Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Wilson Clinches First Career Championship

CORONA, Calif. (September 5, 2011) - Monster Energy/Pro
Circuit/Kawasaki's Dean Wilson earned his second overall victory on his
way to clinch the AMA Motocross Championship 250 class championship at
Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. With consistency being the main focus
all season, Wilson's perfect moto score gave him a 52-point edge over
teammate Tyla Rattray and 61 points over Blake Baggett. Rattray finished
an impressive ride with 4-4 moto results, while Baggett was able to
make his way up to finish sixth with a 5-8 for the day. Broc Tickle
battled to a great Moto two finish of fifth to earn 12th overall after a
tough first moto.




 

Wilson had been a favorite coming into the season after winning the
final race of 2010, but he was faced with tough competition within his
own team. His teammates proved to be relentless, but Wilson's ability to
only finish off the podium in two motos helped him secure the
championship one race early.

 

"This feels amazing to win the championship," said Wilson. "It really is
a dream come true. A lot of people say that after they win
championships, but as a kid growing up, this is all I thought about. I
didn’t know if I would be able to lock it up because my teammates have
been riding awesome. I kind of wish it had gone to the last race because
my parents weren’t here to celebrate with me, but this will make next
week’s race a lot of fun. It would be great to go out with another win."




 

Finishing fourth in both motos, Rattray ended the day just off the
podium for fourth overall. Although the championship was wrapped up in
Pennsylvania, Rattary's good finish helped push him nine points ahead of
teammate Baggett for second in the points.

 

"It's tough to see the championship slip out of my hands, but Dean rode
good today," said Rattray. "Overall, it was my fault with a bad moto
here and a crash there. Now that the championship is wrapped up, I'll do
my best to secure second next week at the final race."




 

Once again, Baggett showed his commanding speed through the pack as he
pushed his way to finish with 5-8 after getting a mid-pack start in the
first moto and going down in the second. Baggett may appear to be down,
but should never be counted out as he is in close competition for the
runner-up position in the championship standings.

 

"I haven't been able to find my groove the past few races, but
California is my home state and I'll be ready to win again," said
Baggett. "It's definitely a bummer to see the championship already
clinched, but I'm not that far behind Tyla and I'll do my best to move
into second next week."




 

Tickle continued to keep a positive attitude despite unlucky
circumstances in the first moto. After not finishing Moto one, Tickle
had something to prove in the second moto, coming back from 18th on the
opening lap to finish fifth for 12th overall.

 

"This motocross season has been a true test of my patience with the
amount of times I have been unable to finish a race because of bad
luck," said Tickle. "But all I can do after something like that happens
is hope that to go out the next moto and prove that I can be in the mix
with the front runners. I think that I did a pretty good job of that
today so overall I am pretty happy."




 

The AMA Motocross Championship series heads west for the final round at
Pala Raceway just north of San Diego, Calif.  While Wilson has already
claimed the championship, the fight for second will go down to the final
round with Rattray holding onto second with 436 points over Baggett’s
427 points in third. Tickle remained in seventh with 236 points.