Ben regains GT15 World Speed Record at Coniston
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From the 5th to the 9th November, the team headed to Coniston Records Week in Cumbria to attend the annual lake district speed event which sees all powerboat racing disciplines come together to challenge both British & World Water Speed Records.
Just a few weeks previously, Ben's GT15 World Record was broken by Jakob Ellison from Sweden. Determined to get the record back for the UK - Ben headed out onto the 1km course & within a few attempts had regained the World GT15 Spreed Record & Increased the British Record with a speed of 44.41 mph !
Unfortunatley due to bad weather - Ben was not able to get any further attempts fo the rest of the week.
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Ben bags sixth British powerboat title in three years !
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Peters & May Racing’s Ben Jelf (12, Maidstone) this weekend (22/23 Sept) secured his sixth British Powerboat Racing title in his third year of racing as he secured the 2012 Powerboat GP RYA British GT15 Championship.
Throughout the year 10 junior racers have been battling for the 2012 Powerboat GP GT15 Championship title in some exhilarating racing that have seen them compete at five venues across the country in their bid to becoming British Champions.
The season started in Oulton Broad in May where Ben flew out of the starting blocks taking three heat wins to secure the 2012 Powerboat GP Oulton Broad Grand Prix and set himself firmly on the way to another British title.
The Lancashire Grand Prix over the Jubliee Bank Holiday weekend saw him once again dominate the fleet and secure the Grand Prix win in a succession of heat wins.
July and August proved busy months for the youngster as straight from winning the Kingsbury Grand Prix over the 14/15 July he headed to Estonia for the 2012 UIM European GT15 Championship where he retained his European crown. It was then onto Sweden for the UIM World GT15 Championships where he competed against 20 youngsters narrowly missing out on the World Title and forced to settle for the silver medal in his toughest competition to date.
Returning to home waters Ben competed for his fifth British title at the 2012 GT15 Sprint Championships where he once more remained dominant and secured three straight heat wins to be crowned 2012 Powerboat GP RYA British GT15 Sprint Champion.
The final round of the British Championship for the young racer would see him finish off another fantastic season at his own club at Stewartby in Bedford.
For the final weekend of competition eight youngsters took to the water in the GT15 class. Ben looked a certainty to retain his title but Charlotte Newton was not going to give up without a fight. However true to form Ben took pole position then three out of three heats wins to win the weekend and with it secure another British title in his young career. Whilst Ben’s cousin and Peters & May Racing Team Mate Beth Stoneman (13, Chatham) was forced to watch proceedings from the shore after fracturing her thumb in a race at Nottingham the week prior.
It was left to Tiegen Goodfellow and Thomas Mantripp to go head to head for the silver and bronze medal positions in the championship with Charlotte Newton taking the weekends silver medal. Beth secured 6th Overall in the championship in her first season of racing and can’t wait to get back out on the water for 2013.
On his achievements for the year Ben had this to say “It’s been another great season and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. We’ve had some great battles amongst the British Racers and I’m sure they’ll all be out to beat me next season.”
He continued “Racing in Estonia and Sweden was a great experience for me and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have gone. I wouldn’t have been able to without the support of my family, Team and Sponsors. So a huge thank you to all of Team Jelf Racing, Peters & May Racing, BS Motorsport, RacingBatteries.co.uk, Tohatsu Marine UK and Steel Developments without their support none of this would have been possible.”
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Ben Jelf wins the Powerboat GP British Masters Championship !
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Powerboat GP GT15 Nottingham Grand Prix
In awe of the World Class racers amongst them Britain’s Junior Racers took to the different event format like ducks to water, seeking inspiration from their peers and heroes of the World’s powerboat racers they battled it out for the Nottingham GT15 Speed Record.
GT15 Speed Record
A mere 4km/h separated the top 4 boats but it was the girls that triumphed with Jess Beaumont (13, Milton Keynes) setting the top speed of the day at 63km/h and Charlotte Newton (14, Warrington) securing second matching Jess’s speed but Jess securing the top spot setting it first. World Speed GT15 Record holder Ben Jelf was forced to settle for third at 61km/h.
