Competitors in Focus - Michael Paisley...

We took the opportunity to speak to Jamaica's Michael Paisley last evening on his thoughts on sim-racing and its place within the Caribbean.

Stefan Gajie: Welcome Michael to Competitors in Focus and thank you for the opportunity in having this interview with us. You came on with CSRO for the Miracle Corp. AMSOIL Competition last November and you rallied on through with us after, tell the people a bit about yourself in the sim-racing sphere and what are some of your achievements and challenges faced so far.

Michael Paisley: Thank you for having me, Stefan. Well, I'm Michael Paisley and I'm 20 years old and to start I have been racing go-karts in Jamaica since 2017, and hope to start car racing in the future. I saw the AMSOIL event on Instagram last year and saw this as a great opportunity to test my skills on the online scene. Back then I raced with a Logitech G920 steering wheel that I borrowed from my friend for that same event and finished in the mid-pack of the Gold Classification! From then on I have been racing on my PS4 controller to this day.

Stefan Gajie: How serious are you about sim-racing?

Michael Paisley: My involvement in sim-racing started when I joined CSRO and this experience so far has made this very important to me. SIM-Racing as a whole is very important knowing that even though it is online, it still helps you to grow and learn about motorsports exceptionally.

Stefan Gajie: And how exactly would you say sim-racing is beneficial to the real motorsport scene?

Michael Paisley: I think that sim-racing plays a major role in attracting spectators to the motorsport scene as it can be streamed anywhere online for anyone to see. The action-packed racing online is one of the most exciting events you can watch as a viewer. Taking that into consideration it then persuades a bunch of people to come out to their national track and watch the real racing that takes place. In terms of the drivers... sim-racing is seen as a motivator for all the drivers who take part in these online events to give it a go in the real motorsport scene. Motorsports in the Caribbean is one of the most iconic events that will ever take place since my grandfather Hilary Jardine brought life to the sport. His achievements motivate me to this day to push my hardest and do my best in any racing event that I take part in.

Stefan Gajie: I didn't know your grandad was Hilary, he was indeed a stalwart within the Caribbean for motor racing and will be remembered as such. Where do you see yourself in the future of sim-racing within the Caribbean?

Michael Paisley: Yes, he sure was, thank you. I hope to see myself acquire a sim-racing setup shortly to get the full sim-racing experience and find more pace from myself. I would thoroughly enjoy representing the Caribbean in any future sim-racing events and help to put the Caribbean SIM-Racing Organization on the map.

Stefan Gajie: What are your thoughts on sim-racing?

Michael Paisley: I believe that sim-racing is an excellent opportunity for the younger kids to grow a passion for motorsports since it is less expensive than real-life racing. Nowadays, with online technology taking over, sim-racing will leap further into the world of e-sports and continue to grow in the future. With that being said I would be happier than ever to lead the CSRO's charge into the world of e-sports.

Stefan Gajie: Michael, it surely has been a pleasure. If there is anything you could tell your grandad today, what would it be?

Michael Paisley: If there was one thing I could tell him today, it would be that none of this would be happening if it wasn't for him and that I am very grateful to be living out my dream goal of racing in the Caribbean and hopefully carrying your legacy outside of the Caribbean in the future.

Photo of Michael Paisley by the late Mikey Spice

-END-

CSRO's Caribbean Single Make Championship enters Round #2...

Tonight, we go racing down under at the Sydney Motorsport Park for Round #2 of the CSRO's 2022 June Caribbean Single Make Championship. But first, a quick recap of last weekend's event.

On the 5th of June, CSRO kicked off this championship at Fort Grozny with a grid of

sixteen competitors out of the twenty-eight who registered. It was full chaos at the first attempt of the rolling start, bringing out a full-course yellow for another try at it. The pace we saw during practice week got even faster and at the end of it, Trinidadian Dominic Charles blasted through the field with some thirty seconds to spare leaving second place to Jamaican Kurt Moss who said that he did not expect that podium spot as his aim was third behind Guyanese John Greene. John suffered a lot of incidents throughout the event, especially on the final lap against third-place podium finisher and countryman, Oswyne Wilson who barely managed to hold on after suffering an issue himself in the third sector at Fort Grozy. Watch the extended highlights of the event here: https://bit.ly/3mvTAcx

And now, back to today's event.

This week CSRO will introduce its night racing at Sydney Motorsport Park as it is planned that the race will begin in the late afternoon and head into the night at the Eastern Creek, New South Whales' facility. The competitors have been throwing down under the lights and at the top of the list once again is Trinidadian Dominic Charles with a stonking 1:28.329. Followed closely behind is Guyanese John Greene with a time of 1:28.546 and a new face to enter into the top three is Jamaican Michael Paisley with a 1:29.396 pipping his countryman Kurt Moss to the third position who managed a 1:29.467. It was Guyana Oswyne Wilson who came to close off the top five with a 1:29.617 but is scheduled to miss this event due to unforeseen circumstances which place Oswyne's known rival at CSRO and countryman, Marlon Younge into the picture with a 1:29.772. The rest of the times can be seen in the screenshot below.

Do remember that CSRO's new website is live (in the BETA phase) on Desktop and Laptop PCs and the event can be viewed from the Live Console page linked here: https://bit.ly/3tyV6Pg

Stored Times of Round #2 of CSRO's 2022 June Caribbean Single Make Championship Practice Session.

CSRO Introduces Race Highlights to its YouTube Channel...

On the 5th of June CSRO opened its 2022 June Caribbean Single Make Championship with its first round at Fort Grozny. The event was live-streamed on their YouTube channel and lasted for nearly an hour and a half. Seeing the need for a shorter version for viewers who might have not been able to watch the live stream, a decision was made to introduce a video highlight of the event for all to enjoy. The now thirty-minute edited version will be a regular staple after every live stream and will feature the most exciting and noteworthy bits of the race meet on that day. View the extended highlights of the action at the link below:

CSRO's 2022 June Caribbean Single Make Championship Round #1: https://bit.ly/3mvTAcx

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