Carlos grew up around motorcycles. From the time he could walk, he and his older brother could be found in his dad’s motorcycle shop full of oil and grease climbing the bikes. By age five, he was riding a yellow and black Yamaha PW50 dirt bike. Growing up, he would watch his dad repair motorcycles and even assisted. But it was the opportunity to build his first road race bike that sparked a passion for custom builds. A Yahama YSR50 was the first race bike they took to a CMRA competition when Carlos was just 9 years old. “My favorite smell is still that two stroke race fuel in the air.”

By age 15, he was working part-time as a mechanic, rebuilding carburetors, removing parts, working on engines, mounting tires, troubleshooting electrical issues, and servicing motorcycles. His love for bikes was ingrained at a young age, so it was a natural progression when Carlos opened his own shop right out of high school.