, so he came up with a business name to sell his parts under "Pro Circuit". A Friend of Payton campaigned for him to build parts for other brands of motorcycles, something at the time Payton thought was redundant as those motorcycles were already good. The first component he produced for a different make of motorcycle was an exhaust for a 125cc Honda motorcycle. The exhaust sales far surpassed Paytons expectations. Payton took this success as a sign he should expand his product line even further to making parts for all makes and models.
Paytons success caught the attention of big name riders and industry people alike, including Motorcross legend Rodger De Coster who was running the Factory Honda professional racing effort at the time. De Coster met with Payton to try his performance parts, specifically his exhaust pipe and modified engine, De Coster was impressed and contracted Payton to supply his team with engines.
At the end of 1990 De Coster approached Payton and asked him if he would be interested in taking over the Factory Honda racing team in a management position. Payton accepted forming what formally became known as a "satellite" style team.[6]
Team Peak / Pro Circuit / Honda : 1991-1992 edit
In 1991 Payton ventured into the relm of professional racing with Team Peak / Pro Circuit/ Honda. In this year Team Pro Circuit won the Supercross lites class in the west division ( rider: Jeremy McGrath) and east division ( rider: Brian Swink). Both Jeremy Beuhl and Steve Lamson finished in podium positions in their respective Supercross lites championships. This represented a monumental achievement for the team. From this point the team established its place as a front runner in the Supercross lites championship.
In 1992 Jeremy McGrath again won the Supercross Lites West championship aboard a Honda, with Buddy Antunez following behind in second place. Team Pro Circuit didn't have the same success in the East division.
At the end of the 1992, Honda decided to dissolve their support for the team.
Team Splitfire / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki: 1993- 2000 edit
The season of 1993 was Team Pro Circuits first year with sponsorship from Kawasaki motorcycles. This partnership formed late in the 1992 offseason as the team expected continued support from Honda. Honda's withdrawal lead to financial struggles. Payton was forced to search for financial sponsorship as Kawasaki was only able to supply bikes and parts as they had already assigned their sponsorship cash pool to other teams.
Hot Wheels, the popular toy brand came to the teams rescue after a dispute over the name of a video game the toy maker was producing. The game used the trade marked title "Pro circuit". Mitch Payton demanded that Hot Wheels pay him loyalties or sponsor his racing team. They chose the latter.[7] The team achieved Supercross championships in the 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000.[8]
Ricky Carmichael signed with the team in 1997. He won the team an outdoor championship in his rookie season. This was a monumental achievement as it seemed the team had finally been able to translate their success in Supercross ( indoor ) to the Motocross (outdoor) championship. Further more, this period represented the formative years of Ricky Carmichael, who would go on to be one of the best riders of all time.
Team Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki: 2001-2003 edit
In 2001 the team again experienced a significant change in sponsorship. Hot Wheels withdrew their support for the team and Splitfire spark-plugs where far less prominent on the teams motorcycles. Kawasaki stayed on as the motorcycle sponsor.
During this period team experienced a dry spell in the Supercross series. From 2000 to 2003 no championships were won. The drought was finally broken in 2004 by Ivan Tedesco[9].
During the same period Mike Brown won the 2001 Motocross championship
Team Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki: 2004-2019 edit
This period represents the one of massive change for the Supercross and Motocross world. Motorcycle manufacturers, including Kawasaki had invested heavily in 4 stroke technology in the preceding years, primarily focusing on higher displacement motorcycles. In 2004 the first production Kawasaki KX250F was released and as such, Team Pro Circuit changed their development focus from 2 stroke 125cc motorcycles, to 250cc four stroke motorcycles. The new four stroke motocycles were heavier by comparison to the highly optimised 2 stroke motocycles that had evolved over the years, however also represented significant advantages over the 2 stroke bikes[10]. Payton tried to avoid racing 4 strokes, however Payton did not have his way. As such, the R&D demands on the team leading up to the 2004 season were sizeable. The team was tasks with optimising much more complicated motorcycles. Payton hired experts to advise him on how to develop his new race machines. The team engaged in rigorous testing to sort the suspension on the new motorcycles and arrived on the start line in 2004 ready to race.
Monster Energy came on as a title sponsor and the team rebranded. [11]
They experienced success immediately with Ivan Tedesco in the Supercross season of 2004, taking the championship. This marked the start of 9 consecutive championship winning years for Team Pro Circuit.
In the following years, Pro Circuit dominated the 250cc Supercross and Motocross competitions, winning both championships that the team contested in 2005 and 2007.
2006 saw the arrival of Ryan Villopoto who would go on to become one os the most successful riders in recent history. Villopoto dominated the competition, winning at least one championship in each of the three years he competed with Team Pro Circuit before moving on after the 2008 outdoor season.
