Dean Wilson has always been a fan favourite and in his decade and a half long career in America, he was also a favourite of the factory teams. Racing for KTM, Husqvarna, and Kawasaki. His American career saw him win the 2011 AMA 250 motocross championship and he has also finished third with Team Great Britain at the 2017 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations.

A regular top ten guy in USA, injures often saw him drop out of the top ten and there were even times that he had to supply his own bike and work out of the back of a mini-van in his quest to keep his career alive in America.

Finally in the last few years, Wilson has ventured outside of America and had success, winning the Australian supercross championship in 2023, and winning main events in Brazil, Great Britain and placed well in the World supercross championship, with third in 2023 the highlight.

Now, at the back end of his career, events like the Dortmund Supercross, Australian and World supercross, not to mention the Arenacross World Tour have become his priority and last weekend in London, the ever-popular Scotsman won the main event to rocket himself into title contention.

We caught up with Wilson as he enjoys being back in his home in Scotland and as always, Wilson was that friendly, open rider we have all come to love and appreciate his career.

MXLarge: Tell me, it is funny how your career has turned out, because you have really become a World traveller. Brazil, Australia, Canada, UK, you have been everywhere. First up though, congratulations on your win in London last week. Can you tell me how the night went?

Wilson: Yes, it went really well in Wembley, from the qualifying to the heat races and winning the main event. It went really well, and a lot of fun and I am enjoying racing the Arenacross World Tour. It is a change for me, but a change in a good way and bringing a lot of enjoyment into the back end of my career.

MXlarge: Obviously you are carrying that injury, you picked up in Australia and I can imagine after racing AMA supercross for so many years, these tight little Arenacross track can be hard to get around. Also, in Australia you raced on bigger tracks and then you come to the UK, and you have to work out these tracks. How is that?

Wilson: It is definitely tough, also with the injury, but every week my shoulder is getting a little bit better and really, I should get surgery and my doctor said 95% of people would get surgery, but I really wanted to race the Arenacross World Tour and come back to the UK and race. I knew if I did surgery, I would have missed it, and I didn’t want to do that. So, I decided to rehab it and its kind of funny, because I can at least still race, but with this type of injury, rehab takes as long as it does when getting surgery, but you know, I am still out there and it keeps improving and I am still on top of it and be smart, that’s the most important part.

MXLarge: I don’t know if you see yourself as an American, Scottish, Canadian. I know you raced all over the place, spent a lot of time in America and Canada. How do you sit with all that?

Wilson: No, its cool. Obviously I grew up in Scotland, then moved to Canada and then America, so definitely a bit from everywhere, but I call Scotland home, and I am literally in my house right now in Scotland and that is what is making this trip so cool, is to be back here with my family, with my little boy, showing him where I used to go to school and stuff like that. Its pretty cool and like I came back in full circle. I am enjoying it.

MXlarge: As far as the World travel, you have been everywhere and won in a lot of places. What has been the most enjoyable about this stage of your career and what country did you enjoy the most; I am hoping you are going to say Australia?

Wilson: Australia is definitely on top of the list, I think. I love it, the weather is good, the coffee is good, the food is good, and I love the people. They are good people, and they like to have a laugh, and I like that, so, yep, Australia is fun and also a series I love doing. Obviously, the UK is home, and I love that. Brazil was also really cool when I went there. The people were really nice to me, and I enjoyed that, this whole experience as been really cool. Germany was also a cool experience, really good fans over there and in America, I have a really good following. The plan I put together this year has been really good, and it’s just been fun.

MXLarge: The Arenacross World Tour has Abu Dhabi on the list and it’s a place you should have visited with the World supercross championship, I cannot remember if you eventually got there, as you got injured in Australia. Did you go there for the WC and how much are you looking forward to going there with the Arenacross World Tour?

Wilson: I will definitely be going for the Arenacross and cannot wait for that, its going to be really a big event for the Arenacross World Tour and I want to be a part of that. I got injured in Perth at the World supercross round and then raced Melbourne (Aus X Open), but I only had five days of recovery, and I had a good last race against Hunter Lawrence there, so that was cool. Abu Dhabi World supercross championship round was a few days later on the Wednesday after Melbourne, so my shoulder was very sore, and I took the smart root and missed it.

MXlarge: I assume you did pretty good from racing in America for so many years, for some big teams, and travelling the World like you are now is a lot of fun and a great way to end your career, but the whole World traveller, obviously you have a small family, so is there a time-line on how long you would want to do it?

Wilson: I don’t know how much longer I will go, but doing something like this, I am really making good money out of it, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t. It makes it fun because I am battling for race wins again, so good for my sponsors and my vlogs and its good marketing to be racing Worldwide. There is definitely more of a plan to it, than just travelling around, it a very good global market, for myself, for my sponsors and for the YouTube. I am not done in America, I will race five rounds of the AMA supercross championship, starting from round 10. I am enjoying racing in other countries at the end of my career, because I know I am at the end, or close to the end and I am just making the most of it. So, when I hang up the boots, I can really say I enjoyed my career, and I put in a good effort, and I think I have done everything I wanted to do.

MXLarge: So, what is the plan after you do the 10 rounds of AMA supercross, will you do any motocross at all, and what is the plan for the second part of the season?

Wilson: As far as motocross, last year I did a couple of motocross races, just to get some SMX points, but my knee is really, really buggered. I have torn my ACL five times, and I have had knee replacement and that is why I am supercross only, because it is a lot gentler on my knee. Outdoors just tears it up, two 35 minutes, catching it in the ruts. It is very fragile, so I have to be careful with it. No outdoors for me. I am also signed up for both Australian and World supercross with Quad Lock Honda.