Motorcycle Industry Leader, Pioneer Joins Motorcycle Hall Of Fame

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that Parts
Unlimited founder Fred Fox, who built a small business into the
largest aftermarket motorcycle, snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle and
personal watercraft accessory distributorship in the world, will be
inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as part of the 2011
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Legends & Champions Weekend
at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nev., Nov.
18-20.
"It's not exaggerating to say that if you ride, it's extremely
likely that one or more parts on your bike, or at least one piece
of your riding gear, was supplied through your dealer by Parts
Unlimited or Drag Specialties," said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman
of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which raises money
for the Hall of Fame. "Fred Fox's reach in the motorcycle world is
vast, and he's definitely earned a place among the greats in the
Motorcycle Hall of Fame."
Fox founded Parts Unlimited in 1967 to distribute motorcycle parts
and accessories to dealers. Today his parent company, LeMans
Corporation, is based in Janesville, Wisc., and it employs more
than 1,200 people in operations spread across the U.S., Canada and
in Europe. Parts Unlimited serves the "metric" side of
motorcycling, while Drag Specialties serves the American V-twin
industry. The company's own brands include Thor Motocross, Moose
Off-Road, Icon and Z1R helmets and apparel.
Fox elevated motorcycling and the sport of motorcycle racing
nationally by creating a state-of-the-art distribution system that
got parts to dealers quickly. He also helped grow the sport by
sponsoring motorcycle racing series, as well as amateur and
professional racers.
Additionally, Fox served for 14 years on the Motorcycle Industry
Council's Board of Directors or on one of the trade group's
committees.
"This is obviously a very nice honor, and it's much appreciated,
but at the same time, there's a lot of people I could give credit
to for making this work," Fox said. "It's not a one-man band. We
were, at one time, up to 1,600 employees."
Fox noted that he never expected to be named to the Motorcycle Hall
of Fame.
"I was obviously a little surprised," he said. "A lot of the people
in the Hall of Fame are pretty good racers, and I was a mediocre
racer. I saw that they were faster than me, and I was a mechanical
engineer, so I worked on the tuning side of it, and the rest of it
grew out of that. I have a lot of mottos, but one is 'Get out of
bed and try to run the business better than the day before.' We're
very proud of that."
Fox joins previously announced magazine pioneer Phil Schilling in
the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2011. The remaining 2011
inductees will be announced in random order over the next few
weeks.
The Class of 2011 will officially be inducted into the Motorcycle
Hall of Fame on Nov. 18 as part of the AMA Legends & Champions
Weekend. In addition to the induction ceremony, the weekend
includes the 2011 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Concours d'Elegance on
Saturday, Nov. 19, featuring some of the country's most impressive
original and restored classic motorcycles. The AMA Racing
Championship Banquet closes out the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 20,
where AMA Racing amateur champions of all ages will be recognized
for their 2011 accomplishments.
Tickets for the AMA Legends & Champions weekend are now available
through this online registration form:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=vw9ldxbab&oeidk=a07e3rn4juk2e3f80c1.
Tickets may be ordered over the phone by calling (800)
262-5646.
The AMA Legends & Champions Weekend also includes the final round
of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross National Championship Series on
Saturday evening, Nov. 19. EnduroCross tickets are available at
www.orleansarena.com/event-calendar/endurocross or by phone at
(702) 284-7777 or (888) 234-2334.
The AMA Legends & Champions Weekend will be held at the Las Vegas
Red Rock Resort, a world-class spa, hotel and casino, featuring a
range of entertainment, dining and family-friendly attractions. The
facility's expansive ballrooms provide a stunning backdrop for the
AMA Legends & Champions Weekend, which is certain to be memorable
for the 2011 inductees, champions, families, friends and fans. Room
reservations are available now at a special group rate by calling
(866) 767-7773 and referencing group AMA or AMERICANMOTO. Online
room reservations are available at RedRockLasVegas.com. For online
reservations, use the promo code RCIMOTR.
More information about the Motorcycle Hall of Fame can be found at
MotorcycleMuseum.org.