Fox Racing Friday | Robbie Reynard’s 1994 Jersey

Fox Racing Friday | Robbie Reynard’s 1994 Jersey

Presented by Fox Racing

In 1993, Oklahoma’s Robbie Reynard made his pro debut at the tail end of the 125 Nationals and earned a spot in the history books as the youngest-ever National winner by topping the Steel City series finale. (Interesting enough, he earned that victory with 7-1 moto scores!) 

In 1994 Reynard returned as a member of the factory Kawasaki team wearing number 33 and was expected by many to take the sport by storm. Sadly, an injury early on put him on the sidelines, and it wasn’t until that same season finale that he returned to the top of the podium again. That same year, Fox Racing debuted a new line of earth-toned motocross apparel that was a huge departure from the fluorescent colors and bold designs that were the norm at the time, and alongside Team Honda’s Doug Henry, Reynard stood out from the rest of the pack in his rust red and forest green kit.

“There are many times that we throw a wild idea out there and it is unanimously loved by everyone involved,” remembers Pete Fox. “But the earth tones were one of the ideas that everyone in-house was divided on. We wanted to do something unexpected; something to break away from all the neons. To this day, I am still really proud of that collection. Forest green is a color that is really hard to nail, and we hit it right on the head.”

Though the earth tone colorway was indeed different, Fox’s vision was validated both by consumer demand, and the new trend that followed as early as 1995 when other manufacturers incorporated earth tones into their lines.

We called Robbie Reynard to see if he could remember this jersey. “Honestly, everything that Fox ever came out with was pretty cool, so I can’t say that I ever questioned what they gave me to wear,” he said. “Earth tone was different, but I never thought things didn’t look good. I mean, I was a little kid back then who was just excited to get new stuff!

“When I look at the picture it’s amazing to think how far gear has come, even when it comes to jerseys. The new Flexair stuff that they make now is great; it’s super comfortable, stretchy, and it breathes and flows air. This old jersey is solid cotton T-short material and the graphics are silk screened on and they block air. My mom would cut holes in them for me for air to flow through. Sometimes, the guys at Fox would do it for me, too. At one point they even used hole punchers.

“I will say, though, that Fox Racing, even today, has always set the trends and it’s been great to be teamed up with them.”

Editorial Fox Product Spotlight of the Week

Fox V3 Helmet featuring Fluid Inside

Price: $499.99

The Details

Introduced last month, the all-new Fox V3 Helmet boasts a wealth of new design and safety features that make it stand out from other premium off-road motorcycle helmets. At the heart of the new helmet is an all-new MCT (multi-composite technology) shell that comes in four shell sizes, and is paired with a Varizorb EPS liner, which features multi-density foam to help disperse impact energy more efficiently thanks to its cone-shaped injected design. To address the dangers of rotational impacts, Fluid Inside technology is incorporated into the inside of the helmet, between the EPS and comfort liner. The fluid pods are designed to mimic the cerebral fluid that protects your brain from coming into contact with the inside of your skull, offering both linear and rotational impact dampening. In total, seven Fluid Inside pods are spread throughout the helmet to help disperse impacts in a crash. Another unique feature of the new V3 helmet is its two-piece construction. While the main shell is traditional in design, the entire eyeport and chinbar is a separate piece, dubbed The Cage. Made of composite materials, the piece is designed to offer impact energy management than a traditional one-piece design. The entire helmet is extensively vented, with massive ports that are protected by injected mesh screens. Finally, Fox’s patented MVRS magnetic visor system is incorporated. Designed to detach on impact in the event of a crash, the system helps guard against snagging on the ground and mitigate external rotational forces.

SML Says

The all-new V3 definitely looks unlike any other motocross helmet. In fact, it looks much like the Rampage Pro Carbon mountain bike helmet we’ve come to love. What do we think of the new moto helmet, though? Having given it a thorough and complete test (unfortunately?) by suffering a massive crash in it on our first day of riding in it, we can confidently give it a two thumbs up review. 

But let’s get to our pre-crash impressions, first! The new V3 fits very well, and we encountered none of the pressure points that we initially suspected that we might from the Fluid Inside pods. Instead, the helmet slips on nicely and has a soft, luxurious feel inside against your head and face. Unlike the previous V3, the new helmet has a deeper fit, and the chin bar offers plenty of clearance for your face. The previous V3’s chinbar felt close to our face and had a much different feel. We love the fit of the new helmet, and it offers a great field of vision and accepts all goggles well, even the current trend of oversized goggles from other manufacturers.

Ventilation is amazing in the V3, as air flows through the massive vents and cools your head. On cold days, we found ourselves actually cold inside the V3! As one might expect, more sound reaches your ears due to the generous venting, but that is something that only takes a few laps to grow accustomed to.

The MVRS visor is not adjustable, but the height of the visor seems just right for the majority of riders who will race in it. Trail riders might wish for a lower setting, but the standard location is proper! The MVRS is more sturdy than it was on earlier helmets, and it takes quite an impact to dislodge the visor. But, we can state from experience that it does indeed detach on impact.

The crash we had in the new V3 was pretty significant. (Switch to a first-person account, here.) An overdose of throttle in a dry, slick corner sent me into a violent high-side, and I slapped my head onto the hard-packed SoCal dirt with such force, that it rendered me kookoo for the better part of an hour. A trip to the ER for a CT scan revealed no bruising, bleeding, or swelling of my brain, and I was released with a clean bill of health and a prescription for pain killers. Initially, I was bummed out about suffering a mild concussion in the new helmet, but a few days later I connected with Mark Finley from Fox Racing and got to take a look at my crash-damaged lid. The damage done to the helmet made it obvious that the impact it protected me from was pretty damned big. Having more helmet-smashing experience than I’d like to admit, I can honestly say that the V3 likely saved my life, and I would have suffered a mild concussion at best in any helmet I could have been wearing. The brunt of the impact was in the right forehead area, and the EPS was compressed to the point that it cracked. The Cage eyeport and chinbar was completely intact, proving that the two-piece design is indeed sturdy enough to protect against big impacts.

Would I ride and race in the new Fox Racing V3 again? Absolutely. Learn more about my crash-damaged V3 in the video below.

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