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Edited Date/Time
5/14/2022 4:22am
Fox sent out this email in response to the ACU in the UK recently banning their V3RS helmet from competition. There was a thread on it like a week or two ago.
Fox Racing would like to address the recent statement made by the ACU. Please see below for a response from the brand:
Fox Racing is the leader in motocross equipment, and safety is our number one priority. The equipment and gear we create undergoes series of rigorous tests prior to being put to market. A recent notice was circulated by the ACU Off Road Technical Panel Secretary stating that the Fox V3RS Motocross Helmet has been banned from ACU events. We would like to emphasize that the V3RS helmet has passed all globally-recognized standards including the ECE (European Safety Standard) and DOT (US Safety Standard). The Fox team is working with the ACU to have the V3RS tested immediately so the appropriate paperwork can be filed on this model. All questions and inquires can be directed to Tanner Klem at customerservice@foxracing.com
Fox Racing would like to address the recent statement made by the ACU. Please see below for a response from the brand:
Fox Racing is the leader in motocross equipment, and safety is our number one priority. The equipment and gear we create undergoes series of rigorous tests prior to being put to market. A recent notice was circulated by the ACU Off Road Technical Panel Secretary stating that the Fox V3RS Motocross Helmet has been banned from ACU events. We would like to emphasize that the V3RS helmet has passed all globally-recognized standards including the ECE (European Safety Standard) and DOT (US Safety Standard). The Fox team is working with the ACU to have the V3RS tested immediately so the appropriate paperwork can be filed on this model. All questions and inquires can be directed to Tanner Klem at customerservice@foxracing.com
We also still don't have an answer as to what's actually gone on here. The ACU stated that this issue was present on not just the V3RS, but the V3 and V4 - the latter helmets have been outdated for how long?
If the helmets haven't met the standards required by the ACU, how have they been sold by Fox with ACU stickers for nearly a decade?
Have asked the ACU this exact question, but wasn't given a direct answer.
I have 4 of these and I'm seriously wondering if I'm safe in them or taking unnecessary risk...!
The Shop
For some reason, rather than contact Fox, (or any of the other affected brands) the ACU, in all their wisdom sent out that inflammatory press release, causing panic and problems, when all they had to do was speak to the brands and get them to pass the UK test (which all the current helmets would)
Of course this is the ACU, so they didn't do that....
Just told organisers on a Saturday afternoon to fail the helmets at scrutineering the following morning with no time for people to source an alternative helmet and no official information being released.
Only way the news got out was because one organiser gave people the heads up with a poorly written Facebook post - poor showing for the ACU and Fox really for not being transparent from the off, so people didn't travel miles to be told they couldn't race (no I wasn't one of those people).
I assumed that it was due to Brexit, but the ACU didn't comment on that when I asked and given the fact the V4 was on the list and not the V1/ V2 it sounded like there was more to it than that..
I'm someone who's exclusively worn Fox helmets since they were made by AGV and can assure you, I've personally tested them enough to trust them, so I didn't have any safety concerns. Just more the ACU and their ability to ensure helmets are approved before allowing them to be sent out with their approval sticker. Just devalues the whole thing really and makes you question them as an organisation.
The ACU….
The fact is the ACU only just noticed these helmets weren't properly stickered, reacted without thinking (typical) and instead of reaching out to the brands, gave an extremely vague statement about it, leading to much more confusion than was necessary
Probably the exact same situation right now with Fox.
Fox helmets have been sold with the ACU approval stickers on them and raced at ACU events for months (Years if it's the OG V3/ V4 helmets that the ACU stated in their initial memo to race organisers). The ACU have then retrospectively decided that they don't comply.
Perhaps one day a professional organisation will be able to put out a professional statement on their own account.
Post a reply to: Fox Racing - Official Statement Addressing the ACU Ban of V3RS Helmet