Dean Wilson made his long-awaited return to AMA Supercross racing under the bright lights of Philadelphia, stepping in as a fill-in rider for the Honda HRC Progressive squad aboard the factory CRF450RWE—left vacant after injuries sidelined both Jett and Hunter Lawrence early in the season.
The event marked Wilson’s first Supercross race in nearly a year, and his debut appearance with the Honda factory team. While his 17th-place finish on paper didn’t reflect the full story, the outing was a gritty first step for the Scottish-born veteran, who showed flashes of pace and determination despite limited preparation.
With rain returning to the East Coast, conditions at Lincoln Financial Field were soft and technical—hardly ideal for a comeback—but Wilson embraced the challenge in his first Supercross outing in nearly a year. Caught up in a first-turn incident during the main event, he was forced into a full 360-degree turn to rejoin the race. From there, he chipped away at the pack, showing encouraging signs of pace before arm pump and a small stall pushed him back to a 17th-place finish.
“Yeah, it was an exciting night—it felt awesome to be back” Wilson said. It’s been just shy of a year since I last raced a Supercross, so I definitely felt a bit rusty. In the main event, I got caught up in the first corner and had to do a 360 to get going again. I plugged away the best I could, but my arms tightened up, and I ended up stalling the bike, which cost me a few spots. Honestly, I struggled with arm pump all day. These conditions were tough, and I haven’t been in this race environment for a while, so I think that played a part. Still, I had some good moments and decent pace at times, so I’m not too worried. I just need to keep racing, stay on the program, and I know I’ll keep improving from here.”
Despite the challenges, the team saw Wilson’s debut as a promising first step.
“It was fun having Dean in the truck,” said Honda HRC Progressive team manager Lars Lindstrom. “He brought great energy, and you could tell he was excited to be back on the line. He’s been out of the game for a while, so to come into conditions like this and still show signs of speed was encouraging. With a few more gate drops under his belt, I think he’s only going to get stronger.”
With four rounds remaining in the season, Wilson’s focus now turns to building on his factory return and sharpening his racecraft ahead of East Rutherford’s Triple Crown next weekend.
