CLEVELAND jet ski racer Bailey Cunningham, who is formerly of Parkes, is gearing up for the Australian titles after thrills and spills at the 2018 Jetski World Cup in Thailand.
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The 20-year-old scored eighth overall in the international pro runabout class in December, despite some earlier race gains.
Cunningham’s mother Tralee said her son had been in the top five in the first heat before hitting a wave, coming off the jet ski and scoring 11th position.
He finished fifth in the second event and scored seventh in the third.
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In the fourth heat, Cunningham came off his jet ski but finished the race.
“Bailey was in fourth position by the end of lap one but an incident with another jet ski saw Bailey dislodge from the jet ski,” Ms Cunningham said.
“He was able to rejoin the field and complete the race.”
Ms Cunningham said the world cup at Thailand was the second time her son had competed on the world stage.
But it was the first time he ran in the premier class of the Pro Runabout GP, the fastest Jetski class in the world, which saw him vying for a $45,000 cash prize and a chance to launch himself into professional territory.
Cunningham was determined to head to the world cup, raising money to get there and boosting his training ahead of the competition.
He was known to world cup organisers, with him ranked number two in Australia for the Pro Runabout GP.
“But this was his first time vying for the prestigious Kings Cup and the $45,000 US first prize against the world’s elite pro riders,” Ms Cunningham said.
“Bailey now knows where he sits against the world’s best and is looking forward to working on these areas over the next 12 months.”
He has every intention on returning to the world cup with an aim of making the top five.
Cunningham will compete at the Australian titles at Newcastle in April.