GT15 Match Racing
Following the Speed Record run the GT15 fleet lined up for match racing. The youngsters made their way through the fleet to the final that saw Peters & May Racing’s Ben Jelf (12, Maidstone) face TopCat Racing’s Charlotte Newton.
Making up for disappointment in the speed record runs Ben took the final win over Charlotte with Tiegen Goodfellow(10, Burntwood) securing the Bronze medal over Rookie racer and JPL Racing team mate Lucy Brewer (12, Lincoln).
GT15 Nottingham Grand Prix
So it was down to the Powerboat GP Nottingham British Masters Grand Prix. The nine GT15 racers would each compete in 4 heats with the best of three to count.
Jelf was back on form and secured 4 straight heat wins to secure the Powerboat GP GT15 Nottingham Grand Prix Title. Charlotte Newton continued recent promising form to secure 4 out of 4 second places and to secure her place on the silver podium spot. Thomas Mantripp Secured the Bronze Medal spot taking three 3rd places and a 4th.
Commentating on the his Win in the GT15 Class Ben Jelf had this to say “The different format to the weekend certainly tested us all it gave us new elements to our racing to contend with and I believe we’ve all learnt from the experience.”
He went on to say “being part of the event was fantastic, watching racers from the World championship competing at the same event has been an inspiration and makes me even more determined to succeed and one day to follow in the footsteps of Erik Stark and my Dad to become and F2 World Champion.”
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Owen Jelf 8th in Nottingham & 11th overall in 2012 F2 World Championships
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After over a decade Powerboat Racing returned to Holme Pierrepont last weekend (15/16 September) as the UIM F2 World Championship was hosted by Powerboat GP at the National Water Sports Centre. 14 mighty F2 catamarans were joined at the final round of their 2012 World Championships by 15 British racers from the GT15 & GT30 Powerboat Circuit as they battled for the 2012 Powerboat GP British Masters title.
Competitors from Great Britain, Latvia, Sweden, Austria, Norway and Germany made the journey to compete for vital championship points.
Competitors in each of the three classes would face qualifying, Speed Trials, and Match racing before heading into the weekends Grand Prix racing.
In free practice 2012 UIM F2 European Champion Sweden’s Erik Stark showed no signs of slowing down as he clocked lap speeds of 156.3km/h. With Britain’s Malcolm Goodman clocking the fastest lap for the home fleet with a speed of 149.2km/h.
In the first qualifying session it was Latvia’s Uvis Slakteris that had the bit between his teeth looking to climb into the top three of the World Championship standings from his current 4th position and searching for his first Grand Prix win in his 10 year career. Erik Stark took the second qualifying session setting the fastest lap time of the weekend in 41.25 seconds and a speed of 157.1km/h and securing pole position.
As the F2’s took to the water for the Speed Record it was Sweden’s Johan Osterberg that took the fastest time on the water clocking a speed of 184Km/h.
Match Racing saw Sweden’s Tommy Wahlsten and Malcolm Goodman both crash out in spectacular fashion whilst Latvia’s Uvis Slakteris powered through to take the victory from Rupert Temper.
Goodman and Walhsten worked through the night to try to get their boats back on the water for the main event. Unfortunately as they lined on the start line for the UIM F2 World Championship Grand Prix race Walhsten’s efforts had been futile.
13 mighty F2’s lined up for the main event Championship leader Erik Stark sat in pole position with Latvia’s Uvis Slakteris in second, Goodman was in third on the grid and Johan Osterberg in 4th.
As the boats got away Goodman got a delayed start on the pontoon Slakteris and Stark were level pegging going into the first corner. As Goodman made his way back through the field going into the first turn further disaster struck for him as the fleet moved over and he clipped another boat sending him barrel rolling out of the race.
