Dean Wilson’s 14-year journey as a professional Supercross rider is quickly, and sadly, coming to an end.
This season marks the final full-time trip around the Monster Energy AMA Supercross circuit for the Scottish rider, who still isn’t quite sure what lies on the horizon.
There is certainly a tang of emotion hanging around the Firepower Honda tent regarding Wilson’s inevitable departure, but arguably, the worst part about it is that the No. 15 rider has missed a considerable number of races during his farewell tour.
Due to an injury he sustained during the eighth round of the season at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Wilson has been sidelined the last six weeks. The 32-year-old fractured his scapula in a crash that occurred on the penultimate lap of the March 2 main event at the Florida speedway. But regardless of the downturn, there was still an upside.
“The good thing with my scapula was that I could still train quite a lot. Like a couple days after, I was back on my road bike cycling, so I just tried my best to keep my fitness up because the thing is, when you come back from an injury, you lose a lot of fitness,” Wilson explained.
He has plenty of experience regarding what it takes to come back from an injury, perhaps giving him an upper hand as he transitions into race form for the final four rounds of the season. His first race back will be this Saturday’s event in downtown Nashville, Tenn., at Nissan Stadium.
“It shouldn’t take me long to get back to where I need to be,” Wilson said, cracking a smile.
Prior to his injury, the Firepower Honda rider had recorded one top-10 finish in seven races, with a 13th-place result in Arlington, Texas, being his next-best effort.
“Super stoked to be back and to be able to hit these last four (races),” Wilson said. “(Being injured) makes you realize how much you miss racing. It’s a lot different coming to watch, versus actually racing.”
In a way, sitting on the sidelines has provided a glimpse into his near future, considering he intends to step away from full-time racing once his contract with Firepower Honda expires at season’s end.
“I definitely want to keep racing next year, just more of a select schedule. That’s what I’d like to do, but it still needs to be talked about and need to figure that out,” Wilson said.
Though he feels ready to step away from the constant grind of professional racing and “semi-retire” from it, it’s not because he’s lost his love for the sport.
“I love racing. I love training. I love having that goal to wake up to,” Wilson said. “I just don’t want to race full time anymore. The AMA circuit is every weekend and it’s pretty grueling. We’ll see. Hopefully, we can figure something out.”