Over my young, seven-season career of covering Monster Energy Supercross and the Lucas Oil Pro MX Championship, Rockstar / Husqvarna’s Dean Wilson has always been a fixture in the sport, and for the most part, he has always been inside a factory semi. Over that time, we have done numerous interviews with the Scotsman, but before the start of 2017, we never thought the title of an interview with Dean would be “Privateer Showcase.” Back in December, though, when we talked to Deano, that was the title. While it was a little bizarre talking to and seeing Dean as a privateer, his acceptance of the situation and positivity gave me the impression his stint as a privateer would be short lived—and it was.
Dean was solid to start the 2017 SX season on his privateer Yamaha tuned by his father Andy, but by the Oakland SX, Andy was back to his normal role as father and the #15 was back on a factory bike. Since hitching a ride with the Rockstar / Husqvarna team, Deano’s goals have been more focused on keeping it on two wheels and staying healthy than they have been about chasing podiums, but with a talent like Dean, it was only a matter of time before the results came.
After starting the outdoor season with two fourth overalls in the 450MX class, Dean hovered just inside the top ten for the next four rounds. Consistency has been the key to his 2017 rebuilding season and that continued at round seven at Southwick, but this time, that consistency put him on the podium with a 6-3 score. The podium was the first of his injury-riddled 450 career, and with the long painful road traveled to get there, it had to feel as good or better than any podium before it.
With a week off after Southwick, we gave the former AMA 250 National Champion a call to talk to him about that long road back, why he was so good in the sand, the 2017 MXoN Team Great Britain possibilities and more.
Dean, what’s your week leading up to this weekend off from racing been like? Are you just letting yourself rest a little or still going at it heavy?
I haven’t really had a down week really. On Monday we just got back to it and then it was just back to the normal schedule, so really just getting a nice little weekend off. Going on the boat, on the wake and going wake surfing. I’ll just chill with my girl and just relax. It’ll be nice.
Are you still out in Florida?
Yep, I’m still out in Florida, in Claremont. I’m training with Tyla Rattray.
Let’s talk about your season a little bit. So far, the word that really seems to describe it is super-consistent. You’re not really lighting the world on fire in the beginning of the season, but your consistency gave you some really strong overalls in a class where we’ve seen a lot of inconsistency. What do you attribute that part of your game to?
I’m not sure really. I think it’s been my mindset. From the beginning of the year, my goal was to be at every race and be in the top ten. That was kind of my goal. I think the consistency has been from maybe backing it down a notch so where maybe I’m not taking as much of a risk for a fall. I’ve kind of been going at my own pace, letting my speed build up as I go and kind of rebuilding myself.
Yeah, you’ve had some weird scores in 2017 that really show how inconsistent the rest of the 450 class is in 2017. Scores like 10-4 for 4th overall, 6-7 for 4th overall and you even had a 8-7 day that somehow gave you 5th overall. You’re now 5th in the 450MX points and that consistency has really been the difference.
I think I could have done better at a lot of races, but I think my starts have been not very good. That’s one thing about Southwick. I had decent starts at Southwick which I think helped, except I crashed in the first moto. With a good start, I’m capable of running inside the top five. I don’t know; I’m just enjoying myself and in a good place right now. I’m on a good team with good people around me and everything is going good. I’m happy.
Yeah, you’re averaging about a 10th place start over the first fourteen motos.
Tenth is almost like a good start. Do you know what my actual average is? I know they show that on the website now.
Doing a little research on your season before calling you, I looked it up your start stat and you average 9.6, so I rounded it up to 10th.
With my starts, it’s got to be technique or something. I don’t know; I think I’m going to get better as my confidence grows. Sometimes, a lot of the start is confidence. You have to be confident in your starts, and I think sometimes I doubt myself. I’ll get over that as I keep racing and keep building. I feel like I’m in a good spot right now.
About that good spot, you started the year in a van with no ride and worked your way onto the factory Husqvarna. Do you feel like this is kind of the beginning of a second career for you—a fresh start?
Yeah, kind of. It’s nice. The goal was to do all the races, and so far we’re achieving that. I’m so goal based right now, so it’s a good feeling and it makes the races, the riding and the training fun. Right now in my career, I’ve got such a clear head and I’m so goal based and focused that I just want to keep getting better. I want to achieve my goals. It’s a fun place to be in. I’m having a lot of fun with my riding, racing and training.
Let’s talk about your first ever 450 overall podium last weekend at Southwick. I was surprised that you had only raced there two times since turning pro in 2010 and had not been back since 2011. You have never been bad at Southwick by any means, but has moving to Florida and doing all your training there made you more confident in the sand?
