Celebrating 50 Years of FOX: Q&A with Bob Fox

This article was written by Melissa Coffey and originally appeared in the December edition of Powersports Business.

For me, working in the powersports industry has always been a bit personal. Some have said that I was “born” into it. Others may say that I stumbled into it via family ties. Either way, FOX has always been family, a part of my history and the single most reason why my heart has always been rooted in this industry.

As a seven-year-old, I started counting t-shirts in the warehouse and spare parts in the factory. As my young “skillset” developed, I got pulled into accounting with my sister, Elizabeth Fox, manufacturing scheduling with my brother-in-law, or when lucky, one of Bob Fox’s special projects. The Corleone family effect continued as I was in college and post-grad. Bob tasked me with starting the customer service department and then was pulled into marketing, which is where I happily remained for the next eight-plus years. It seems like yesterday we were just launching the 25th anniversary celebration, a moment that seemed so big in the company’s history.

And so, with 2024 now being the 50th anniversary for FOX, and after a year full of legacy celebrations, I found it most fitting to wrap up my year of columns with a Q&A with none other than the FOX Founder himself.

Why did you start FOX?

Bob Fox: The need was created by broken shocks and disappointed racers! In the early ’70s when [suspension] travel on motocross bikes jumped significantly, so did the shock failures. Being an amateur racer and engineer, I thought, “Hey maybe I can do it,” not really thinking that there were a bunch of big companies out there who could also do it. I guess you don’t really know any better when you’re young. So, I started designing by pencil and paper and manufactured my first shocks in a friend’s garage, and this was the birth of the FOX Air Shox. Designing that first successful air shock during the long-travel revolution of the ’70s is really what made FOX the company it is today.

What was one of the biggest turning points for FOX?

Fox: We had a team of engineers from Ford visit John Marking down in the San Diego area and they shared the “new” truck they were working on. They said they wanted it to be off-road capable and wanted some really good shocks for it. Within two weeks we had shocks ready for their truck, they went out and tested and liked them right away. We fine-tuned for another couple of weeks and it was a done deal. Now, I’ll be going down the street and I see a Raptor go by, which I see pretty often and I always get a kick out of thinking, “Hey, that guy is riding FOX shocks”. I gotta say, it feels good.

You employed hundreds of people across the globe. What in your mind was so special and is still so special about working at FOX?

Fox: For a lot of the people at FOX, this isn’t their job, this is their hobby. This is their passion. This is what they love, so it’s been a wonderful combination. They can do what they love doing and when you do what you love doing, you do it well. Many of us at FOX also have a racing background. We race motorcycles, mountain bikes, off-road vehicles and many others. And when we race, we want to win. That’s who we are.

What has been your greatest contribution to the sport?

Fox: The inertia valve shock and fork designs. Next, probably the DHX shock design and the TALAS shock design. And finally, the Twin-Clicker design back in the early ’80s.

What does the legacy year mean to you?

Fox: It’s exciting and really rewarding to see that the company that represents so many years of hard work and dedication – my life’s work – is still “out there” doing what I loved to do… creating premium suspension for enthusiasts. I’m a lucky guy. To have led those efforts is humbling. I would say in a few words, I am proud.

Thanks to Bob for taking the time to chat and for founding a company that has shaped our industry and the lives of so many, myself included! And in his famous words, “Good luck and good racing”. Till next time, shiny side up and checkered flags!