CLEVELAND jet ski rider Bailey Cunningham will tackle the world's best riders on an even playing field when he represents Australia at an international competition next month.
Cunningham, 20, will head to Sichuan in China's south-west in early July for an invitational race with a twist: all riders will be racing the same make and model of jet ski, the Sea-Doo Spark.
Mother Tralee Harrison-Cunningham said Sparks were compact, lightweight and good for racers who were new to the sport.
She said it had been several years since her son had raced a Sea-Doo, with Cunningham usually favouring a turbo GP1 ski, but he had embraced the challenge.
"These skis are stock Sea-Doo Sparks as you would buy from the shop so it will come down to the rider experience," she said.
"Even the racing Sparks we use in Australia have upgrades for handling and tunes for more speed so rising a stock ski will be fun."
His invitation to the event came off the back of a successful run at the Queensland jet ski titles in May, where Cunningham took home the wins in two of the premier categories.
Ms Harrison-Cunningham said it was wonderful to see the passion her son had for the sport.
"He has been racing since he was 16 years old (and) he loves the speed and fun of being on the water," she said.
He is also raising funds to support his travel to the Jet Ski World Cup in Thailand and the US World Finals later this year.
To donate or sponsor Cunningham, visit the Eight 1 Racing Facebook page.
