Congratulations to Auffenberg Kia’s Ben Banta Placing 3rd at the 2026 Kia Skill National Cup

Please join us in congratulating Auffenberg Kia’s Ben Banta – Journeyman Technician – on his 3rd Place Win in the 2026 Kia Skill National Cup – Technician Competition- Central Region – and it was his very first year competing!

Ben recently went to Irvine, California (the US Kia headquarters)  to compete in the 2026 Kia Skill National Cup – Technician Competition – Central Region. While he placed 3rd in the Central region (a huge accomplishment!) it should be noted the 1st and 2nd place winners from the Central region placed in the top five in the US. He is now cheering them on as they head to Korea to compete in the WORLD’S competition.

The Technician Competition is a prestigious event where Kia techs compete on four different tasks with Kia techs from around the world. This was Ben’s first year being nominated to compete.

The instructors from the Kia training centers bugged the cars – the tasks included body networking, troubleshooting an EV, drivability (engine performance), and engine mechanics. The techs had to document everything on their repair order, explain their logic, among things. This was Ben’s first-year competing, and he was nervous about the unknown. The day started at 7 am – and it was a full day – the technicians were only allowed 75 minutes per vehicle. Once he was finished – he was confident in two out of the four – the other two; he wasn’t quite sure if he had done enough in the time he was allotted.

Ben has been with Auffenberg Kia for six years, and he’s been a technician for over 20 years. In high school, he took a small engine repair class, and he watched his dad work on cars at home. He looks forward to competing again in two years –  he’s setting his sights on making it all the way to Korea for the World Cup!

Tags: Kia, Kia Skill National Cup, Service
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