![]() At this point, Geoff had been flooring bikes a while and felt the time was right to up his investment. On the sales side, margins were small and with dozens of brands available in the early seventies, competition was cutthroat.Īfter a year or so in business, Bullwinkle decided that he wanted out of Grand Prix Cycles. At the time, motocross was really starting to take off in America, but just as today, the real money was in parts and service, not new unit sales. While not a huge amount of money, this cash infusion was enough to help MacLachlan and another partner, Chuck Bullwinkle, get Grand Prix Cycles started. Essentially, if a new bike cost $500 from the manufacturer, Geoff would provide this money upfront to purchase the bike, and then he would recoup his investment, plus interest, once the bike was sold to the final consumer. “Flooring” is a term used in the retail world for the up-front financing used to buy inventory. At the time, this was just not financially feasible for Fox on his teacher’s income, but he did agree to help MacLachlan by providing some flooring assistance with his new venture. Within a few months, the two had become regular riding buddies.Īfter about six months of riding and racing together, MacLachlan approached Geoff about striking out on their own and starting a new dealership. A parts manager at the Yamaha dealer he frequented, MacLachlan and Fox immediately connected over their shared passion for motorcycling. It was at this point that Geoff made the acquaintance of Ian MacLachlan. Treating himself to a new Yamaha, Geoff took advantage of the many riding opportunities Northern California in the early seventies had to offer. ![]() Although a full-time teacher and family man, he continued to make time for the sport he loved. ![]() Most of all, he was hooked on the excitement and camaraderie of dirt bike riding and took that passion with him back to California after graduation.īy 1969, Geoff had his Ph.D., a new family (with two young boys, Greg and Pete) and a teaching job in the physics department at Santa Clara University. Over the next few years, he would dabble in enduros, trials and even the odd motocross race. This inquiry would lead to Geoff’s introduction to off-road riding and racing. After a while, he began to notice one of the machines parked next to his on campus was consistently covered in mud and inquired as to how this happened. There, Fox was introduced to the joys of motorcycling by commuting to classes on a Honda CL 175. The origins of Fox Racing can be traced all the way back to the mid-sixties, when a young Geoff Fox was attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. For many people outside of the sport, Fox is motocross. Even though hardcore fans often lament this mainstream acceptance, it is hard to argue with the success it has brought. Today, the iconic Fox head logo can be found everywhere from motocross tracks to shopping malls. Started in 1974 by a Santa Clara University physics professor, The Moto-X Fox (as it was originally known) has grown from a motorcycle dealership mail order operation, into one of the most influential brands in all of action sports. For part five of my motocross gear history series, I am going to take a look back at one of the real powerhouses of the motocross gear industry, Fox Racing.įor this instalment, we are going to mix things up a bit by enlisting the help of two of the people intimately familiar with the Fox story – founder Geoff, and his oldest son Greg.
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