ZEBULON - BMX bike-racing fans who enjoy hanging out at the Capital BMX track at Lions Park in Raleigh might catch a glimpse of a young champion sporting "1" plates on the front of his bike and wearing a Redline Cup Championship jacket.

Kelby Gay, 12, of Zebulon, is quickly moving up through the ranks of BMX racing, one victory at a time.

Kelby, one of 40 BMX racers cruising in the Raleigh Christmas Parade on Nov. 19, has been racing half his life.

Six years ago, he was one of hundreds of kids lining the downtown Raleigh streets watching that same team with his parents. It was the last time he would watch the racers from the sidelines again.

Last month, Kelby earned enough points to win a Disney Championship Cup at the Disney Cup BMX Fall Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

Over Thanksgiving, he will compete for the sport's biggest prize at the BMX Grand Nationals in Tulsa, Okla.

At the Disney Cup event, Kelby finished no lower than third in most of his races, including a victory in the 11-and12-year-old mixed division, in which he competed against racers of different experience levels. He also logged one fifth-place finish.

Kelby was excited about his victories, and the years of training and competing appear to be paying off.

"To win, it takes a lot of speed off the gate," he said, describing his strategy for success. "I try to get out front early."

"Kelby got started when he saw Capital City BMX bikers at the Christmas parade," said his mom, Traci Gay. "We took him to the track and he wanted to start racing."

Kelby was a natural from the beginning; within three months, he had won eight races and had advanced from the novice division to intermediate.

Six years later, he is on the brink of advancing to the expert level and needs just three more wins to reach the 25 victories necessary to move up.

Traci and her husband, Shane, a volunteer track operator at Capital City BMX, said they hope he gets those wins over Thanksgiving at the Grand Nationals.

Kelby, known in BMX circles as "The Country Boy," started riding a bicycle without training wheels when he was 2, according to his mom.

"I'm not worried about him at all on the racetrack," she said. "The kids wear helmets and full protection."

In the last six months, he has competed in five races and won four, according to Shane Gay. One was a Redline Cup Series Championship he captured Oct. 9 in Spartanburg, S.C.

Of all Kelby's big events, the Grand Nationals is by far the most prestigious He qualified for it by winning a state-level race.

"We're a little nervous about the Grand Nationals," Traci Gay said. "It is such a large race. But we think the experience will be good for Kelby, and people are telling us he has a good chance of doing well."

Kelby is a hard worker who is goal-oriented and possesses a strong worth ethic, according to his father.

"He set three goals this year, worked hard and accomplished all three," Shane Gay said. "One was to win the state race, two was to win the Redline Cup, and three was to win a Disney Cup. When he puts his mind to it, he works extra hard to accomplish his goals."

Kelby also gives back, and enjoys helping the younger kids. And he is in the sport for keeps.

"I guess I'm pretty good, and don't ever expect to quit," he said.

Shane Gay said he hopes BMX racing will grow and is working on scheduling a variety of events to draw attention to the sport, the same way the Christmas Parade captured Kelby's imagination.

"If it wasn't for the Christmas Parade, we may not have discovered BMX," he said.