History
The early history of Fox Racing and Fox Racing Shox were intertwined. Fox Racing Shox is a brand of offroad racing suspension components founded by Geoff Fox's brother, Bob Fox. Fox Racing Shox were distributed by Moto-X Fox and Bob's company was originally under the corporate umbrella of Moto-X Fox. In 1977 Bob's division split out as a separate company called Fox Factory Inc.
Fox Head, Inc. headquarters are in Morgan Hill, California, with additional offices in Irvine, California and Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. Fox built its business by developing clothing for motocross. Through sponsoring and working closely with riders such as Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Damon Bradshaw, Rick Johnson, Mark Barnett, Doug Henry, Jeremy McGrath and Steve Lamson, the company has researched and developed race clothing that provides riders with protection, performance and freedom of movement.
Fox Racing first opened for business in 1974, when Geoff Fox, a Ph.D. who taught physics at the Santa Clara University, launched Moto-X Fox, a distribution business for European motocross parts and accessories in a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) building in Campbell, California. Within two years, Moto-X Fox was manufacturing suspension and engine components for racers looking for an on-track advantage. In the spring of 1977, Geoff was determined to show the American motocross public that his products were superior to those of the competition. He created his own privately-owned professional motocross team, Team Moto-X Fox. Going up against the Japanese factory teams, Team Moto-X Fox riders became the top non-factory riders in the series, finishing fifth, sixth and seventh in the highly-competitive AMA 125 cc National Championship series.
During the series, Team Moto-X Fox riders wore bright red, yellow and orange race outfits. Handmade by Fox, the clothing became a hit with the fans and interested enthusiasts started calling the Fox shop in Campbell enquiring about its availability. In 1980, Fox rider Mark Barnett won the company's first National Championship, and two years later, Brad Lackey won Fox 's (and the United States') first Motocross World Championship. In the ensuing two-plus decades, Fox-sponsored riders have won over forty National Motocross and Supercross Championships. In 2006 Fox rider Ricky Carmichael won the AMA Supercross Championship, while Lifelong Fox rider James Stewart won the FIM World Supercross Championship.
In July 2006, Fox Racing decided to change its name to Fox Head Racing, Inc. The move was complete by the fall of that year. Fox decided such a change would help the brand further penetrate sporting venues aside from motocross, such as surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
Today, Fox remains a family owned and operated business, with the second generation working full-time at the company.
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