After competing for Team Suzuki during the 1990 and 1991 AMA Pro Racing seasons, in 1992, Sacramento, 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 shuffled over to Team Pepsi Honda Becchis, where he would compete in the 250cc Motocross World Championship. From 1995 through 1996, the Californian lined up for Team Jan de Groot Kawasaki. Lastly, Vohland would race for Team Rinaldi Yamaha in 1997 and 1998 before moving back to the United States of America to race for the FMF Honda organization in the 1999 AMA 125cc National Championship. Third overall in the championship, Vohland caught the eye of Pro Circuit Kawasaki overlord, Mitch Payton, who hired the Californian on for the 2000 racing season. That season, Vohland duly went out and on Saturday night, January 15, 2000, won the Anaheim 2 125cc West Supercross main event.
Exactly 24 years later, Tallon Vohland and his son 20-year-old son, Max, were sitting beneath the awning of the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki race team situated in the sprawling pit area of Angel Stadium at the opening round of the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. Keeping an eye on the father and son dynamic duo on race day morning was none other than Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team principal Mitch Payton.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had somebody who has ridden for us, and then his son rides for us,” pointed out Payton who has been looking after many of the sport’s elite 125cc and 250cc racers since 1991 and the Team Peak program. “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. I’m pretty stoked about it. Max resembles Tallon when he was young. Yeah, there’s something there, for sure. My expectation for him is that we win some races. I wouldn’t have hired him if I didn’t think he could win.”
Sipping on a cup of Pro Circuit coffee, this writer asked Max if, and what, he remembers from his father’s globetrotting motocross career.
“I remember now because I have watched so much video of it, but I wasn’t around when he was racing,” reflected Max on his dad’s racing journey. “I didn’t exist! I’ve definitely watched a lot of the old videos of my dad and there are definitely a few races that he always puts on repeat.”
Along the way, when did Max realize that he also just might want to be a professional racer?
“It’s hard to say,” he said, hesitating for a few moments. “Really, I feel like once you kind of hit puberty and kind of 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 sixteen 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 kind of hits you, and reality hits you, and it’s like, ‘Okay, this is actually a possibility. I can make this a job and make it my life.’ I’d say it was around the time of the supermini days, for sure.”
And as far as Tallon Vohland being a race dad?
“He was good, actually,” nodded 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.”
Quietly taking in everything his son was speaking about, during a pause in the conversation, Tallon talked about being a moto dad to a son with world class racing speed and talent.
“It’s pretty challenging because it’s almost like you become a split personality,” started Tallon. “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, ‘God dang it! Why didn’t you jump that?’" [Laughs]
Did Tallon realize that his young son had the talent, desire, and skillset 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, okay. That’s good.’ It’s almost like a little seed and you see these little seeds and they grow bigger and bigger and that’s just the way it is. I was going to say that from a dad’s perspective. You hear about all these dads now. You have Brian Deegan coming in. I think that advantage for the kids like Tom Viale and Max is that you know all the steps to get them there more safely, but also easier. 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, even this early on in the grand scheme of things, is quite pleased with the reality of his new racing surroundings.
“Yeah, really cool to be here,” Max said. “I feel great. I had an awesome off-season. I had very minimal bad days. And they weren’t even bad days. Maybe more of just an odd day. I’ve been doing great training with Jason Anderson. 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. Yeah, I’m tired of waiting to race, actually. I’m very excited and antsy to race, so I’m glad that it’s finally here I’ve just got to sleep one more night until it’s race day.”
Once atop the Kawasaki, Vohland quickly found himself training, riding and in-step with former Moster Energy Supercross champion and Moster Energy Kawasaki 450cc pilot Jason Anderson.
“On the bike, Jason and me have been training together,” explained Vohland. “It just kind of happened. He just asked one day. He said, ‘Hey, if you ever want to hop in with me and do motos, you can.’ I did that day and since then it worked. We’ve really been pushing our level higher and higher. It seems l haven’t really hit a limit yet. We keep improving, so that’s good to have that. It’s not like you hit that ceiling. We keep finding more and more. Even our last day at the test track, we found another second on the track and broke the record that we had with lap times. We’ve made huge improvements on the test track, so it’s cool to see that and to also have someone who is so motivated and a good role model for me to strive to be.”