The race was re-started minus Goodman who was forced to watch the rest of the race from the shore. Stark got a flying start and looked set to secure the World championship with the final win of the season when heading into the bottom turn mark he spun out leaving Slakteris to take full opportunity of the misfortune and power through to take the lead which he held to the chequered flag. Stark now sitting in 6th place focussed on the task ahead and made his way through the field passing Brits Owen Jelf and Ian Andrews on the way to settle for third place behind Austria’s Rupert Temper who secured silver.
With the final results of the season in Sweden’s Erik Stark claimed the UIM F2 World Championship Title for the second year running. Johan Osterberg secured the silver Medal and Uvis Slakteris took the Bronze Medal.
On winning the UIM F2 World Championship of Great Britain Latvia’s Uvis Slakteris had this to say “It’s been a fantastic event with some great racing. I’ve been searching for this win for over ten years now and what better place to have won than here in Nottingham, this has now become my favourite racing venue.”
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Ben Wins the Powerboat GP RYA British GT15 Sprint Championship !
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This weekend (4/5 August) at Stewartby Powerboat Racing Club in Bedford the 2012 Powerboat GP RYA British Sprint Champions were declared after a fantastic weekends racing that saw 40 teams compete for 7 individual titles.
In the GT15 Class six youngsters between the ages of nine and sixteen took to the water for a fantastic weekend of racing action that would see one youngster declared the inaugural Powerboat GP RYA British GT15 Sprint Champion in the classes first year of competition in Great Britain.
Qualifying - In qualifying it was 2012 UIM European Champion Ben Jelf that led the way when on his 6th lap he set a lap time of 54.31 but Charlotte Newton was not far behind with .66 of a second seperating them and in fact just 3 and a half seconds separating the whole field.
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Heat 1
In heat 1 Ben Jelf made the most of his pole position to get a fantastic start and make it to the first turn buoy in the lead but Charlotte Newton was pushing hard in second place to try to challenge for the top spot. Meanwhile Tiegen Goodfellow suffered fuel problems forcing her to retire on the second lap. Ben led the race from start to finish to secure the first heat win of the day.
Two out of two
In heat 2 Ben got another great start but this time it was Thomas Mantripp and Jess Beaumont fighting for second place. Thomas held Jess at bay for a couple of laps but then she managed to squeeze past him to take a very deserved second place as this young racer begins to find her form.
3 Medals in three weeks
A win in heat 3 would see Ben take his third medal in 3 weeks of competition following his European Gold and World Silver. The youngster remained focused and as the start lights went out once again got off to a flying start taking an early lead in the race leaving the other youngsters to battle it out for the silver and bronze medals.
Still little separated the youngsters and as Ben Jelf once again took the win with Thomas Mantripp and Charlotte Newton securing second and third respectively.
Champion Declared
Ben Jelf was declared 2012 Powerboat GP RYA British Sprint Champion leaving the points to be counted to announce the Silver and Bronze medal positions. With the calculations completed Thomas Mantripp took Silver and Jess Beaumont the Bronze in some fantastic racing from the whole class.
Talking to the newly crowned champion Ben had this to say "I’m really pleased to have secured the British Sprint Championship Title. Everybody raced really well this weekend and it looks like the final round of the British RYA Championship could be a really exciting battle. "
He continued “ Its been a long few weeks for the team and my engine’s been stripped and rebuilt 3 times now so to have achieved European Gold, World Silver and now Gold in the British Sprint Championship has been a real team effort and I’d really like to thank all of the Jelf Racing Team and my sponsors, Peters & May Racing, BS Motorsport, RacingBatteries.co.uk and Tohatsu UK For their continuing support and for making this possible.”
2012 Powerboat GP RYA British GT15 Sprint Championship Standings
1st Ben Jelf
2nd Thomas Mantripp
3rd Jess Beaumont
4th Charlotte Newton
5th Beth Stoneman
6th Charlotte Newton
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World GT15 Silver medal for Ben !
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European gold and now World silver in just two weeks...
Following on from his European gold medal Ben Jelf this weekend (27/28 July) secured the silver medal at the UIM World GT15 Championships.
