From karts to cars, Kyle Kirkwood is making a fast start to 2015

It is barely May, but Kyle Kirkwood has already marked his name as one to watch in 2015, having already opened the year with some big accomplishments in both karts and racecars.

Kirkwood has a busy 2015 racing schedule that will see him continue to compete in the karting ranks for Ocala Gran Prix, as well as making a rookie campaign in the F1600 Formula F Championship Series. The 16-year-old high school sophomore closed out the winter season of karting with two big titles for his OGP squad. Kirkwood punched his ticket to Rok International Final in Italy in October by winning Florida Winter Tour Rok Championship.

He will be a frequent flier, as he followed that championship with another as Kirkwood then emerged from a fraught championship points battle to earn the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Championship. That title earned him an entry in the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals at the International Karting Circuit of Portimao in Algarve, Portugal this November. It also earned him Karter of the Month honors from eKartingnews.com.

Karting is a very important part of Kirkwood's racing endeavor, but he also has his eyes on moving up the racing ladder and building a career in the sport. He got his first taste of competition in the F1600 ranks in a non-points event in February, and put those lessons learned to excellent use in his debut run at Road Atlanta this April (pictured).

In his first points-paying race in the Formula 1600 ranks, Kirkwood scored a dramatic final-lap race victory in his Chastain Motorsports-prepared Mygale-Honda in his first visit to the fabled circuit.

"This is all new to me after some karting but overall it's an awesome feeling," said Kirkwood of the win. "With the white flag out, I was probably 20 car lengths behind the leader and I thought I was too far back but I was able to catch him (Steve Bamford) and pull off the pass, putting me in first position through the Patron tunnel and crossing the checkered flag. Chastain Motorsports did a great job all weekend and I want to thank all my 2015 sponsors,Sothebys, Rochester Gauges, Ocala Grand Prix, and Spanish Court Hotels."

The next race saw Kirkwood come home in eighth for Chastain Motorsports, and he backed that effort up with yet another big result in the third race of the weekend as he came home second, just 0.139 seconds shy of a second win of the weekend.

"The racing was pretty tough, and some guys were hitting each other and going through the grass so it was kind of crazy out there," said Kirkwood of the tight F1600 action. "I was just trying to not crash and keep the car clean. A lot of the guys have two or three years' experience with this car, so I was just trying to learn as quickly as I could.

"It's hard with the draft – there is little chance of pulling away from anyone, we are all nose to tail! Compared to karting, it's a whole different world with the draft. I'm really looking forward to Watkins Glen, I think that will be another fun track to learn."

Next up for Kyle, besides his normal routine as a high schooler, will be a return to F1600 action for Chastain Motorsports at Watkins Glen May 15-17.

Follow him at www.kylekirkwood.com and twitter.com/KKirkwoodRacing.