One-time desert racing pro and motor tuning specialist Mitch Payton, founded Pro Circuit in 1978 at the age of 18.

Early Pro Circuit customers were mostly Husqvarna-mounted desert racers and motocrossers who wanted Mitch to provide the same speed set-ups that he and his father had learned to dial in on Mitch's personal race machines. Word regarding the success of Mitch's motor building skills traveled quickly around southern California racetracks and in no time the cult of Pro Circuit riders was formed. Mitch closed his family's Husqvarna dealership in 1980 to focus his energy on the shop's aftermarket hop-up service business full-time.

After perfecting his skills in the black arts of cylinder porting and polishing, Mitch and his small-but-elite team of speed specialists focused their collective energy on other bike parts and other brands. Custom-tuned exhaust pipes were the first Pro Circuit high-performance accessory to roll out of Mitch's cluttered speed shop, followed by racing silencers. Pipe business was brisk, and pretty soon every PC-equipped racer was requesting PC performance modifications for other parts of their bike. Pro Circuit obliged by opening a suspension shop and expanding the available line of Pro Circuit exhaust systems and motor accessories for different bike brands. With so many Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki-mounted racers across the nation running Pro Circuit equipment, it didn't take long for the PC brand to start racking up championships.