Nelson Chanady
Encyclopedia
Nelson Chanady is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981–1987
National Bicycle League (NBL)
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
National Pedal Sport Association
(NPSA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Nelson Chanady became the first Overall World Champion for the IBMXF in 1982, its first World Championship event (the International Championship event held in October 1981 at the Pontiac Silverdome
in Pontiac, Michigan
is generally isn't counted). However, there was some controversy with this title. The IBMXF followed the previous practice of holding a Trophy Dash race off between the fourteen year old and above classes (Expert, Open and Girls divisions but not Cruiser) including the professional winners and amateur winners racing against each other to decide the Overall Championship. This precedent was set by the Jag World Championships during the first three years of the four previous times the event was held beginning in December 1978 (which the NBL had co-sanctioned with the NBA the first three years), the Pro World Champion Greg Hill
refused to race Chanady, the 17 Expert Champion and the other amateur champions for the overall title. His feelings this time where why should a pro race the amateurs? What is there to prove? At first the 14 & Over Open winner Andy Patterson tried to instigate a spontaneous boycott
with the other racers, refusing to start unless Greg Hill joined them on the starting line. However, NBL Competition Director Robert Tedesco relayed to the other racers that Greg Hill's mind was set and he would not race. Tedesco urged the racers to participate without Hill. Accepting Hill's resolution, they agreed. With this Nelson became the first and last Overall World Champion. From then on the Pro World Champion is presumed to be the overall World Champion given the assumption that the Pro class is the most difficult and competitive class in BMX, as it is with any other sport. If you win the Pro Class you are assumed to be the Overall Champion.
(NBA)
National Bicycle League
(NBL)
American Bicycle Association
(ABA)
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
(USBA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
The Kellogg's Frosties BMX Championship held in Birmingham
, England
was a series of six races held on three days total (but stretched out over a week including off days) that was centered around the invited eight top pros of the United States and eight British pros and tailored for British television broadcast. There were also eight amateurs class races held but the race focus was meant for the pros. In a bit of serendipity on Chanady's part, Stu Thomsen
was slated to be one of the pros to race, but due to an ankle injury suffered at a national in Memphis, Tennessee
, as per prior agreement with race organizers in the event of a slot becoming available, GT had the right to choose the replacement. GT chose Nelson Chanady over fellow GT pro Rober Fehd and he became an alternate.
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981–1987
Racing career milestones
----| Milestone | Event Details |
|---|---|
| Started racing: | July 13, 1980 at age 17. Nelson started racing unusually old. At his age at the time racers during this era were either contemplating retiring or turning professional. As in the case of other notable BMXers, it seems friends persuaded him to try BMX. They noticed his talent on an old Redline "Square Back" BMX bicycle, talent he honed from Motorcycle Motocross as well as riding his BMX bicycle for general transportation and "thrashing". |
| Sanctioning body: | National Bicycle League National Bicycle League The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio... (NBL) |
| Sanctioning body district(s): | American Bicycle Association American Bicycle Association The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA... (ABA) Florida 1 (FLA-1). |
| First race bike: | Redline "Squareback". |
| First race result: | First place 16 Novice class in Kendall, Florida Kendall, Florida Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226.... . |
| First win (local): | See "First race result". He went undefeated for his entire Novice and Junior career, only defeated for the first time after turning expert. |
| First sponsor: | Team Honda 1980 |
| First national win: | |
| Turned professional: | January 1984 at age 20. |
| First professional race result: | Third place in "B" Pro at the ESPN Pro Spectacular Series Final in Burbank, California Burbank, California Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340.... on December 23, 1983. He won USD$150. The 2008 equivalent is USD$308.37 (Cost of Living Calculator). |
| First professional win: | First place in "B" Pro at the National Bicycle League National Bicycle League The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio... (NBL) War of the Stars VII national at Pompano, Florida on January 15, 1984. He won US$400 or USD$822.33 in 2008. |
| First Junior Men/pro* race result: | See above. |
| First Junior Men/pro win: | See above. |
| First Senior pro** race result: | |
| First Senior pro win: | The Kellogg's Frosties BMX Championship held in Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... on April 14, 1984. He won UK£3,150 pounds sterling Pound sterling The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence... (GBP), which was the equivalent to USD$4,347 in 1984. This in turn is the equivalent to USD$8,936.66 in 2008. |
| Height and weight at height of his career: (1983) | Ht.:5'10 Wt.:175 lbs. |
| Retired: |
Amateur
- Team Honda: Mid 1980 to Late 1980
- The Hot Shop (Bicycle Shop) (exclusively): Late 1980–September 1982.