2013 resembled exciting times for Team Pro Circuit, 11 time AMA Amature National Motocross Champion Adam Cianciarulo joined the team[12]. This came about though Mitch Paytons relationship with "Team Green" Kawasaki's amateur racing effort, that Cinaciarulo was a part of. Having been the most winning rider in amateur Motocross history, and also winning his first ever Supercross race, Cianciarulo was forecast to be the sports next big superstar. However in 2013 Team Pro Circuit failed to earn any championship titles. A championship-less streak lasting 3 years followed. Rider injuries plagued the team. Contracted riders where unable to compete and results were not as good as they had been passed.
Justin Hill won the teams first championship in 4 years in 2017, taking the Supercross Lites West title.
Results edit
Results for Team Pro Circuit in each year of competition.[13][14]
| Year | Rider | Result | Supercross | Motocross |
| 1991 | Brian Swink | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 4 |
| Jeremy Buehl | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 16 | |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 5 | |
| Steve Lamson | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 6 | |
| 1992 | Buddy Antunez | 2 | Supercross Lites West | 16 |
| Jeremy Buehl | 16 | Supercross Lites East | 22 | |
| Jeremy McGrath | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 8 | |
| Mike Brown | 7 | Supercross Lites East | 24 | |
| 1993 | Jamie Dobb | 9 | Supercross Lites West | 11 |
| Jimmy Gaddis | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 22 | |
| Mike Chmaberlain | 8 | Supercross Lites West | 22 | |
| 1994 | JamieDobb | 6 | Supercross Lites West | 6 |
| Pedro Gonzalez | 2 | Supercross Lites West | 13 | |
| Ryan Huges | 4 | Supercross Lites West | 4 | |
| 1995 | David Pingree | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 12 |
| Mickael Pichon | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 5 | |
| Pedro Gonzalez | 9 | Supercross Lites West | 44 | |
| Ryan Huges | 2 | Supercross Lites West | 2 | |
| 1996 | Casey Johnson | 6 | Supercross Lites West | 17 |
| Chad Pederson | 26 | Supercross Lites West | 8 | |
| David Pingree | 9 | Supercross Lites West | 28 | |
| Mickael Pichon | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 14 | |
| 1997 | Casey Johnson | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 6 |
| Craig Decker | 6 | Supercross Lites West | 19 | |
| David Pingree | 16 | Supercross Lites East | 14 | |
| Ricky Carmichael | 3 | Supercross Lites East | 1 | |
| 1998 | Casey Johnson | - | - | 3 |
| Nathan Ramsey | 4 | Supercross Lites West | 10 | |
| Nick Wey | - | - | 9 | |
| Ricky Carmichael | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 1 | |
| 1999 | Billy Payne | 14 | Supercross Lites West | 56 |
| Nathan Ramsey | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 5 | |
| Nick Wey | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 4 | |
| Shea Bentley | 18 | Supercross Lites East | 1 | |
| Scott Sheak | Withdrew | Supercross Lites West | 19 | |
| 2000 | Billy Payne | 10 | Supercross Lites West | - |
| Nathan Ramsey | 12 | Supercross Lites East | 21 | |
| Nick Wey | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 9 | |
| Shea Bentley | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 6 | |
| Tallon Vohland | 12 | Supercross Lites West | - | |
| 2001 | Bobby Bonds | 15 | Supercross Lites East | 3 |
| Casey Lytle | 20 | Supercross Lites West | 19 | |
| Mike Brown | 3 | Supercross Lites East | 28 | |
| Shea Bentley | 14 | Supercross Lites West | 1 | |
| Tallon Vohland | 5 | Supercross Lites East | 34 | |
| 2002 | Bobby Bonds | 35 | Supercross Lites West | 24 |
| Eric Sorby | 15 | Supercross Lites West | 27 | |
| Matt Walker | 10 | Supercross Lites West | 12 | |
| Mike Brown | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 6 | |
| 2003 | Eric Sorby | 6 | Supercross Lites West | 19 |
| Justin Buckelew | Withdrew | Supercross Lites East | 12 | |
| Matt Walker | 5 | Supercross Lites West | - | |
| Mike Brown | 2 | Supercross Lites East | - | |
| 2004 | Ivan Tedesco | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 4 |
| Matt Walker | 52 | Supercross Lites West | 6 | |
| Stephane Roncada | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 4 | |
| 2005 | Grant Langston | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 4 |
| Ivan Tedesco | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 1 | |
| Matt Walker | 7 | Supercross Lites East | 9 | |
| Paul Carpenter | 15 | Supercross Lites West | 11 | |
| 2006 | Ben Townley | Withdrew | Supercross Lites East | 24 |
| Chris Gosselaar | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 20 | |
| Grant Langston | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 26 | |
| Ryan Villopoto | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 1 | |
| Troy Adams | Withdrew | Supercross Lites East | 10 | |
| 2007 | Ben Townley | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 2 |
| Brett Metcelfe | Withdrew | Supercross Lites East | 7 | |
| Chris Gosselaar | 5 | Supercross Lites West | 20 | |
| Christophe Pourcel | 16 | Supercross Lites West | - | |
| Darcy Lange | 3 | Supercross Lites East | - | |
| Ryan Villopoto | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 1 | |
