During the second 250 Class moto at Glen Helen, Dean Wilson was running in the top-five when he had a bad crash and suffered a deep cut to the back of his knee.
In a release issued by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, the team confirms that there was no structural damage, but says that his status is “uncertain” and he hopes his recovery time is “minimal.”
Wilson got out of the hospital Monday night, posting the following on Instagram and saying, “And the recovery staaaarts NOW! Just released from hospital. Ready to heal up!”
From Pro Circuit Kawasaki:
Like his fellow title-winning teammate [Blake Baggett], Wilson was considered a rider to beat as the season got underway. The veteran had not raced in the division since the opening round of the 2012 season, but he got back into the groove quickly and posted the fifth-fastest lap of practice. Despite his strong gate pick, Wilson wasn’t able to get out the gate well in the opening moto and positioned himself in 16th at the conclusion of the opening lap. From there, it was all about making a charge through the field. Wilson put forth an impressive effort throughout the moto to battle his way into sixth and put his competitors on alert.
He carried the momentum into Moto 2, following just a couple spots behind Baggett in fourth off the start. He began a heated battle for the top five that would span nearly the entire moto, but then crashed on the 12th lap of competition while running fifth. He was forced to record a DNF and finished 12th overall.
Wilson was attended to by the Asterisk Medical Crew on the track and needed assistance to get back to the pits. During the incident he suffered a severe laceration to the back of his knee and was treated at a local hospital. Despite the severity of the cut, Wilson was fortunate to come way with no major structural damage and is already on his path to recovery. While his status is currently uncertain, Wilson is hopeful his time off the bike is minimal.
“It all is kind of a blur because it happened so fast,” said Wilson. “I just got kicked off my Kawasaki KX250F coming down one of the hills and in that process managed to have something cut my knee open pretty good. I’m in a lot of pain but it looks like I avoided hitting any ligaments, tendons, or arteries. I’m crushed right now because I’m not sure what this will mean for the rest of the season, but I’m stitched up and looking to get back out there as soon as I can. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Wilson will continue his recovery and impending return to competition. He currently sits 12th in the championship, 35 points from first.