Having raced for Mitch Payton and Kawasaki in both 2000 and 2001, Tallon knew what he and his son were getting into for 2024 and beyond, and is absolutely good with it all.
“Well, it’s been a bit of a blessing,” said Tallon. “The bike and program I know because I’ve been on Mitch Payton’s race teams. That’s, honestly, one of the reasons I called Mitch. I told him that I trust him and we luckily ended up here. Mitch took the opportunity and chance on Max and the blessing was that Jason Anderson teamed up with Max and after a couple of times riding together we had a meeting and we’ve been training with him and it has been great. Anderson is so analytical about everything that he does. He really is and he doesn’t miss anything. I think Max has picked up on a lot of that, so it has been really helpful. It’s kind of a win-win. You never know what’s going to happen, but I feel like Max is ready. We have a lot of rounds of racing this year. It’s not just A1. People will see what they’ve got.”
Off of the KTM 250 and now entering the fray on a Mitch Payton-tuned Kawasaki KX250F, Max is thrilled with his new race equipment, saying, “Yes. Absolutely I’m pleased. In my career I’ve always liked the bottom-end power on a motorcycle. When I got on this bike it immediately felt like it had a lot of that. That suited my riding style immediately. That helped a lot, as well. It boosted my confidence and now I feel better than I even did before. I feel like I’m in a really good spot. The power is obviously amazing on the Pro Circuit bikes. This is the fourth year on this bike and I think they are still finding even more. It is definitely a fast bike and you can tell at the end of the outdoors last year, they definitely found the good stuff.
“And absolutely I really like the team,” he continued. “It’s definitely a different environment. It feels more laid-back, but also more hardworking. Everyone is doing the right work, but it’s not as stressful an environment as I was used to before. All of that also helps me feel more comfortable at the races. Yes, everyone has been great. My mechanic Ryan has been awesome. Yeah, we’ve all been working our butts off and it’s time to show what we can do.
“Everyone is antsy to see where they stack up against each other, so that’s the main thing, really. I feel like I’m in a good spot, but maybe I’m completely wrong. I feel like I’m where I need too be with my confidence level and my riding is where I need to be. It’s hard to say if I’m going to go out and win or get on the podium, but I feel like my chances are very high, so everything has been good. My starts have been good in practice, so I just need to ride and start how I do in practice and it will be a good night.”
Looking back on both the 2022 and 2023 AMA Pro Racing seasons, Max was remarkably consistent, posting up top-five to top-10 race results in virtually every contest he lined up behind the starting gate for. Both Tallon and Max are firm believers in race consistency and where it can take the Californian.
“My idea with Max is that I’m trying to build something good and to build somebody good, it takes time because you can have it two ways,” explained Tallon. “You can have the guy who goes out and crashes and brings it back, and that works sometimes. Or you can try and grow a good guy. I feel like sometimes Max doesn’t take the big risk, but I’m okay with that. It just means we need to get better at those specific weak points. Once Max gets all of that covered, he will become like a Ryan Dungey. That’s what the goal is. That’s what I’m working on.”
Chiming in, Max stated, “I feel like in my career when it comes to the consistency-side of it and also the risk-management and staying on the bike, it has all been good for me. I only had one tip-over crash in a corner all off-season, which is great. I’ve been really good at staying consistent and my results are consistent. When it comes to racing, I feel like the consistency is there. I just need to be the faster guy to be consistent.”
How does Max view the competition he’ll be battling with inside the football and baseball stadiums of this nation?
“It’s hard to say. I think RJ Hampshire will be very tough. He’s got a lot of years in the class and he got a lot of second place finishes last year to Jett Reynolds, so I feel like he’s everybody’s top guy in the class just because of how he did last year and just his experience. Jo Shimoda is also on a very proven bike. I also feel like Jo will be very good. You never know. Everyone pretty much works in quiet and you only hear rumors of who is doing what here and there. Everyone will know as soon as that gate drops.”
Can he win? Can he power off with a few 250cc West Region Supercross Series main event in 2024?
“Yeah, I think I can,” said Max. “It all comes down the start. The 250 class has been so competitive the last few years and we’re all so very close and it all really depends on the start these days. My starts have been good. If I’m up front, I don’t see why I can’t win.”
That weekend Max would win his heat race and battle for a podium spot before eventually finishing in fifth. Now, one week later, he’s ready to battle for a podium yet again in front of his hometown crowds in San Francisco.
