Bob Fox, with FOX Racing Shox Inc., made his mark producing state-of-the-art suspension components for motocross and off-road motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, 4x4s and mountain-bike suspension systems.
A physicist by training, Fox was an avid inventor and motocross rider in his spare time. He started racing using his own motocross suspension designs in 1974, and just one year later he and brother Geoff marketed an air shock absorber designed specifically for professional motocross racing. In 1976, Kent Howerton won the AMA 500cc MX championship on a dual-chamber FOX AirShox-equipped Husqvarna. The next year, the non-factory Team Moto-X Fox upset the motocross world with top results in the AMA National Motocross Championship with riders Pat Richter, Steve Wise and Mark Barnett.
With his success, Fox started the company Fox Factory to focus on the production of FOX Air Shox and suspension-related products. The company continued to bring innovative products to market, including the first air-fork kit designed by Steve Simons, called Fox Factory Forx. Fox and Simons soon became giants in the suspension business, with Fox’s AirShox dominating professional racing, and Simon's upside-down fork and cartridge rod design changing the suspension landscape forever.
In the 1980s, Fox expanded into the Indy car, off-road truck, quad, dune buggy and snowmobile markets, building an enviable reputation as a producer of high-quality, high-performance suspension components. Most notably, in the sport of mountain bike riding, FOX Racing Shox-equipped bicycles have become the gold standard for competition and recreational riders. In fact, FOX Racing Shox-equipped vehicles and riders have claimed championships in every one of these disciplines, and the company continues today as an industry leader in suspension development.
Tom White, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum board member and owner of The Early Years of Motocross Museum, said "Bob Fox's state-of-the-art products and designs have continued to lead, not only the motorcycle market, but the entire action and motorsports industries, for the last 30 years. Fox branded suspension is popular in every motorsport, and is the world-class leader in mountain biking. The list of racers and athletes who have been associated with the Fox-tail brand includes the true greats of their disciplines."
Bob Fox was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2009.