| 2008 | Austin Stroupe | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 16 |
| Brett Metcelfe | 4 | Supercross Lites West | 3 | |
| Ryan Villopoto | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 1 | |
| Branden Jasseman | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 28 | |
| 2009 | Jake Weimer | 2 | Supercross Lites West | 4 |
| Austin Stroupe | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 17 | |
| Christophe Pourcel | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 2 | |
| Ryan Morais | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 33 | |
| Tyla Rattray | - | - | 28 | |
| 2010 | Jake Weimer | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 11 |
| Christophe Pourcel | 1 | Supercross Lites East | 3 | |
| Dean Wilson | 6 | Supercross Lites East | 4 | |
| Tyla Rattray | DNR | Supercross Lites East | 2 | |
| Josh Hansen | 6 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| 2011 | Dean Wilson | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 1 |
| Broc Tickle | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 7 | |
| Tyla Rattray | 7 | Supercross Lites West | 2 | |
| Blake Baggett | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 3 | |
| Josh Hansen | 3 | Supercross Lites West | DNR | |
| 2012 | Dean Wilson | 2 | Supercross Lites West | DNR |
| Broc Tickle | 9 | 5 | ||
| Tyla Rattray | 15 | Supercross Lites West | DNR | |
| Blake Baggett | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 1 | |
| Darryn Durham | 5 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| Ivan Tedesco | DNR | DNR | 17 | |
| 2013 | Dean Wilson | 7 | Supercross Lites East | 26 |
| Martin Davalos | 5 | Supercross Lites West | 15 | |
| Tyla Rattray | 8 | Supercross Lites West | 12 | |
| Blake Baggett | 29 | Supercross Lites West | 4 | |
| Darryn Durham | DNR | DNR | 14 | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | - | - | 16 | |
| Justin Hill | 12 | Supercross Lites East | 12 | |
| Tyler Bowers | 16 | Supercross Lites East | - | |
| 2014 | Blake Baggett | 6 | Supercross Lites East | 2 |
| Dean Wilson | 3 | Supercross Lites West | 10 | |
| Martin Davalos | 2 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| Justin Hill | 4 | Supercross Lites West | 14 | |
| Darryn Durham | 21 | Supercross Lites West | DNR | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | 5 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| Chris Alldredge | - | - | 21 | |
| 2015 | Joey Savagy | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 3 |
| Adam Cianciarulo | DNR | Supercross Lites East | 14 | |
| Chris Alldredge | 18 | Supercross Lites West | 13 | |
| Arnaud Tonus | 19 | Supercross Lites East | 30 | |
| Tyler Bowers | 9 | Supercross Lites West | DNR | |
| 2016 | Chris Alldredge | 12 | Supercross Lites West | 26 |
| Joey Savagy | 2 | Supercross Lites West | 3 | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | DNR | Supercross Lites East | 8 | |
| Tyler Bowers | 5 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| Arnaud Tonus | 21 | Supercross Lites East | 9 | |
| Austin Forkner | - | - | 4 | |
| 2017 | Joey Savagy | 3 | Supercross Lites East | 5 |
| Austin Forkner | 6 | Supercross Lites West | 13 | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | 2 | Supercross Lites East | 3 | |
| Justin Hill | 1 | Supercross Lites West | 19 | |
| 2018 | Joey Savagy | 4 | Supercross Lites West | 9 |
| Austin Forkner | 4 | Supercross Lites East | 7 | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | 2 | Supercross Lites West | DNR | |
| Martin Davalos | 14 | Supercross Lites East | DNR | |
| Garrett Marchbanks | - | - | - | |
| 2019 | Austin Forkner | - | - | - |
| Garrett Marchbanks | - | - | - | |
| Martin Davalos | - | - | - | |
| Adam Cianciarulo | - | - | - |
Brand Associations and Sponsorship edit
Current and past brand sponsorships and associations. [15]
| Year | Sponsors |
| 1991-1992 | Renthal |
| Peak | |
| Splitfire | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Showa | |
| Acerbis | |
| Honda | |
| 1993-2001 | Hot Wheels |
| Kawasaki | |
| Splitfire | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Renthal | |
| Bridgestone | |
| 2002-2004 | Alpinestars |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Castrol | |
| Chevrolet | |
| Kawasaki | |
| 2005 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Castrol | |
| Chevrolet | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Vertex | |
| 2006 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Castrol | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Vertex | |
| 2007 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Maxima | |
| Chevrolet | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Vertex | |
| 2008 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Maxima | |
| Chevrolet | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Vertex | |
| 2009 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Maxima | |
| Chevrolet | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Vertex | |
| 2010-2015 | Monster energy |
| Alpinestars | |
| Relthal | |
| RK | |
| Pro Circuit | |
| Maxima | |
| Chevrolet | |
| 2016- Present | Fox |
| Dunlop | |
| Renthal | |
| RK | |
| Monster Energy | |
| Scott | |
| BRAKING | |
| Maxima | |
Notable Riders edit
Over the years Team Pro Circuit has housed many successful riders. Some notable riders are listed below.
