Goggles are one of the most important pieces of gear, but in professional racing, they’re more than just that. They’re one of the most visible pieces of equipment, which makes them extremely valuable in terms of marketing. We caught up with four of the industry’s leading goggle authorities to learn more about the dollars and cents side of vision, and how racing contributes to the end product in protective eyewear.
We always hear about silly season with riders and teams, but is there a similar thing that goes on with goggles? Are you running around during the regular season trying to talk to guys who you know might have a contract ending soon? Are there midnight tests going on with goggles in remote locations to see if the rider likes the goggle chassis and tear-offs?
John Kuzo (100%): One hundred percent, no pun intended. Yes, we know exactly who will be available, but more importantly, we work very hard to keep our team intact. Meaning, keeping riders we've worked with before on sponsored teams in the brand as they move up, like we achieved with current champions like [Cooper] Webb, [Aaron] Plessinger, [Dylan] Ferrandis. As far as midnight tests, you’re always trying to improve and make things better, but we've found riding at midnight doesn’t provide the best lighting for hitting the whoops. Honestly, we really have the best crew—we’re all like-minded with moto experience. We listen to our riders for product quality, and we listen to consumers when it comes to their needs at the checkout counter.
Jesse James (Fly Racing): In my experience the Fly Zone Pro has only been on the market for the last two years. The Zone Pro was debuted with Justin Brayton and the Muc-Off Honda team in 2021. The next year we made huge strides in the right direction with the goggle that will soon have a trickle-down effect into what the consumer will have thanks to our racers.
Kenny Day (Fox Racing): Of course. We are always looking to expand the visibility of the brand on the top athletes. Typically, we try to get a rider to be head-to-toe in Fox, but we have some separate deals with riders who only wear the goggle. Personally, I like to have privateers who I know won’t be up front to wear our goggles because it’s a good test to see how our products hold up in the worst conditions. As far as midnight goggle tests go, not so much, but I’d say a top guy will always be extremely picky when it comes to the performance of their goggles, as it’s one of the most important pieces of protection.
John Knowles (Scott USA): We’re in a constant discussion with riders to make future plans. We do a lot of testing before the races, but what also helps is all the time we've already spent doing this. Scott has been on the podium with goggles since the earliest days. We've worked with Pro Circuit [Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki] for over 30 years. So we're always learning something new and adding that for the racers and ultimately to the product. What we learn from one rider years ago might end up helping our guys today, like Malcolm [Stewart], Jason [Anderson] Max [Vohland] or any of the PC riders. You're always pushing to get better, and the conditions are so tough in this sport that you learn a lot.
In January 2021, Scott released a limited addition Pro Circuit Prospect Goggle.
How many goggles are consumed every year in the pro ranks that never actually get used on the track? You see riders tossing goggles into the crowd in supercross, there’s always a fresh set for them afterward when they’re on the podium, and so forth. Is that a significant number?
Kuzo: Not many are consumed like that. I reuse all goggles from each round. I’ll clean or change the lens, add tear-offs, and repeat x10000000. I use production goggles that could come from the shelves. We just don’t waste packaging—my goggles come in the nice cloth bag, minus all the boxes. Stuff that doesn’t make my quality control from week to week gets used elsewhere for practice, privateers, or podiums. Also, who tossed goggles during opening ceremonies? I want names! Just kidding. The podium is actually a huge ordeal. I work with team members of Star, KTM, Honda, etc., to make sure they have goggles ready for the podium each week. You’re on the podium, you earned those goggles, so they can keep or toss. But each week I’ll work with team members to change colors or replace tossed podium goggles. 100% usually has a few on the box each week so, end of year podium celebrations could add up to 100+ goggles in the crowd.
James: Total for the year that don’t get used is hard to put an exact number on. I do know that I bring six sets of goggles per weekend for each rider I have. Three for practice/qualifying, one heat, one main, and one backup for mechanic. I like to say, “If you need LCQ goggles, we might have a bigger problem (as a joke).” Based on that and what my 23 looks like I will have done 306 pairs for supercross alone for the Firepower Honda team. How many of them get unused is something I’ve not really thought of.
Day: In this situation I can only hope the number of podium goggles that go missing is very high! That’s a sign of a good year. The number isn’t as bad for me compared to other specific goggle only companies, I typically only have three guys in goggles at the races.
Knowles: Not really. I usually use previous practice goggles for sight laps, the podium and things like that. The key is to have a plan. It probably looks like we're just throwing goggles away non-stop, but everything is carefully labeled so the riders, their mechanic and everyone else knows exactly what to use and when. The races are stressful enough and you never want to cause fire drill.
How involved are you in the feedback loop between riders and manufacturers? Are you a chief liaison? How much of the information you get from riders on race day is going into the development of the next goggle? Does that info come from racing or is most of the R&D handled away from the races?
Kuzo: I’m more involved with feedback to the office and our R&D department from our riders and consumers. I’m more the middleman. They crush it with follow through and development of such needed changes or improvements. I’m in the trenches. I hear and see it all. I deal with more race goggles than any other human on the planet, so my feedback and input can be useful. You’re always trying to improve but sometimes it just comes down to who is more picky or needy. Some guys have real sweat issues, so different foam compounds with different density properties are needed for a long moto. We even have foam called "Bogle" foam. I’ve taken a sweat pad after a moto and filled a dixie cup with sweat from Justin [Bogle]. Now take that into consideration when you’re getting roosted for a whole moto, maybe with a so-so start, on a hot day. You think my boy JB needs sweat in eyes now, too? Nah.... Bogle Foam.
I think racing makes the best product possible so listening to them makes a difference. I say, if it will work for a pro like Webb, it will work for a consumer riding in the woods. But I will not discredit our team and how valuable they are. All our crew are racers or moto enthusiasts, so we all want to make the best product possible. Shout out to Mike Young and his R&D team at 100% for creating the best goggles out there!
James: Luckily, I have a team that is behind me that helps navigate things with the manufacturers for colorways and layout approvals. I am the main source of feedback from the riders to our R&D from race days. I believe that the R&D needs to happen before the races, because if something happens on race day there is not much time/resources to fix something. Raceday feedback for me is just finding out what makes the riders happy with their prep. Each guy is completely different in regard to their setups for tinted lenses for day practice, longer nose guards, the amount of tear offs they prefer, and if they pour sweat.
Day: I’m hands-on with the athletes and our product team. I act as the liaison between the two as well, as I produce new concepts based on rider feedback before I take it to our product team. Thankfully, my background of racing and riding allows me to relate to our athletes well. I’m able to translate issues and even test things before we hand them off to the guys.
Knowles: I am in contact with R&D on a weekly basis. We have engineers that are constantly trying to improve. There is no better test for us than pro racing. Not only are the conditions the most extreme, but so is the pressure to perform. You do not want to let down a rider like [Jason] Anderson, or his team and everyone that works so hard to get him there. In a really tough race, goggles could be all the difference, so you have to take that seriously. Once you treat it that way, you end up learning very quickly, and it makes the product that much better.
