K1 Speed’s 100+ locations are full of employees who represent what it means to be part of the K1 Speed family. This month, we recognize six stand-out employees throughout the United States locations.
Liam Vail
DENVER
K1 Speed is lucky to have Liam as Denver’s head mechanic. Before bringing his talents to K1 Speed, Liam flagged races at Highplains Raceway in Colorado. While there, he met his racing instructor and obtained his racing license. Liam has built an impressive resume, competing at Pueblo Motorsports Park, Hallett Motor Racing Circuit and even Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We pulled into the IMS infield and the grandstands were empty. Just a completely surreal feeling to be in that venue and have it be so quiet,” Liam said. As the back-to-back 2023/2024 SCCA Mid-States Conference Champion in Touring 4, Liam brings his prolific racing ability to K1-on-1 coaching. Because of employees like Liam, K1-on-1 lessons have helped turn our more casual consumers into dedicated, competitive drivers. Having won twice in Touring 4, Liam is focused on adding endurance racing to his resume, with a couple of WRL events already under his belt. Liam gives his full effort while working at the Denver center and says that dedication helped him “appreciate it a lot more. It really is a lot more fulfilling when you care about the work that you’re doing.” In the future, Liam hopes to have a salaried administrative role that allows him to oversee multiple locations, hopefully for K1 Speed.
Miguel Pina
SANTA CLARA
As a regional technician, Miguel helps make sure the karts run smoothly throughout Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Before bringing his talents to K1 Speed in 2011, Miguel had an impressive 24-year career in Mexico City as an aviation mechanic. Maintaining karts offered Miguel a new challenge to work on within mechanics. Just two years after being hired as Santa Clara’s head mechanic, Miguel was promoted to regional technician. With K1 Speed’s expansion throughout the Northwest, Miguel helped open new locations in Oregon and Washington, teaching new mechanics how to service karts. “I like to be surrounded by the best who can teach me and also the best I can teach,” Miguel said about his experience at K1 Speed. Miguel hopes to retire from the company in about seven years, continuing his tenure with K1 Speed until that time. An extremely capable mechanic, Miguel helped develop a couple of parts that are currently being used throughout K1 Speed centers. In his free time, Miguel enjoys watching movies and dancing with his wife.
Dayanara Alvarez
SAN ANTONIO
Having worked at K1 Speed San Antonio for over a year, Dayanara has become a valuable asset for the center. “Dayanara’s hunger to grow and learn correlates with her determination to become a future leader,” said San Antonio’s General Manager, Jake Nutt. Like many employees of K1 Speed, Dayanara had an interest in cars before she was hired. Influenced by her uncle’s car builds, Dayanara immersed herself in racing at a young age. With a desire to work in the racing industry, Dayanara saw K1 Speed as a perfect way to enter the career field. Impressively, Dayanara was promoted to cashier supervisor after just three months. With a contagious positive attitude, Dayanara excels in her supervisory role. “I like to welcome people in and have conversations about cars… I feel like everybody has a story of a time when they had experience with cars, so I love to keep up with conversations,” Dayanara said about talking with customers. Eventually, Dayanara wants to work in psychology and be her own boss.
Juan Soto
MIAMI
Originally from Cali, Colombia, Juan moved to the U.S. in July 2022. During his childhood, he raced karts with friends on weekends and always loved watching F1. Juan had his eyes set on working at K1 Speed, but he was still 17 when he became interested in the Miami location. Persistent, Juan applied once he turned 18 in April of 2024. With no positions available, Juan waited for his chance three months later in June, beginning his time at K1 Speed Miami as a track operator. After just four months, he was promoted to his current role as track supervisor. While at work, Juan enjoys conversing with customers from around the world, which is common in a destination city like Miami. “I always try to make them feel comfortable and want to come back,” Juan said about his approach to customer service. When he’s not helping make K1 Speed Miami a better place, Juan enjoys playing sports like tennis and table tennis.
Sabrina Balseiro
MIAMI
Born and raised in Miami, Sabrina shines in her role as cashier supervisor. A big American Classics fan, Sabrina is the proud owner of two 1985 Chrysler LeBarons and one 1988 Lincoln Town Car. Currently studying animation at Florida International University, Sabrina hopes to use her degree in either a marketing or graphic design capacity. As a child, Sabrina got into racing with gas karts and continued her passion for cars with automotive video games. K1 Speed has been fortunate to have Sabrina as an employee since October 2024. Working at K1 Speed offers Sabrina a flexible schedule, something needed during her studies at FIU. After earning her degree, Sabrina wants to find a job in animation or go back to university to teach others. After working as a track operator for just two months, Sabrina was promoted to cashier and, subsequently, cashier supervisor. Sabrina speaks an impressive three languages: English, Spanish, and self-taught Russian, which comes in handy when helping Eastern European tourists visiting Miami. Some of Sabrina’s hobbies include working on her three cars, figure skating, and roller disco.
Adrian Garcia-Lepe
ATLANTA
Adrian was first introduced to automobiles through his father’s impressive collection: a 1963 Chevrolet Impala and a 1974 Buick Regal with hydraulics. Adrian remembers attending events at around 15 years old, seeing his father compete with other car enthusiasts to see who could jump the highest with hydraulics. Adrian’s first stint with K1 Speed was in 2022. After working with his dad for a while, Adrian returned to K1 Speed and focused on perfecting his customer service while maintaining a welcoming environment for customers. Now a shift supervisor, Adrian is a true team player: “My favorite part [of K1 Speed] is talking to the employees and trying to help them separate the work-life balance,” Adrian commented. In his free time, Adrian enjoys collecting and playing trading card games, specifically Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! “If I have any problems, I go use my energy towards that [cards] and try to make a better experience for myself,” Adrian said about processing difficult situations. Adrian’s team-first approach should be an example that’s followed company-wide.