The twelve year old from Maidstone Kent travelled to Osthammar in Sweden to take part in the UIM World Championship competition. The only representative from Great Britain, Ben was one of twenty teams that contested the title with representation also from, Sweden, Norway and Estonia.
Worst conditions
The reigning European Champion was faced with having to qualify to even be able to try to defend his 2011 World title. In some of the worst conditions he’s had to race in Ben set out with the task in hand to qualify for the World Championships.
Ben’s fastest lap time in qualifying saw him sat in thirteenth in a very close field with less than three seconds separating the top fifteen boats, but Ben had qualified and so now the proceedings moved on to the racing.
In the first of four heats of the Championship Ben sat ninth on the start grid. As the start lights went out Ben got off to a flying start making up four places straight away to sit in fifth in the pack and over the course of the race he out manoeuvred another two of the racers to finish the race in 3rd place.
Second heat, second place
The second heat saw Ben in second place behind Sweden’s Morgan Jernfast when a boat flipped causing the race to be restarted. Ben got caught in wash from the other boats on the restart and struggled to get away but managed to make up some ground to finish in fourth.
Into heat three and Ben got another flying start and was in second place behind Morgan Jernfast who led the race from start to finish. Morgan had won the first three heats of the competition crowning him the 2012 UIM World GT15 Championships through some outstanding results.
The battle for silver or bronze
But Ben’s fight wasn’t over with silver and bronze medal places still to fight for. The British youngster focussed on the task ahead as they went into the fourth and final heat in a bid to bring home a medal.
Heat four saw Ben lead the fleet from start to finish as he drove with skill and desire to take the chequered flag. With the best three results to count Ben was announced runner up and took the silver world medal to join his 2012 European Gold Medal.
On being ranked number one in Europe and number two in the world the twelve year old had this to say: “Of course I’d have liked to have won the World title again we all go out there to race to win but Morgan thoroughly deserved it he raced really well and was great to race against.
“The fleet was really strong and my qualifying time wasn’t great because of the really rough conditions, so I had lots to do to rank in the top six let alone take a podium place. So I’m really happy to have taken the silver medal. It’s been a long couple of weeks and we’ve travelled hundreds of miles so to be able to take European Gold and World Silver home is great.
“My thanks to my parents and Uncle Kelvin and Neil my sponsor from BS Motorsport who have been with me throughout and also to my other sponsors Peters & May Racing, RacingBatteries.co.uk and Tohatsu UK for their continuing support and to everyone at home for all their words of encouragement that have helped me achieve this.”
Enormous achievement
Nikki Drummond RYA Powerboat Racing Officer commented on Ben’s achievements: “When you look at what Ben has achieved in the last two weeks and how far he’s travelled to do it you have to remember that he is only 12 years old. Taking the European title and silver at the World championships is an enormous achievement and throughout it all he’s represented the Sport of Powerboat Racing, the RYA and Great Britain with maturity and prowess he has a very bright future ahead of him and he’s certainly done us all proud.”
UIM World GT15 Results
- 1st Morgan Jernfast Sweden 1200 points
- 2nd Ben Jelf United Kingdom 1000 points
- 3rd Paul Zujenkov Estonia 750 points
- 4th Reio Käsnapuu Estonia 694 points
- 5th Eric Olsson Sweden 335 points
- 6th Sken Heidermann Estonia 325 points
- 7th Michelle Knudsen Norway 293 points
- 8th Andrea Forslund Sweden 230 points
- 9th Christoffer Sjöberg Sweden 198 points
- 10th Anton Modin Sweden 136 points
- 11th Sanne Vik Norway 105 points
- 12th Joakim Halvorsen Norway 40 points
- 13th Adam Gustavsson Sweden 30 points
- 14th Gregor Eevardi Estonia 0 points
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Newly crowned GT15 European champion sets sights on World title !
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Ben looks to retain his World title and clinch the gold...
As Gold medal fever gets set to grip the Nation as Team GB battle it out at the Olympics to make their way up the medal table, Ben Jelf (12, Maidstone) will be battling for his own Gold Medal as the young British Powerboat Racer attempts to defend his crown at the UIM World GT15 Championships in Sweden this weekend (28/29 July).