- GT (Gary Turner) Racing/The Hot Shop: September 1982–June 1983. GT Racing at this time was his primary sponsor with first and long time sponsor The Hot Shop becoming is secondary sponsor. This unusual arrangement was reflected by his uniform swapping. In ABA and NBL races in the Western States of the United States he raced in his GT liveryLiveryA livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
; at ABA and NBL races in Eastern states he raced in his Hot Shop uniform with them as his primary sponsor. As a side note his GT uniform jerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
had "The Hot Shop" written in large block capital letters vertically down its sleeves, as opposed to having "GT BMX" and a racing stripe down them. His Hot Shop uniform just had a GT patch. In June 1983 The Hot Shop Bicycle shop disbanded its race team. From then on Nelson Chanady was sponsored exclusively by GT Racing. Nelson Chanady's then unique dual sponsorship situation between GT and The Hot Shop was actually a foreshadowing of dual or even triple "primary sponsorships that would start in the late 1980s after BMX racing's first recession and would become common place by the late 1990s and early 2000s as companies both within and outside the BMX industry sought to spread the cost of sponsoring a race team between them.
- GT Racing (exclusively): June 1983-Early December 1984, Late February 1985- Chanady would turn pro with this sponsor.
Professional
- GT Racing (exclusively): June 1983-Early December 1984, Late February 1985- In December 1984 GT dropped Chanady from their team for lack of performance. In the BMX periodical BMX Plus! it was customary for them to along with the racer's name in the results to list his primary sponsor with him. For instance "Eric Rupe/Mongoose". The listings for "Nelson Chanady/GT" ends beginning with the NBL National #3 in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, AlabamaMontgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
in the April 1985 issue. Also in that issue was the note that GT notified Chanady that they were going to let his contract expire and not renew it. Despite this, Nelson Chanady paid his own way to that race, wore a GT uniform and sat with the team. Apparently this show of loyalty impressed GT enough to reconsider their decision and rehired him (or never dropped him formally) in early 1985 since Nelson is listed in the race results with "GT" after his name beginning again with NBL National #8 in Montclair, CaliforniaMontclair, CaliforniaMontclair is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 36,664 at the 2010 United States Census.The current mayor is Paul M. Eaton.-Description:...
in the July 1985 issue on page 52. This was confirmed in the August 1985 issue's "Check point" mini coverage of the NBL Florida Nationals #11 and #12. Another stated and perhaps more important reason was that GT wanted Chanady to represent them at the 1985 Kellogg Championship series in England.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA)- None
National Bicycle League (NBL)
- 1981 Florida state No.1
- 1981 16 Expert National No.2
- 1982, 1983 17 & Over Expert National No.1
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- 1982 17 & Over Expert Jag World Champion (ABA sanctioned)
National Pedal Sport Association
National Pedal Sport Association
The National Pedal Sport Association was a South Eastern USA regional Bicycle Motocross sanctioning body originally based in Palm Harbor, Florida. It then soon after moved to Dunedin, Florida for most of its existence. Then in its last years Pinellas Park, Florida was its headquarters...
(NPSA)
- 1980 16 Junior National No.1
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- 1982 17 Expert Murray World Cup of BMX I Champion.
- 1982 17 Expert & Overall World Champion.
