UPDATE: Days after this Q&A, Alex signed with Compass360 Racing to drive at least three events in this year's Grand-Am Continental Tire Series. Way to go, kid! For more info, visit alexkirbyracing.com. 

Alex Kirby came to Flatout in 2009, and though he was young and new to Spec Miata, it was clear right away he had both talent and racing experience. By the end of the season he was running at the sharp end of the SM field, so we weren't surprised to hear he's got several options open in roadracing. We caught up with Alex after recent test sessions at Daytona and New Jersey Motorsports Park. Check him out at alexkirbyracing.com.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your racing background.

A. I'm 18 years old and a senior in high school. I currently live in Branford, Conn., but I spent most of my life outside Atlanta. I started racing motocross when I was 7 years old but switched to four wheels when I was 15 and attended my first Skip Barber Racing School at Road Atlanta. I raced my first Skip Barber Regional event in July 2008 - and I was hooked. I competed in a number of Skip Barber Regional races and rented seats in several SCCA events before my family moved in Connecticut in 2009 and we purchased the Spec Miata to run with Flatout Motorsports.

Q: You've had an interesting offseason - testing both a Continental Tire Challenge Mazdaspeed3 and an MX-5 Playboy Cup car. What's up with all this testing?
A. I've been fortunate to have doors open during the offseason and have enjoyed driving some different race cars. I tested the MX-5 Cup car at NJMP with DILYSI Racing. Marc Miller, who finished second overall in the series last year, coached me, and at the end of the day my fastest lap was two-tenths of a second off his. Marc made a few calls to help get me in with Freedom Autosports for the Grand-Am Daytona test days, where I drove their new MazdaSpeed3. It's just been a blast, and I'm really excited about trying to race a few events in one or both of these series in 2010!


Q: Before the Mazdaspeed3, had you ever driven a FWD car on the track? How was it compared to RWD?
A. It was my very first time driving a FWD car on track. It was very different than driving a RWD car; you get a lot more understeer going into the corners, and it took a lot of time to get used to that. Everything feels slower in a FWD car, because it seems like you're always waiting on the car to turn and waiting to get back to power.


Q: How did you like the track at Daytona?
A. It was awesome! At first it was a little intimidating to be on the high banks and have some of the faster GS class cars come past, but after a few laps I settled in and focused on my driving. There aren't many corners on the infield portion, so it's an easy track to learn. My favorite part of the track is the bus stop - you carry so much speed in and the car gets pretty unstable, which can be fun.


Q: Last season in a Spec Miata, you came up to speed quickly. What was the secret? Did Flatout's driver development help?
A. It helped a ton! The personal coaching and data review with Nick [Leverone, company president] was invaluable. I learned so much from his input and really appreciate how much he helped me with my driving. I also learned a lot from the other drivers on the Flatout team, as many of them offered tips and advice each time I was at the track.


Q: So can we look forward to seeing you in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge or Playboy MX-5 Cup?
A. We're talking to several different teams and hope to finalize plans for the 2010 season shortly. I don't think I'll be in a position to run either one of these for a full season, but do hope to run a few races - in addition to my normal schedule with Flatout!