Dean Wilson got two life experiences riding for two of the biggest names in the sport during his US career, starting with Mitch Payton and Pro Circuit Kawasaki before eventually going to KTM under former five times world motocross champ, Roger DeCoster – but Wilson says they were different to ride for!
On Payton, Wilson said:
“I didn’t feel pressure from Mitch, ever. Because Mitch gave me a lot of that tough love. The way he would speak to me is how my dad would speak to me. You know, he’d be like, pull your f**king finger out, right? And that’s how my dad was, so I was like, I liked that. And, yeah, he would just tell me how it was.

“And I like when people are just straight shooters. And I had, man, those years were awesome. I still have such a good relationship with Mitch and Bones, and everyone on the team. My mechanic, Paul, one of my best friends. So, yeah, no, it was cool riding for Mitch.”

While DeCoster was a different experience:
“Completely different. The thing that I struggled with Roger was you’re going through a tough time or a tough race, he won’t say a word to you. He’ll walk by you like you’re not there. But then Mitch will have a chat with you and like I said, give you that more of a dad talk and I like that just because I can relate to it.”
Get our full interview with Dean as he looks back on his career, below: