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Kent Powerboat Racer Ben Jelf will compete in the fourth round of the F1H2O World Championship this coming weekend in Shanghai, China. He will once more compete for the F1 Atlantic Team as twenty drivers compete on the mighty Huangpu River on October 4th-6th.
Since the last round of the F1H2O World Championship in Sardinia back in June where Ben finished sixth in a career best result for the twenty-four-year-old. He has also competed in the British Sprint Championship in a Monohull GT30 class where he won the stand-alone event to secure his 17th British Powerboat title.
Following a 20-year hiatus the Championship finally returns to Shanghai’s waters, where Ben’s teammate Portuguese driver Duarte Benavente raced back in 2004. Ben will take onboard the guidance and knowledge that Duarte has of the race venue and will be searching for a season best result and to break into the top five drivers in the World.
Shanghai will be the first of two events in China in October with the F1H2O series also returning to Zhengzhou two weeks later before the Championship finishes in Sharjah in December where the World Champion will be crowned.
Ben currently sits in 10th place in the championship and will be fighting for position in the Grand Prix of Shanghai Sprint Race and Grand Prix race in the hopes of increasing his position in the overall World Championship Standings before the final two rounds of competition.
On the forthcoming competition Ben had this to say “I can’t wait to get back in the boat. We haven’t raced since June, so I will take full advantage of the extra practices we have to make sure the boat is performing how I expect it to and prepare myself to fight for the championship points that are up for grabs.”
He continued “I must thank my family and team for their unwavering support. To travel to China once in a month is a big ask but for the team to travel twice in one month and with the second event being short notice I am eternally grateful for their dedication in helping me achieve my dreams and goals. I just hope I can reward them with a great performance.”
The Grand Prix of Shanghai will get underway on Friday 4th October as the teams take to the water for three hours of Practice ahead of the Qualifications and Sprint Races on Saturday.
Ben Jelf racing in Sadinia in June @jelfracing
Powerboat & RIB
This content was created by the Powerboat & RIB editorial team.