I think actually that Florida did help me out a lot in the sand. Last time I was there—2011—I was on the podium. The sand is just something I normally don’t feel confident in, but Florida has helped me a lot with the sand. It’s something that I could be better at. Going into the weekend, I kind of just had a mindset that it was going to be a really rough track—physically demanding race. I was trying to ride efficient, and unfortunately I fell in the first moto. In the second moto, I got a good start and got 3rd for 3rd overall. It was an awesome weekend, and it was really nice to get on the podium.
Physically, on even the rough Southwick track, you look like you’re able to push the whole moto now. I’m obviously not inside your head and don’t know if you are still dealing with any arm pump, but you look strong from the drop of the gate to the checkered. Would you attribute that mostly to training with Tyla or more to the fact that you have finally been healthy for a decent period of time?
I think it’s really a combination of both. I feel like I’m in good shape right now, and I think by just getting my racing legs and gate time under me too with arm pump. You get into a good groove, you get confident and your mind isn’t on arm pump. Your mind is on trying to get the best results you can and how you can get better on the track while you’re racing. I don’t know; I’m really happy and still learning, so it’s good.
About your podium [2nd overall] in 2011, I’m pretty sure it was your trainer that beat you that day. Did Tyla ever bring that up? (laughs)
No, but it’s actually quite funny. We always kind of joke around about it. A podium at ‘The Wick’ is always good.
Do you feel it’s better as a rider to be with a rider that’s been there and done that?
I just think it keeps it fun if you have a group. I’ve trained by myself for a lot of years, but I think if you have a group, it makes the training a little bit easier and more fun. You guys are there to push each other and motivate each other. If you’re training and you’re suffering, it’s nice to have someone to suffer with. It’s like motivating to each other. I think that’s the good positive side to having a trainer. It just pushes everybody and you enjoy it more, I feel like.
Forget for a minute the bonus check and all that comes with a 450 podium; it obviously made the bank account a little fatter. How big was it mentally for your confidence to know, “I’m back”?
It was nice! I was really happy. It almost felt like at Hangtown I had the speed to be on the podium. There were a few races where I thought I had the speed to be on the podium, but I actually had a lot of problems. I think at three nationals in a row I fell in the second motos. I’d be running top five and then I’d fall. So that was kind of frustrating. I’d be in a good position and then I’d fall. I limited my mistakes, I rode to my full potential and it worked out good.
You’ve been around a while now and have even won a 250 championship beating Blake Baggett and Eli Tomac straight up on the regular to get there. What do you think it will take to get you up to where they are now? Or is that something that’s not even on your mind at the moment and you’re willing to be patient and let it hopefully come to you naturally over time?
Yeah, I’m not really worried about that to be honest. I know right now that I don’t have the speed that Tomac has; I know that. For me, I think just getting through this year is important and this year will help me a lot for next year. Maybe next year I can get up there with those guys a little bit more. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself and just keep doing what got me to where I am now. Obviously, I’ve beaten these guys before in my career, but I’ve been through a lot of injuries and a lot of time off the bike. It’s just all about trying not to set the bar too high, keep plugging away and get to where I want to be.
I’ve kept you for a while, but before I let you go I wanted to touch on the 2017 MXoN at Matterley Basin coming up in a couple of months. This is obviously an important one for Team Great Britain with it being on their home soil. Have you heard anything or been contacted by the team at all yet? Or has that not come up yet?
No, that’s not come up yet. They have spoken to me saying I’m on the list [of potential picks] or whatever, but we’ll just have to wait to see who they choose. I’m not really worrying about. I’m just focusing on my job here in the States right now.
You guys could have a really good team if a couple riders get healthy. Max Anstie is on form in MXGP, you are obviously in a good place and then you have Shaun Simpson and Tommy Searle who have both struggled with injuries but should be okay by then. That’s a strong four riders.
Yeah, for sure. There are two guys that are really good for the team that are injured so that’s the tough part, but I definitely think myself and Max are two of the best picks at the moment. We’ll have to see who they pick, but it will be a really, really good des Nations for Great Britain. Just because it’s in Great Britain, it’s going to be a massive one. Hopefully, we’ll be there and we’ll do our best.
How long are you locked in now with Rockstar / Husqvarna?
I just think for next year and that’s it. I’m pretty happy with that, and it will be nice to not have to stress on it like I was last year.
Deano, thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it, and I will see you at Washougal.
No problem, Dan. Take care.
Photos by: Simon Cudby
