Racer X: Dean, thanks for doing this. The new season is coming up, how’s everything going?
Dean Wilson: The preparation is going well, the first week of supercross was the best for sure! The very first day of supercross riding for me, I was out at Milestone, and came up short on a triple a busted my chin open and sprained both my ankles. That set me back a little bit but hopefully, that’s just getting all the bad stuff out of the way right away.

I took a couple weeks off to heal up and now I’m back at it. I’m doing well, putting some laps together and I’m quite happy with everything that’s been going on.

Everyone says that their bike is so much better but truthfully, is there many changes with your bike?
Let me tell you, the 2012 Kawasaki KX250F is just an amazing bike. It has the dual fuel injection and is the best bike out there (laughs). No but honestly, it’s really good. I’ve done a lot more testing with it this year and I think it’s going to be faster than last year. The dual fuel injection has made the power better coming out of the turns. It’s smoother and faster. I like it, and it’s going to make the bike sick. I think the bike is a little more carburetor-like now and I’m very happy with my bike.

Wilson is hoping to carry the momentum from his outdoor title indoors in 2012.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson

How’s the wrist injury (from Pala) coming along, all good?
Yep, we’re all good there. It’s the scaphoid bone that I broke. I can’t do any push-ups and that’s the only thing that sucks with it. It’s all healed and all good, so knock on wood with that. I had surgery after the MXoN and I just let it heal until it was good enough to ride. So at the end of November, I started riding. It’s all good, my ankles are all good although my chin is looking a little ugly. I had to get ten stitches in there.

Well no push-ups means you can’t drop and give the chicks twenty anymore to impress them!
Yeah, exactly. I can’t get the biceps going.

Supercross last year didn’t go the way you wanted it to, what are you going to do to change that in 2012?
I think my starts really hurt me last year. There are a few things for sure, but it was my starts that did me in. I was forced to come from behind and it’s tough at the level that we’re at. When you get up there, the top five are gone. Every race I won, I came from the back to win it. I just want to start up front every race and be consistent. If I start up there, I know I can win. I was watching some videos of Jake Weimer when he won his title in 2010 and he was so solid man. Like every heat race and every main he was right there. He was fast and solid. He won so many heat races and was always right there.

You were that way in the outdoors, you were on the box every moto but three--which is ridiculous. Speaking of that, has your life changed much since you won the national championship?
Nah, it hasn’t changed at all.

Can Wilson capture an SX title in his final year in the 250 class?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson

You have a bigger bank account!
Yeah I guess so, but nothing at all has changed. It’s nice to look back and know that I won it. It’s cool to know that, but it’s not like I can park the bike and just party. I want to keep going for another ten years doing this so I have to get back to work. At the end of it all, it will be cool to know that I won a national championship. I think I’ll appreciate it more then, it is a good accomplishment. It means a lot but it’s not going to change who I am.

Did you buy yourself anything cool? You maybe going to move out one day?
I really haven’t rewarded myself at all with anything. I’m trying to think but honestly no, it didn’t seem like the thing to do. I love living with my mom and dad so I’ll keep that up. No new cars or anything like that.

There was a bit of a Twitter war going on as to who is the faster rider/mechanic team between you and Paul Perebjinos and Chad Reed and his guy Lars Lindstrom.
Yeah, that was funny. It would be a good match-up. It was going to happen at Day in the Dirt but we got shut down for it and then Chad hurt his thumb or something. We got shut down by Mitch [Payton], he didn’t want us to get hurt. It would’ve been fun to do the team race. I’ve never seen Lars ride but everyone says he’s pretty fast. I think it would have been good, we still need to do it.

Do I need to even bother asking you what coast you’re going to be racing?
The coast situation is the same as always. I have no idea. I just have to be prepared for whatever coast I’m riding and try my best