Tough at Europeans
Ben, who in 2011 became Britain’s youngest ever World Powerboat Racing Champion just two days after his 11th Birthday, was last weekend (21/22 July) crowned European Champion retaining his 2011 European title in what’s been his toughest competition to date.
He battled against eleven 10 -16 year olds from Estonia, Russia, GB and Lativa to defend his title in a competition that went down wire and was only decided in the last race of the weekend.
Following his win in Estonia Ben and his team, Jelf Racing, have travelled 350 miles to Osthammar in Sweden for the 2012 UIM GT15 World Championships being held this weekend in the hope of defending his World title and claiming yet another Gold.
Big Challenge
Ben faces an even bigger challenge at the World competition as 20 teams’ line up to fight for the crown. Known entrants will represent Sweden, Estonia and Great Britain and despite having won the European title Ben knows he has his work cut out for him.
“There’s over 20 entries in the competition and that means we will have to qualify before we can even start to battle for the title. Amongst the entries there are five of us that were in the top six in the European Championship and we were all very quick and the racing was close so I’m sure Paul, Reio & Sken will cause me problems.” comments the European Champion.
“There’s also a large entry from Sweden and the class has been racing there for a few years now, whereas it’s still in its infancy in Great Britain so I expect they will field a lot of quick drivers. I’d be lying if I wasn’t nervous.”
Ben’s success in such a short career in powerboat racing and at such young age has won him an army of supporters all over the World and they will wait with anticipation to find out how he fairs at the World Championships. But one thing they’ll know for sure is that he’ll have given it everything he possibly can and won’t stop fighting until the chequered flag drops.
“It’s going to be a tough competition” comments Ben. “My family, friends and Sponsors, Peters & May Racing, BS Motorsports, Tohatsu UK and Racingbatteries.co.uk are a great support to me and I’ll be hoping I don’t let them down. I’m just going to put my foot down, race the best race I can and hope for the best.”
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Ben retains his European GT15 title for 2012 !
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Tough competition makes Ben up his game...
British Powerboat racer Ben Jelf (12, Maidstone) this weekend (21/22 July) secured the 2012 UIM European GT15 title in his toughest race to date, having travelled the 1600 miles to Tallinn, Estonia to defend his 2011 European title.
Eleven competitors from Estonia, Latvia, Russia and Great Britain lined up to battle for the 2012 title in what was set to be some exhilarating racing from start to finish.
Four rounds of battle
The championship would be decided over four rounds of racing with the best three results to be counted. Estonia’s Sken Heidemann got the competition off to a flying start taking the first heat win and in a really tight race Ben was forced to settle for 5th place.
Ben, who is Britain’s youngest ever World powerboat champion, was determined in heat two to pave the way for the rest of the championship and drove in what can only be described as his best race of his career to finish the first day of competition on a high and take the win in the second heat.
Photo finish
As Sunday got underway Ben sat in pole for the third heat of the competition and got a great start, leading the race for the first three laps until Estonia’s Paul Zujenkov passed him in a superb manoeuvre. In dirty water Ben further lost out to Reio Käsnapuu of Estonia in a photo finish and was forced to settle for third.
The championship campaign would go down to the wire with the last heat winner likely to take the title. Focussed and ready to do what was needed Ben and Team Jelf took to the water early and waited for the other teams to join them on the start grid.
As friends and family back in Britain watched with baited breath through the live internet link, the race went under starters orders. Ben got off to a flying start and took the lead. Paul Zujenkov put pressure on from the start but Ben held his water taking tighter corners and the inside line to keep his rival at bay, by the 4th lap started to pull away from the second placed boat. Leading the final race from start to finish cheers went up as Ben took the chequered flag and with it the 2012 UIM GT15 European Championship for the second consecutive year.
Raced the best I could
Interviewed after the race Ben was asked how he won the competition. “I’m not really sure! There was some really strong competition out there and I just raced the best I could”, he commented.
