Unboxing videos are popular on social media these days , but when my copy of Unlimited : The Fred Fox Story by Don Emde arrived on my doorstep , I was too eager to crack the spine and start reading to bother with recording the moment . And that ' s too bad , because a book this good looking deserves a little time in the spotlight . Published with the Emde Books imprint by his company , Don Emde Inc ., Don chose to go with a sleek , elegant black dust cover for the 324-page hardback book . While we all know the adage ' It ' s what ' s inside that counts ', it ' s still worth noting that ' Unlimited ' is a beautifully presented book . Not surprisingly , the inside is even more impressive . The thick , glossy pages are filled with the story of not just Fred Fox , but of the many people , brands , events and dealers whose stories are interwoven with his . The more than 700 color photos help " more than 700 color photos "
bring those stories to life and the handy index in the back makes it easy to locate those who are mentioned . It ' s hard to imagine anyone in the powersports industry who doesn ' t know Fred ' s name , since he was the man behind LeMans Corporation , which includes the powersports distribution companies Parts Unlimited , Drag Specialties , Parts Canada and Parts Europe . Add in some of the best-known brands in the industry - THOR , Moose Racing and ICON among them - and it ' s obvious that Fred didn ' t pull off this success all by himself . Back in 1967 , though , Fred was doing it all by himself . ( On paper , at least : his family was willing to pitch in and to share the house with racks of tires and other parts .) Fast forward 56 years to today , and LeMans Corporation has more than 1,000 employees and proudly claims the title of the largest privately owned powersports distribution company in the world . Shortly after Fred ' s retirement in 2021 , Emde took on the task of putting the Fred Fox story into book form . The pair ' s friendship of 40 plus years is apparent in the pages of Unlimited , as is the respect of so many of Fred ' s colleagues , employees and industry peers . |
It took Emde 15 months to research the book , which included a lot of time spent interviewing Fred . The timing of this book was fortunate : Fred passed away in February of 2023 , and had the book not already been in production , then a lot of his stories might have been lost forever . Instead , Unlimited gives us both a history and a tribute that are appropriately timed . Unlimited : The Fred Fox Story is broken down into eight parts . The first seven cover the history , from Fred ' s earliest years right up to the present day , and the epilogue gives us a look at the future . Within each of these eight parts , the narrative is further broken down into smaller vignettes . This makes the book great for those who are stealing an extra few minutes here and there to read it , because the stories are short and self-contained . bite-sized biography style is
This also great for readers who have
specific interests . For example , offroad racing enthusiasts can glance at the table of contents to find what they ' ll be most interested in , like the history of Moose Racing or how the legendary Torsten Hallman first met Fred . MotoGP fans can get an inside look at the infamous hurricaneshortened Indy GP or revel in the late Nicky Hayden ' s victory at Laguna Seca .
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Fred was there for all of it , and , of course , racers and fans are familiar with Parts Unlimited ' s renowned " We Support the Sport " campaign and sponsorships .
" a lot of familiar names and faces "
Emde has an easy , conversational style of writing . The book comes off not as a stiff , boring biography , but as one powersports pioneer telling stories about another pioneer . It ' s easy to picture Emde telling these same stories over dinner at the next motorcycle rally or after a day at the racetrack .
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In addition to interviewing Fred for Unlimited , Emde also spoke to many others who either work at LeMans Corporation or are tied to it in some way . Emde doesn ' t attempt to retell their stories . Rather , we get to hear the stories in the person ' s own words , which brings them to life in a much fuller way . Fred told Emde right from the start of the project that he didn ' t want a book that was only about him . He wanted it to tell the story of LeMans Corporation . Fred got that , and more : this is truly a book about the industry and the people and brands that keep it going . It feels like an homage to all of us , not just to one man . In fact , Unlimited feels a bit like a yearbook for the powersports industry , or perhaps a family photo album . There are a lot of familiar names and faces to be found , from top professional racers who have been sponsored by Parts Unlimited or Drag Specialties to some of the biggest personalities working in the powersports industry . It ' s remarkable how many of the earliest employees of LeMans Corporation have biographies that end with something along the lines of , " He continued in that job until his recent retirement ." ( Others are still active , like Drag Specialties ' Tom Motzko , who is still at it after nearly 50 years .) That loyalty is a testament to Fred ' s work ethic and the culture that he created at LeMans Corporation . Fred also had a good eye for business . He acquired some brands , while others he helped along the way . The story of Vance & Hines is a perfect example of that . Emde relates how Terry Vance and Byron Hines had a fledgling business , and Fred helped them take it to the next level with a distribution deal . These days , it ' s hard to imagine the legendary performance exhaust brand as " fledgling ," and they credit Fred with helping them grow beyond a little garage operation . Stories like theirs abound in Unlimited . And , ultimately , it ' s apparent that Fred Fox ' s success and the success of the powersports industry are part of the same story . You can get your copy of Unlimited : The Fred Fox Story by Don Emde at EmdeBooks . com . It costs $ 75 plus tax where applicable , and shipping . |