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DEAN WILSON
450 SX / 5TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> It takes a somewhat adrenaline- lled, thrill-seeking mind to race Supercross. Not too often do you nd someone who’s a bit hesitant, and ultra-calculated step aboard the bike, and really put in solid results. The mold of a star-studded professional typically looks like that of Dean Wilson, someone who marvels at the thought of soaring heights and ridicu- lous speeds. All throughout his amateur career, he was one of the rst to try the craziest of combinations. Triples would turn into quads and so-forth, never shying away from the largest obstacle on the track. That’s why many feel he’s excelled in SX, and the round
at Gillette was case-in-point of that. Every rhythm lane was conquered without an ounce of hesitation in practice. The triples, merely speed bumps, which were jumped from the opening ag. It was re ected with an astonishing fth place effort, and solid gate pick for the following heat race. The gate would drive into mother earth, his Husqvarna bolting
to the rst corner. A ninth place was all he could muster on the rst lap, with the chaos surrounding him. He would begin to get himself situated, moving past the likes of Henry Miller, and Benny Bloss. Vince Friese would be up next, and despite his crazy attempts
at jumping over the Honda rider, it wasn’t enough; he would nish seventh. A much bet- ter, sixth place start, would be in store for the main event. His lenses would be lled with dust, as the shadows would close in, and these ruts were becoming more grotesque with each passing lap. Early on, he would trail Blake Baggett, stalking his amateur rival for a matter of laps. Malcolm Stewart, no slouch by any means, was chipping away at his rear fender as well. The focus was there, pinpointing each rut with immaculate precision. The technique of his amateur foundation, never slipping; as always, one to two ngers on the clutch, and his throttle hand pinned. He would begin the hunt, coming for Vince Friese, who was fourth, but had now slipped, to his rearview. It was now Wilson in fth, one of
the best rides of his 450 career. He would rally, lap after lap, never succumbing to the pressure of Weston Peick, who’d crept up in the latter stages. Through the nal checkered ag, the number fteen, white Husqvarna would come across the line fth, and he would be as ecstatic as ever.
20 GRITMOTO • APRIL 22, 2018