BEWARE BLACK MAGIC & STRANGE DREAMS

Most teenage girls dream of becoming a diva, a ballet dancer or a fashion designer, but 15 year old Jade Berridge wants to become a powerboat racing champion so that she can own lots of pairs of shoes.
 
Jade's dream is not as strange as it may first sound, as she'll be racing with her father in this year's Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship and dad has promised to buy her a pair of shoes every time they win a race.
 
Dad is Hemel Hempstead builder Vincent Berridge, who has not raced powerboats before and is training hard on the water to be ready for the new season.  "I started boating as a youngster with my uncle in Poole and then introduced my three children to it" explains Vincent.  I became interested in the idea of powerboat racing last summer but assumed it would be really difficult to get involved.  Then I looked at the P1 SuperStock series and everything has quickly fallen into place."
 
The new father-and-daughter team will be driving a 150hp black boat - called 'Black Magic' - that was bought in the Lake District, and they'll compete in the five rounds of the SuperStock Championship from May through to the final in Liverpool in September.  We're both lacking in race experience," admits Vincent "but Jade is very light and really confident when she gets in the boat, so I'm looking forward to us getting racing.  All we need to do now is find a sponsor."
 
In case you're wondering what Mrs Berridge will be doing all summer - she's Team Manager.
 
Jade will be sixteen later this month, and guess what she wants for her birthday?