29, 1983. This was a charity event. His first Senior Pro win was in 1989. Gary Ellis became the first ABA pro national No.1 in its history come from outside of California. He retired November 1998, after the 1998 ABA Grand National, age 32. *In the NBL "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Elite Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is "A" Pro. **In the NBL it is "AA" Pro/Elite Men; in the ABA it is "AA" Pro. Career factory and major bicycle shop sponsors Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous 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 Pedal Pushers Bike Shop: 1979 Robinson Racing Products: 1979-December 1981. Began as a co-sponsorship through his bike shop Pedal Pushers. Kuwahara Cycles, Ltd.: January 1982-Early September 1984. Turned pro while on Kuwhahara. "Kuwahara" means "Mulberry Meadows" in Japanese. The company is named after Sentaro Kuwahara who founded the company in 1916 in Osaka, Japan. Professional Kuwahara Cycles, Ltd.: January 1982-Early September 1984. Ellis quit due to a salary dispute with Kuwhahara a week after the NBL Grand National held on September 1 & 2. Flying W (bike shop): September 8, 1984 – September 22, 1984. Interim sponsor between Kuwhahara and Huffy. Huffy Corporation: September 23, 1984 – March 20, 1986. Gary was sponsorless for over a month after Huffy dropped him. GT (Gary Turner) Racing & GT Bicycles/WD-40: April 27, 1986-November 1998. Career bicycle motocross titles 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 (NBA) None National Bicycle League (NBL) 1982 15 Expert Grandnational Champion American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1982 16 Expert 2nd place Jag World Champion (ABA Sanctioned) 1983 17 & Over Expert Gold Cup Champion 1983 17 & Over Expert National No.1 Amateur* 1983 National No.2* *Beginning with the 1983 season the ABA instituted age class rankings, much like NBL practice. However, the overall National No.