A shared vision for SUP adventure: Race to the Jungle partners with SUNOVA – Interview with Cassie Salter and Dylan Burger

Race to the Jungle, taking place on 12 – 13 December, is already gaining traction with organisers announcing a new partnership with SUNOVA.

Created by Cassie Salter – Founder and Coach at SUP Fitness: Wellbeing & Adventure and the force behind the bestselling Race to the Castle series, the event brings a fresh twist to endurance paddling – combining long-distance racing, adventure and community in a unique tropical setting.

The partnership with SUNOVA reflects a clear alignment of vision and values. Known for its innovative board designs and strong paddler-driven culture, the Thailand-based brand also shares the same spirit of exploration that sits at the core of Race to the Jungle.

We caught up with Cassie and SUNOVA’s Dylan Burger to learn more about the partnership and the vision behind Race to the Jungle.

As one of the key creative forces behind SUNOVA, Dylan is helping shape the brand’s future while carrying forward the design legacy of his father, legendary shaper Bert Burger. Based at The Board Factory in Khao Lak, Thailand, Dylan is at the centre of SUNOVA’s creative and R&D engine. The headquarters is far more than a production facility – it’s a thriving coastal hub where boards are developed, tested and built, with a unique community atmosphere centred around skate bowls and an open-door culture for visiting surfers and paddlers.

In chat with Cassie Salter:

Hi Cassie, welcome back to TotalSUP! Could you take us back to the beginning – how did the conversation between Race to the Jungle and SUNOVA first start, and what made it feel like the right fit?

From the very beginning, we wanted Race to the Jungle to feel different. Not just another race in another location, but a genuine experience that blended adventure, travel, atmosphere, community, and paddling into something unforgettable.

When conversations first started with the team at SUNOVA, the partnership immediately felt natural. What really stood out to us was how genuine the brand feels. Everything about SUNOVA reflects craftsmanship, innovation, sustainability, and a real connection to the water.

Their philosophy around creating “the right board for the right rider” aligned naturally with what we were trying to build with Race to the Jungle. There’s soul in what they do, and that mattered to us.

What do you both see as the shared vision behind this partnership?

The shared vision is really about creating something that goes beyond racing.

We both care deeply about the overall experience for paddlers, not just performance on the water, but how people feel throughout the entire journey. We wanted to create an event where adventure, travel, culture, hospitality, and paddling all blend together into one experience.

There’s also a strong focus on accessibility and inclusivity within the partnership. By giving paddlers access to a range of SUNOVA boards during the event, people can choose equipment that suits their confidence level, paddling style, and race goals, whether that’s speed, stability, glide, or simply enjoying the adventure comfortably.

How important was it to remove barriers like travelling with boards to make the event more accessible?

It was hugely important. For many paddlers, travelling internationally with boards can be one of the biggest barriers to entering overseas races. It adds cost, stress, logistics, and uncertainty.

One of the things we really wanted to achieve with Race to the Jungle was making the experience feel seamless and achievable for more people. Working with SUNOVA helps remove a massive amount of that pressure because paddlers will have access to boards during the event itself.

Accessibility has been a huge part of our thinking from day one, not just with boards, but with the whole experience. You can fly into Bangkok, transfer easily to Kanchanaburi within a couple of hours, and have accommodation, logistics, safety cover, hospitality, and race organisation all integrated into the weekend.

We wanted people to feel like they could genuinely come out and enjoy an incredible Thailand adventure without the normal stress that often comes with international racing.

Race to the Jungle is about immersing paddlers in Thailand – how does working with a Thailand-based board brand deepen that experience? Do you feel that having a brand that ‘lives and breathes’ board culture locally changes the authenticity of the event?

Absolutely. Race to the Jungle is all about immersing people in the experience of Thailand, the rivers, jungle, culture, food, people, atmosphere, and adventure. So working with a Thailand-based brand that genuinely lives and breathes board culture locally feels incredibly important to us.

SUNOVA’s boards are handcrafted in Thailand, and that local connection adds another layer of authenticity to the entire experience. It makes the partnership feel connected to the environment we’re racing in, rather than simply bringing in an external sponsor.

For us, that authenticity matters. We want paddlers to feel connected to Thailand itself, not just turn up, race, and leave.

What do you hope paddlers will remember most about this experience – beyond the racing?

More than anything, we hope people leave feeling like they experienced something bigger than a race. Of course the racing itself is going to be special, from the tropical technical race surrounded by jungle mountains to finishing beneath the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai, but we want the memories to go far beyond results and finishing positions.

We want people to remember the atmosphere, the people they met, the food, the scenery, the jungle rivers, the sunsets, the adventure, the hospitality, and the feeling of slowing down and settling into the rhythm of Thailand.

If people leave feeling inspired, connected, and like they’ve genuinely experienced Thailand through paddling, then we’ve achieved what we set out to create.

In chat with Dylan Burger of SUNOVA: 

Hi Dylan, welcome to TotalSUP! What made you want to partner with Race to the Jungle for this inaugural Thailand event?

Thailand is our home turf. With The Board Factory based right here in Khao Lak Phang Nga, we are deeply connected to the local waters and the paddling community. When we heard about Race to the Jungle, it felt like a natural fit. We want to support events that highlight how incredible Thailand is for paddling, and being able to supply world-class boards for an event in our own backyard was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.

The whole community vibe around the event is also very refreshing, these types of inclusive, fun events are what will keep our sport sustainable into the future.

What do you both see as the shared vision behind this partnership?

I think the core vision is about creating an unforgettable, accessible experience that puts Thailand on the map as a premier paddling destination.

By removing the logistical nightmare of flying with race boards, we’re allowing athletes to focus purely on the adventure, the culture, the community and the race itself. We both want to grow the sport and showcase the magic of this country.

From a design perspective, what excites you most about seeing different rider levels all using SUNOVA boards in the same event?

At SUNOVA, our design philosophy has always been about maximizing performance, whilst keeping designs manageable for riders of all abilities. Seeing our boards under the feet of such a diverse group of riders in one event is the ultimate validation of that philosophy.

It’s a great opportunity to share stoke and hear feedback from paddlers in real-world jungle conditions.

What story do you hope paddlers take home about Thailand after experiencing this event and riding SUNOVA boards here?

I hope they go home realizing that Thailand is so much more than just a beautiful holiday destination – it’s a legitimate, thriving hub for water sports and board-building culture.

I want them to remember the warmth of the people, the incredible jungle waterways, and the feeling that they were riding boards built by people who live and breathe this lifestyle right here in Thailand.

Thank you for sharing the story behind the collaboration. We can’t wait to see what comes next!

Register for the event here

To find out more about the race, visit racetothejungle.com

Follow race updates on Facebook and Instagram 

To find out more about SUNOVA, visit sunovasurfboards.com

Follow SUNOVA on Instagram and Facebook    

Follow Dylan Burger on Instagram