THREE Fenland water ski racers are looking forward to new challenges in the new year following a successful 2006. Sean McCann, 17, from Chatteris, completed his final year as a junior racer and almost took the National Water Ski Racing Championships juni

THREE Fenland water ski racers are looking forward to new challenges in the new year following a successful 2006.

Sean McCann, 17, from Chatteris, completed his final year as a junior racer and almost took the National Water Ski Racing Championships junior title.

An excellent victory in Hunstanton gave him a chance of winning the title but he was cruelly denied by engine problems in the final race of the year and had to settle for second place.

Despite 2006 being his first year as a national skier, Ashley Redhead, 23, from March, was also in with a chance of a national title going into the final Formula Three race.

A victory in Weston-super-Mare, in July, put Ashley in with a chance but after a finish behind tough opposition in the final race, he had to settle for second place in the national standings.

And the good news continued with Chatteris' Matthew Fielding, 20, who finished third in the national Formula Two championships.

Matthew faced competition from some of the world's best racers in a keenly-contested formula but produced high standard performances to finish the season on a high.

He will be joined by Ashley in Formula Two for the 2007 season and Sean is now making preparations for his step up from junior to senior Formula Three racing.

All three skiers are also hoping to race in Australia during November.