BAILEY Cunningham's sanguine smile, perma-salt sprayed hair and down-to-earth attitude masks a dog-eyed determination to blast the competition out of the water.
The 18-year-old jet-ski champion, who picked up the Queensland titles for amateur stock surf and flat water racing last year, now has his sights firmly set on becoming pro.
The Cleveland District State High School graduate will soon pack his bags for his first international sporting endeavour to compete against professionals in the opens closed course heats at the New Zealand Jet Sport Nationals at Wellington in late March.
It will be a high octane experience, with the amateur set to test his skills on a high-powered Yamaha jet-ski for the event.
It is just the beginning of a dream come true for Cunningham, who has raced since aged 14 and who hopes one day to make a living from his jet-ski prowess, like his idol James Bushell from the United Kingdom.
“I would like to get paid to race and paid to travel the world or otherwise open my own jet-ski shop,” Cunningham said. “When you are out on a jet-ski you can just forget about everything and have fun.”
But enjoying the sport's thrills does not come without preparation. Cunningham, who works as an apprentice jet-ski mechanic at Liquid Industries, said a weekly schedule of gym workouts was required to build up endurance and stamina.
“The stronger you are, the better able you are to go faster and sit and stand up,” he said. “There is g-force from the initial acceleration and going around corners.”
While revving up his 300 horsepower jet-ski to whiz past speeds of 80km/h out on the surf scares his family, Cunningham said his thirst for thrills came from mother Tralee and father Derek.
His parents pursued the heart-thumping sport before moving into kart racing's safer territory before Cunningham's birth – Derek Cunningham took out karting’s Florida Winter Tour in 2005.
With a family interest in all things fast, it was not long before Cunningham's interest in jet-ski sports was piqued.
The teen has never been injured, with a split between the webbing of two fingers his only injury sustained in the sport.
