Who We Are
At Motor City Speed Lab, we believe that elite speed and athleticism are engineered, not just inherited. We provide youth athletes in Metro Detroit with a professional training environment designed to bridge the gap between potential and performance. Our mission is to improve speed, power, and confidence while building foundational athletic skills for long-term performance in all sports.
Motor City Speed Lab began as an idea after many hours on the back of the team bus travelling to meets around the country. It was in those moments we connected over our shared passion for competition, Detroit and a vision to develop athletes not just physically but building an elite mindset that extends beyond sport.
Meet Our Performance Experts
Jamar Hardy / Co-Founder
Jamar Hardy is a performance coach and athletic professional with a background in competitive athletics and athlete development.
Originally from Saginaw, Michigan, Jamar was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track & field. He found his greatest success on the track, where he set his school’s record in the 110-meter hurdles, earned All-State honors as a junior and senior, and was named MLive Saginaw Boys Track Athlete of the Year.
He continued his track & field career at Central Michigan University, where he was a four-year member of the program and earned All-Conference honors. During his time there, he also contributed to the 2019 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship women’s team as part of the coaching staff.
Jamar currently works in the Office of Athletics for Detroit Public Schools Community District, where he oversees track & field and cross country. In this role, he supports coaches and student-athletes across the district and stays closely connected to the day-to-day development of athletes at all levels.
His approach to training is centered on consistency, fundamentals, and steady improvement. He focuses on helping athletes build speed, strength, and confidence in a way that translates directly to their sport.
Benjamin Yagiela / Co-Founder
Ben Yagiela is a performance coach and business professional with a background in track & field and athletic development.
Originally from Essexville, Michigan, he developed a passion for track and set his sights on competing at the Division I level. After breaking school records in cross country and track and earning All-State Honors in the 800m, Ben was recruited and went on to compete for Central Michigan University, where he specialized in the 800m, 1500m, and 4x400m. During his time there, he developed a strong understanding of training methodology, biomechanics, and performance development as a student of the sport.
Following his undergraduate career, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology before receiving a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee, where he completed a Master’s degree in Sports Management. While at Tennessee, he served as a Graduate Teaching Associate and Development Assistant, instructing courses in running, nutrition, and weight training while developing his coaching and leadership style.
He also gained experience working directly with elite-level athletes, assisting in training environments that included Olympic competitors such as Warren Fraser, Clive Pullen and Cejhae Greene while contributing to daily performance operations within a high-level training program.
His approach focuses on developing speed, power, and confidence through structured, repeatable system that translate directly to sport performance as well as performance in life.