Gary Leo Ellis Jr. (born March 21, 1966 in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.) was one of the last American "Old School" professional bicycle motocross (BMX) racer whose careers started in the 1970s to early 1980s. His prime competitive years were from 1982 to 1996. He was nicknamed "The Lumberjack".
Just like Tommy Brackens was nicknamed "The Human Dragster", "The Lumberjack" was coined for Ellis by the BMX "play by play" announcers at nationals. By the age of 16 he was 6' 2" tall and 190 lbs (ultimately growing to 6' 3"). He also had a thick beard and mustache making him look meaner and older than his years. The place of his birth was also a factor in the nickname since it was a stereotypically American lumberjack region of the United States. Plus, there was an apocryphal story that he sawed down a tree that was in the right of way of a practice track he was building in his front yard. The appellation stuck and he had it throughout the majority of his long 21-year career.
Racing career milestones
He started racing in 1977 at age 11 after he saw a BMX display at a car show and he asked his father if he could race. His father, Gary Leo Ellis Sr., is a 1987 ABA Hall of Fame Inductee for the track operator with the longest continuously operating track in the country. His first race bicycle was a Schwinn Sting-Ray. His first local race result was fourth place at the Tacoma Jaycees BMX track. The sanctioning body was Northwest Bicycle Motocross Association (NWBMXA), a short lived regional governing body in Washington State. His first national amateur win was at an American Bicycle Association (ABA) in 15 Expert in Portland, Oregon in 1981. His first sponsor was Pedal Pushers Bike Shop in 1979. He turned professional on December 1983 at age 17.
His first pro race result was a first place in junior "A" pro at the joint 1983 American Bicycle Association (ABA)/Canadian American Bicycle Association (CABA) Canadian-American BMX Championships pre race in Monroe, Washington on December 10, 1983.
His first senior pro** race result was a seventh place in "A" Pro at the National Bicycle League (NBL) Celebrity Race For Childhelp USA/International in Azusa, California, on January 22, 1984. He moved himself up to "A" pro after the 1983 Jag World Super Bowl Championship which was held on December 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.