Nelson Chanady


Nelson Chanady is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981–1987

Racing career milestones

Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
MilestoneEvent 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
Sanctioning body district:American Bicycle Association Florida 1.
First race bike:Redline "Squareback".
First race result:First place 16 Novice class in Kendall, Florida.
First win :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 on December 23, 1983. He won US$150. The 2008 equivalent is US$308.37.
First professional win:First place in "B" Pro at the National Bicycle League War of the Stars VII national at Pompano, Florida on January 15, 1984. He won US$400 or US$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, England on April 14, 1984. He won UK£3,150 pounds sterling, which was the equivalent to US$4,347 in 1984. This in turn is the equivalent to US$8,936.66 in 2008.
Height and weight at height of his career: Ht.:5'10 Wt.:175 lbs.
Retired:

*In the NBL it is B"/Superclass/"A" pro ; in the ABA it is "A" pro.
**In the NBL it is "A" pro ; in the ABA it is "AA" pro.

Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever-changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are given.

Amateur

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.

Amateur

National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
American Bicycle Association
National Pedal Sport Association
International Bicycle Motocross Federation
Nelson Chanady became the first Overall World Champion for the IBMXF in 1982, its first World Championship event. 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 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, 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.

Professional

National Bicycle Association
National Bicycle League
American Bicycle Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
International Bicycle Motocross Federation
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 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.

Notable accolades

Racing habits and traits

Miscellaneous

Post BMX career

BMX press magazine interviews and articles

Note: Only magazines that were in publication at the time of the racer's career are listed unless specifically noted.
Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
BMX Plus!:
*Due to a change in ownership, BMX Plus! did not publish a May 1983 issue.
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt:
NBA World & NBmxA World :
Bicycles Today & BMX Today :
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer :
USBA Racer :