Tom Wilson as a first-year WERA Expert racing a B Superstock race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Oct. of 1991. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Tom Wilson was working his way through the club ranks when this photo was taken during a WERA B Superstock race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (now O’Reilly Raceway Park) in October of 1991. Wilson was starting his meteoric rise in racing. In 1992 Wilson launched his pro racing career and by 1994 he was a leading AMA 600 and 750 Supersport racer with Kinko’s Yamaha.

In 1996 Wilson missed out on perhaps what would have been one of the most historic wins in Superbike racing history. Wilson actually won the Mid-Ohio Superbike race on the factory Harley-Davidson VR1000. Unfortunately a red flag came out and scoring was backed up a lap and the win was credited to Pascal Picotte.

Wilson was one of the most level-headed racers I ever met. I saw his patience in action once at the little regional airport in Brainerd, Minn. Wilson was waiting at the gate for a flight for a couple of hours, but when it came time to board the plane he was told he was not on the list because he hadn’t checked in. He didn’t go nuts, he simply asked the airline representative when he could catch the next plane. I offered to let Wilson have my seat, but he told me to go ahead saying something like I was probably busier than he was. Great guy, very fast and perhaps underrated.