- Mike Brown
- Ryan Huges
- Dean Wilson
- Blake Baggett
Contested Series edit
Team Pro Circuit currently competes in the following professional series;
- AMA Supercross Championship : The premiere indoor motorcycle racing championship in the world.
- AMA Motocross Championship: The premiere outdoor racing championship in the U.S.A.
Team personnel edit
Owner / Team Manager edit
Mitch Payton
Research and Development edit
Zach White
Iain Southwell
Jon Primo
Adam Walters
Mechanics edit
Olly Stone
Colter Ahrens
Kyle Defoe
Brandon Zimmerman
Transportation Specialist edit
James Shoffner
References edit
A section containing all relevant references utilised in the article.
- "Mitch Payton." AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, 2019, www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=442.
- "MONSTER ENERGY/PRO CIRCUIT/KAWASAKI | 2019 TEAM SHOOT." Transworld Motocross, 3 Jan. 2019, Motocross.transworld.net/photos/monster-energy-pro-circuit-kawasaki-2019-team-shoot/.
- Motocross Action. 16 Dec. 2016, Motocrossactionmag.com/two-stroke-tuesday-the-Splitfire-pro-circuit-team-1993-1999/.
- Pro Circuit Race Team. 2015, www.procircuit.com/teamhistory.htm.
- "Results." Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, 2019, www.proMotocross.com/mx/home.
- "Results." Supercross Live, FELD, 2019, www.Supercrosslive.com/race-results.
- Rybaltowski, Matt. "Supercross Caps 2018 Season With Record TV Ratings, Robust Digital Growth." Forbes, edited by Matt Rybaltowski, www.forbes.com/sites/mattrybaltowski/2018/05/13/Supercross-caps-2018-season-with-record-tv-ratings-robust-digital-growth/#5232137d70a7.
- "Team Events." Pro Circuit Race Team, 2015, www.procircuit.com/team-events.htm.
- "Team History." Pro Circuit Race Team, 2015, www.procircuit.com/teamsponsors.htm.
- "Team Personel." Pro Circuit Race Team, 2015, www.procircuit.com/teampersonnel.htm.
- Team Pro Circuit. 10 Sept. 2018, pulpmx.com/2018/09/10/team-pro-circuit-1991-2018/.
- Vital MX's The Inside Line Podcast | Mitch Payton - Episode 1. Produced by Vital MX, Vital MX, 2018.
- "Vital MX's The Inside Line Podcast | Mitch Payton - Episode 1." Vital MX's The Inside Line Podcast | Mitch Payton - Episode 1, Vital MX, 4 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QhRuf8ENCo.
- ^ "Pro Circuit Race Team ~Team History". www.procircuit.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "AMA Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame | Mitch Payton". www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "Vital MX's The Inside Line Podcast | Mitch Payton - Episode 1". YouTube.
- ^ "Pro Circuit Race Team ~Team History". www.procircuit.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "Mitch Payton Pro Circuit Interview 2019 Moto Life Story Of How Ended Up In Wheel Chair KX250 MX SX". YouTube.
- ^ "Mitch Payton Pro Circuit Interview 2019 Moto Life Story Of How Ended Up In Wheel Chair KX250 MX SX". YouTube.
- ^ "Team Pro Circuit 1991-2018". Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "Results | Supercross Live". www.supercrosslive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "Results | Supercross Live". www.supercrosslive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "SUPERCROSS HISTORY: THE BIKE THAT TIME FORGOT". Motocross Action Magazine. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "Team Pro Circuit 1991-2018". Retrieved 2019-05-12.
- ^ "CIANCIARULO, ADAM". Motocross Action Magazine. 2018-05-14. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "Results | Supercross Live". www.supercrosslive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "2018 Race Results". Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- ^ "Pro Circuit Race Team ~Team Sponsors". www.procircuit.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.