“The support from my family, friends and sponsors has helped me get here and it wouldn’t have been possible without them, it’s been a real team effort. I’d like to thank my sponsors Peters & May Racing, BS Motorsport, Tohatsu UK and Racingbatteries.co.uk and of course my Mum and Dad because without their backing I wouldn’t have been able to compete in Estonia let alone win.”
Ben now heads to Osthammar in Sweden where he will compete to retain the GT15 World Championship title and has the full backing of British Powerboat Racers to bring the title home again.
Watching at home
Nikki Drummond RYA Powerboat Racing Senior Administrator watched like many of Ben’s friends and family through the live link on the internet. “Once again Ben has done us all proud, his family, the sport and Great Britain. The competition was really strong but he remained focussed and did what he had to do and once again has excelled. It was exhilarating to watch and I’m sure many of us are hoarse this morning from shouting at the computer screen cheering him on.
“As Ben grows he becomes more and more the accomplished Powerboat Racer and his trophy cabinet and accolades already rival that of someone that has been racing decades. We’re all behind him 100% as he heads to the World Championships and know he’ll try his best to bring the title home once more.”
UIM GT15 European Championship Results
1st |
Ben Jelf |
Great Britain |
2nd |
Paul Zujenkov |
Estonia |
3rd |
Sken Heidemann |
Estonia |
4th |
Reio Käsnapuu |
Estonia |
5th |
Maris Guza |
Latvia |
6th |
Gregor Eevardi |
Estonia |
7th |
Vladislav Pikotkin |
Russia |
8th |
Janar Peeba |
Estonia |
9th |
Rene Suuk |
Estonia |
10th |
Sanna Aaslav-Kaasik |
Estonia |
11th |
Georgi Iljin |
Estonia
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Ben’s battle to retain European title begins
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Britain’s youngest ever World Powerboat Racing Champion Ben Jelf (12, Maidstone) this weekend heads to Tallinn in Estonia in a bid to retain his 2011 UIM European GT15 Title.
Ben who in 2011 became Britain’s youngest ever World Powerboat Racing Champion just two days after his 11th Birthday also secured UIM GT15 European Championship, British RYA JT250 National and Sprint Championships, S250 British Speed Record and GT15 World and British Speed Records in a phenomenal year of achievements for the youngster.
The long journey to retaining his title began on Tuesday when along with his Dad (former 3 times World F2 Powerboat Champion) Colin and Uncle Kelvin they set off on the 1600 mile journey to Estonia to arrive in time for this weekends competition.
Ben currently leads the 2012 Powerboat GP British RYA GT15 Championship where after 4 rounds of racing he has a comfortable lead of 14 points over the seven boat fleet having won every round of the competition to date.
Following victory at the 4th Round of the British Championships in Kingsbury Water Park last weekend Ben’s ready for what challenges lie ahead of him this weekend “It’s great to head to the European Championships on the back of a win at the British rounds. I won my first ever weekends racing at Kingsbury so it’s a special place for me.” comments the youngster
“Everything at the weekend felt good and confidence in the team is high we’ve spent a lot of time getting the boat set up correctly and practising. I know I have my work cut out for me though there’s some really strong competition in European Racing but I have a really strong team behind me and the support of all the British Racers and all my sponsors so we wont be giving up with out a fight.”
From defending his European title Ben and the Jelf Racing team will head straight to Sweden where over the 28th & 29th July he will aim to also defend his World title. Follow Ben’s progress of the Jelf Racing Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/JelfRacing
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A commanding lead for Ben
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With the unfortunate cancellation of the 3rd round at Cardiff the team headed for round four at Kingsbury Waterpark. Ben once again took pole position earning him another championship point, but with Thomas Mantripp within 1 second it looked like the racing would be tight.
When the lights went out for heat 1 Ben powered into the lead from pole position leaving the others to fight it out for the other podium slots, it was clear that our other driver Beth Stoneman was not so fortunate, the team deciding to try a recently modified but untested prop but it did not get off the line and left the young lady with a mountain to climb.
