WOOD Ditton-based water skier Lucy Gale competed in Saturday's second round of the British National Championships at Lyme Regis.

Gale, 18, who races behind a 300HP Formula 2 race boat, finished second behind Natalie Scott in a strong field for a repeat of her performance in the opening round in Kent earlier in the month.

Her team consists of driver Jason Russell and observer Jeff Ling, who said: "In the tricky conditions, it was the best she had skied for a long time".

In the coming months, there are four more championship rounds plus the European Championships, club races and the prestigious Diamond Race in Belgium.

Gale is aiming to impress the selectors ahead of next year's world championships when she hopes to be part of the Great Britain team in the Formula 2 women's section.

She works as a fitness instructor at the Atrium Health and Fitness Club in Ely, so is able to train regularly in the gym, essential for an endurance sport which involves skiing for 40minutes at speeds in excess of 70mph.

"Going this quick gives a huge adrenalin rush but racing offshore brings the perils of a freak wave or two, so the most challenging part is the constant concentration, trying not to get tripped up along the way," she said.