The year 2024 marks a half century of suspension innovation, racing and podium wins. We’ve come a long way since Bob Fox’s original prototype motocross air shocks, and to celebrate this incredible milestone, each week this year we’ll be revisiting the 50 biggest moments that have defined us on the @FOX Instagram channel.
Here are some of the highlights so far.
FIRST — FOX Air Shox (1974)
"Designing a successful air shock during the long-travel revolution of the '70s is really what made FOX the company it is today." — Bob Fox
When aerospace engineer, motorsports hobbyist and life-long tinkerer Bob Fox got into motocross in the 1970s, he quickly realized the suspension designs at the time were holding riders back. He believed he could design something that would let these bikes go faster in races, with more control. With a sketchpad, pencil and access to a friend's machine shop, the first FOX air spring shocks were born. Within the next three years, Kent Howerton and Brad Lackey won the 500cc AMA Motocross Championship and Motocross Grand Prix respectively, both on FOX Air Shox, cementing the suspension brand we know today.
FASTER — Rachel Atherton's Perfect World Cup DH Season (2016)
In 2016, Rachel Atherton became the first rider ever to score a perfect World Cup season, winning all seven World Cup races that year and chalking up a staggering 13 consecutive World Cup wins. The celebrated “Queen of Downhill” is also a six-time UCI World Champion and a six-time World Cup overall champion, but who’s counting?
Rachel raced little after 2019 after an injury, as well as taking time off racing to give birth to her daughter Arna in 2021. She returned briefly to racing in 2023 by starting at the first two World Cups of the season, winning in Lenzerheide, Switzerland after a 4-year hiatus. The comeback not only cemented her legacy as the most successful female downhill racer in history, but also earned her the title of “fastest mum in the world.”
FURTHER — Jason Scherer wins King of the Hammers (2009, 2018, 2019)
After his first King of the Hammers win in 2009, Jason Scherer knew he could push this mostly rock-crawling event to be faster and more exciting. He built up a custom vehicle (specifically for King of the Hammers) using FOX bypass shocks that were typically used in desert racing, achieving speeds no one had thought possible. "They said we could never make these cars fast in the desert,” recalls Scherer. “In its first race (with our bypass shock build) we had a 51-minute lead on corrected time. That was all it took to make everyone start new builds."
We’re Never Done
Competition fuels our progress at FOX. For 50 years it has driven us to outthink, outpace, and out-innovate. We thrive on challenges, pushing ourselves and our products to new heights to help our athletes win races.
Here’s to another 50 years!
#RideFox #50yearsofpushingpotentialfurther
