Tallon and Max Vohland charting a father-son path in Supercross

After competing for Team Suzuki  in AMA Pro Racing in 1990 and ’91, in California’s Tallon Vohland was enticed over to Europe to race for Team Carpi-Moto in the 1992 FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship. In 1994, Vohland moved over to Team Pepsi Honda Becchis where he would compete in the 250cc class and then, from 1995-96, he lined up for Team Jan de Groot Kawasaki. Vohland would race for Team Rinaldi Yamaha in 1997 and ’98 before moving back to the U.S. to race for the FMF Honda organization in the 1999 AMA 125cc championship. Finishing third there, he caught the eye of Pro Circuit Kawasaki overlord Mitch Payton, who hired him for the 2000 racing season, where he went out and won the 125cc West Supercross opener at Anaheim.

Now, 24 years later, Tallon and his son 20 year-old son Max Vohland have formed a father and son duo in the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team, in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, under the watch of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team principal Mitch Payton.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever had somebody who has rode for us and then his son rode for us,” noted Payton who has been looking after many of the sport’s elite 125cc and 250cc racers since 1991. “That’s kind of cool. Watching Max last year there was something there that I thought was worth grabbing and I talked to Tallon about it and I talked to Max and we thought it would be a good place for him. They seem really happy here, so I’m pretty stoked about it. Max resembles Tallon when he was young. My expectation for him is that we win some races. I wouldn’t have hired him if I didn’t think he could win.”

Max Vohland has no direct memories of his father’s pro career, for an excellent reason.

“I remember now, because I have watched so much video of it, but I wasn’t around when he was racing,” Max said. “I didn’t exist! [But] I’ve watched a lot of the old videos of my dad and there are definitely a few races that he always puts on repeat.”

When did Max Vohland realize that he wanted to follow the same path?

“It’s hard to say,” he said, hesitating for a few moments. “Really, I feel like once you start growing up and you start thinking about real-life stuff and not being just a kid, then stuff sort of comes to you. I felt like it was around the time I was 16 years-old and on superminis and I was starting to do pretty good and then there started to be talk about getting a factory ride and stuff on a 125. Then it is like, ‘OK, this is actually a possibility. I can make this a job and make it my life.’

And how was Tallon as a race dad?

“He was good, actually,” said Max. “You always hear the ‘mini dad stories,’ but I felt like I didn’t really have that. If anything, it’s more like that now as I’m a pro racer. Back then he already had a plan in his head and it was all mapped out. It was smooth sailing and now that I’ve got the pro ride seat, the sport has been elevated so much since he raced that he doesn’t know everything like he used to when he was building me up. I almost feel like sometimes he is more of a mini dad now than he was before.”

After quietly taking in his son’s comments, Tallon talked about being a moto dad to a son with world class racing talent.

“It’s pretty challenging because it’s almost like you become a split personality,” admitted the elder Vohland. “You have that desire-side and race-side to you. I don’t race anymore, but you kind of race with your son out there. Of course when he does good, it’s like you win. However, there is also that dad side. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, there is a lot of risk involved here!’ When you’re riding dirt bikes, things can happen. You’re always scared for your kid in anything like that. There’s that side of it, too. It’s a tough deal, right? You’re scared when they go out on the track, but then they’re out on the track and you’re yelling, ‘Dang it, why didn’t you jump that?’”

When did Tallon realize that his young son had the talent, desire and skill set to make it as a factory rider?

“We started out going BMX racing and he really got a lot of skills in that and then we started back on the dirt bike with Grandpa Vohland,” he explained. “You’d see little things and say, ‘Oh, OK. That’s good.’ It’s almost like you see these little seeds and they grow bigger and bigger. You hear about all these dads now. You have Brian Deegan coming in. I think the advantage for the kids like Tom Viale and Max is that you know all the steps to get them there more safely, but also more easily. You can do this without making all the mistakes that your dad made. When you see that opportunity as a past professional, it’s kind of like you can get where you need to be and then it finally comes down to him.”

A part of Red Bull KTM Racing for three years, as well as spending more than a decade with KTM as an amateur racer, Max Vohland — even this early on in the grand scheme of things — is quite satisfied with the growth curve of his career.

“Yeah, really cool to be here — I feel great,” said Max. “I had an awesome offseason. I had very minimal bad days. They weren’t even bad days, maybe more of just an odd day. My bike is also awesome. I’ve really had the same setup basically since I go on the bike, so I didn’t really need to change a lot. So I’ve gotten a lot of time on stuff I know, so I’m comfortable. I feel confident that I’m riding fast.”