Fox Racing Introduces The 2018 V3 Helmet With MVRS

Watching Ken Roczen launch off his Honda CRF 450R and fly some 50 feet into the face of a jump during the second Supercross race at Anaheim this past season was probably one of the scariest crashes most race fans have seen in recent years. We know the outcome of that crash and we are now watching how determined Roczen is to come back as strong if not stronger. What most of us didn't know at that time however, was that we were watching Fox Racing's newest helmet technology, Magnetic Visor Release System (MVRS), function exactly as it was supposed to.

When Roczen hit the face of that jump he landed in somewhat of a tucked position with his knees, arms, and head kind of all hitting at once. Upon impact, Ken's head was slammed into the dirt with extreme force that slightly pushed and twisted his head, and it was that initial force into the dirt that caused the magnetic visor to do its job and release from the helmet to reduce the lever effect rather than stay in place and potentially exacerbate the twisting motion. If the visor would have stayed on, who knows how many more injuries Roczen could have incurred or how much more severe things could have been for him?

https://youtu.be/VWvcU6iXbv4

"Current helmet certification testing removes the visor before conducting any impact tests and that was an area we wanted to study. After years of analyzing collected crash data and reviewing real world crash situations, our engineers felt visor technology could evolve. MVRS is the next design approach to the evolution of the modern day motocross helmet," stated Mark Finley, Global Motocross Category Director, in a press release for the 2018 V3.

Designed and engineered by Fox, and available on the V3 helmet for 2018, the MVRS adds another level of protection to a rider's head. Most mx visors are held in place by plastic screws, which sometimes fail to break away in the event of a crash. The MVRS uses three sets of magnets which are strong enough to keep the visor in place at high speeds and when getting hit with a blast of roost but will still allow the visor to release from the helmet upon impact.

Installing the visor is a breeze, all you need to do is line up the center magnets, let them snap in place and then the remaining magnets will align and snap together. With the inclusion of the Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS) liner, the V3 helmet can now help reduce rotational forces both internally through the MIPS liner and externally via the MVRS. Who knows this advancement in visor technology could possibly help set a new standard in dirt bike helmet safety.

In addition to MIPS, MVRS, dual density eps liner, and a composite shell, for 2018 Fox made the V3 with its own specific medium shell size whereas in the past the medium [mageProductLink sku="260-19094-003-s" title=""]V3[/mageProductLink] shared a shell with the large. Now riders have a range of four distinct (small, medium, large, extra-large) shell sizes to choose from and with its own size, the medium V3 now has a much smaller profile and is between 100-120 grams lighter than before.