Nelson Chanady became the first Overall World Champion for the IBMXF in 1982, its first World Championship event (the International Championship event held in October 1981 at the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
is generally isn't counted). However, there was some controversy with this title. The IBMXF followed the previous practice of holding a Trophy Dash race off between the fourteen year old and above classes (Expert, Open and Girls divisions but not Cruiser) including the professional winners and amateur winners racing against each other to decide the Overall Championship. This precedent was set by the Jag World Championships during the first three years of the four previous times the event was held beginning in December 1978 (which the NBL had co-sanctioned with the NBA the first three years), the Pro World Champion Greg Hill
Greg A. Hill
Gregory Alan Hill is a former "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1989...
refused to race Chanady, the 17 Expert Champion and the other amateur champions for the overall title. His feelings this time where why should a pro race the amateurs? What is there to prove? At first the 14 & Over Open winner Andy Patterson tried to instigate a spontaneous boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
with the other racers, refusing to start unless Greg Hill joined them on the starting line. However, NBL Competition Director Robert Tedesco relayed to the other racers that Greg Hill's mind was set and he would not race. Tedesco urged the racers to participate without Hill. Accepting Hill's resolution, they agreed. With this Nelson became the first and last Overall World Champion. From then on the Pro World Champion is presumed to be the overall World Champion given the assumption that the Pro class is the most difficult and competitive class in BMX, as it is with any other sport. If you win the Pro Class you are assumed to be the Overall Champion.
Professional
National Bicycle AssociationNational Bicycle Association
The National Bicycle Association , later known as the National Bicycle Motocross Association was an United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Soledad, California that was created by Ernie Alexander in 1973 and ceased operations as an independent body in 1981...
(NBA)
- None
National Bicycle League
National Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- None
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA...
(ABA)
- None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
- 1985 Challenge Cup Pro Champion
Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
- 1984 Kellog's Frosties BMX Champion.
The Kellogg's Frosties BMX Championship held in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was a series of six races held on three days total (but stretched out over a week including off days) that was centered around the invited eight top pros of the United States and eight British pros and tailored for British television broadcast. There were also eight amateurs class races held but the race focus was meant for the pros. In a bit of serendipity on Chanady's part, Stu Thomsen
Stu Thomsen
Stuart L. Thomsen was an American bicycle motocross racer.Stu Thomsen was one of the first of the "Old School" of professional BMX racers who gained fame in the early days of the sport beginning in 1974. His prime competitive years were from 1976-1985...
was slated to be one of the pros to race, but due to an ankle injury suffered at a national in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, as per prior agreement with race organizers in the event of a slot becoming available, GT had the right to choose the replacement. GT chose Nelson Chanady over fellow GT pro Rober Fehd and he became an alternate.
Notable accolades
- Named one of the "Terrible Ten", BMX Actions pick of fastest amateur racers in the world in 1983
- Named one of "1984's Hottest Rookie Pros" by BMX Action Magazine.
BMX press magazine interviews and articles
- "Total Racer: Nelson Chanady Total BMX September 1981 Vol.2 No.4 pg.24
- "Nelson Who?" BMX Plus! October 1981 Vol.4 No.10 pg.32 side bar article on his meteoric rise.
- "Nelson Chanady" Total BMX November 1982 Vol.3 No.5 pg.46
- "Sharpshootin': Nelson Chanady" BMX Action December 1982 Vo.7 No.12 pg.90 short biography.
- "1984's Hottest Rookie Pros" BMX Action October 1984 Vol.9 No.10 pg.74
BMX magazine covers
----Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- None
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- None
BMX Plus!:
- December 1983 Vol.6 No.11* In inset with Stu ThomsenStu ThomsenStuart L. Thomsen was an American bicycle motocross racer.Stu Thomsen was one of the first of the "Old School" of professional BMX racers who gained fame in the early days of the sport beginning in 1974. His prime competitive years were from 1976-1985...
, Greg HillGreg A. HillGregory Alan Hill is a former "Old School" professional bicycle motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1989...
, Tim JudgeTim JudgeTimothy Judge is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1979-1985. When he was a young racer his given name was used in the diminutive "Timmy"...
, Gary DebackerGary DeBackerGary Wayne DeBacker was an American professional "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose competitive years were from 1980-1999. His greatest achievements occurred during his amateur days, highlighted by four international world championships...
and others at beginning of national banner presentation at the start of a race. Brian PattersonBrian PattersonBrian Patterson is a former American "Old School" bicycle motocross racer.Brian Patterson is the younger of the most potent sibling combinations BMX has ever seen. With Brent the Brothers Patterson are the only brothers to both hold the National No.1 Pro title in any major BMX sanctioning body...
is the main image.
Total BMX:
- November 1982 Vol.3 No.5
Bicycles and Dirt:
- None
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication):
- None
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):
USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):