DEAN WILSON | GRIT-215 | 450SX

DEAN WILSON | GRIT-215 | SX 450

Fire Power Honda's Dean Wilson had certainly been forced to fight through trials and hardship(s) thus far in his career, as the number fifteen had unfortunately accumulated countless injuries prior to the 2023 season. Ongoing knee issues would hinder him from certain movements on the motorcycle, but the number fifteen was resilient in his aspirations of remaining a world-class athlete; which led him to Glendale, for round twelve of the 2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Wilson would bring an abundance of speed to the various qualifying sectors, flourishing amongst the toughest rhythm sections while carrying exceptional velocity through the moguls; which translated to the first moto where he gathered an eleventh-place standing while concluding the first lap. Moving into the top-ten shortly thereafter, it would be a constant battle between he, Aaron Plessinger, and Justin Hill while they quarreled over the tenth place position. The KTM opponent would work his way around, but Wilson wasn't going to let a fellow 250cc champion off the hook that easy; and pursued the rear wheel of the Ohio native with relentless willpower as they surged toward the checkered flag. He would tackle the split-lane rhythm section with excellent precision on the twelfth and thirteenth circuits, doing enough to clench tenth prior to moving into round two. The following segment of action would have Dean in eighth, where he Colt Nichols would present nearly equivalent spans of momentum on the portion(s) of the track near the start straightaway. Though on different teams, both Honda riders would look sensational when rolling through the bowl corner prior to the whoops; attacking them with momentum while pushing ahead of Shane McElrath. This would lead to laps ten through thirteen, where again, Wilson would look to take advantage of a mistake on behalf of Aaron Plessinger...but the number seven wouldn't exhibit a costly (enough) mishap that resulted in loss of position. Therefore Dean would be forced to reside tenth, respectively, prior to heading into the final outing of competition. And when the lights were brightest, Wilson rose to the occasion; dodging various pot-holes and blue-grooved areas that had been amassed across the track all the while attacking each segment with immense momentum aboard his Honda 450cc engine. He would move past Justin Hill prior to obtaining a tenth place position, and would also inherit another spot on the leaderboard as Jason Anderson unfortunately crashed to the ground in the whoop section. And with perseverance, Wilson's consistency through the first two moto's (along with a ninth in this outing) would categorize him in ninth overall as standings were finalized; creating an admirable residency while in Glendale.

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