Heat two again saw the Peters and May driver jump straight out into the lead with team mate Beth getting a far better start this time but stuck in the "dirty water" made it very hard to improve her position and the close battling behind Ben meant that again he was not challenged for the lead.
The third and final heat of the day saw again a great start for Ben, taking his Peters and May sponserd outfit into the lead with Thomas Mantripp and Tiegen Goodfellow closely fighting for the second spot, unfortunately Thomas hooked allowing Tiegen to break through into second and Beth moved into third in the second Peters and May boat, unfortunately this position was short lived as fuel pipe became dislodged putting Beth out on lap 3.
Beth was bitterly dissapointed as were the team, Ben went on to win the event and again extend his lead in the British championship.
Ben is next in action in the European Championships in Estonia 21st/22nd July, Beth's next event is at the British Sprint Championships, 4th/5th August
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Ben wins the Kingsbury GP |
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Beth Stoneman at full throttle |
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Ben Jelf extends lead in GT15 British Championship !
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The 2nd round of the 2012 GT15 British Championships got underway in Lancashire over the Bank Holiday weekend (2/3 June) with GT15 reigning World & British Champion Ben Jelf (11, Kent UK) once again holding on to the top spot with rookie team-mate Beth Stoneman (13, Kent UK) coming 5th overall.
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Qualifying
Sporting a new team livery in the Peters & May Racing ‘colours’ the pressure was on for Ben to keep focused and for Beth to safely finish her very first national event.
With only 1 qualifying session chance the stormy weather conditions would prove very tricky for all of the GT15 Drivers and set-ups were being changed right up until the last minute to ensure maximum but safe performance.
After a couple of ‘flighty’ laps Ben eventually settled the boat to the conditions and posted a 1.00.63 lap time ahead of his closest rival Tiegen Goodfellow who posted a time of 1.02.99. Beth eventually settled for 5th position on the grid with a 1.04.96 lap time.
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Racing
With qualifying out of the way the heats got underway and Ben got the event off to a flying start taking the lead of the heat and holding off the competition to take the first checkered flag of the weekend with Beth finishing 6th.
Continuing on his winning streak Ben went on to secure two more heat wins and came under some pressure in the final from the ever-faster Tiegen Goodfellow who with every race is closing the gap at the front. Beth exceeded expectations and finished 5th overall after going on to secure a 5th & 4th Place in the last 2 heats after battling with the talented Thomas Mantripp who proved he is not so easy to overtake.
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Bring on the challenge !
Commenting on this weekends win Ben offered praise to his fellow competitors “Everyone raced really well this weekend and Tiegen was really starting to pressure me in the last heat which is great as it means I will have to up my game to try and keep competitive. Beth also did a fantastic job and I’m sure it wont be long before she is battling for the top as well”.
He continued “People think that what we do is easy but believe me it’s not. We are all just normal kids at the end of the day and to remain calm under the competitive pressure whilst trying to control the boat & remembering all of the rules is difficult. But that’s not to say that we don’t have fun and all support each other, off of the water we are all really good friends”.
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Next Race
The Championship now sees all of the teams head to Cardiff-Bay on the 23rd & 24th June for the 3rd round of the 2012 GT15 British Championships where the youngsters will face the challenge of their first ever ‘right hander’ that could really shake-up the championship points !
Ben, Beth & all at Jelf Racing would like to thank our sponsors Peters & May Global Boat Transport, BS Motorsport, Tohatsu UK & Racingbatteries.co.uk for their continued support.
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Owen Jelf 8th in Cagliari !
Technical faults cause big problems in the opening round of the 2012 F2 World Championship in Italy
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The opening round of the 2012 UIM F2 World Championship kicked off in Italy this weekend. Owen Jelf travelled to Cagliari with high hopes of getting his season off to a good start only to be plagued by technical problems.
Despite his best efforts, Owen only managed to qualify 7th on the starting grid with his 2.5 SST200 Optimax engine lacking the required power to challenge the front-runners.
The bad weather on Saturday also forced the cancellation of the Speed Record & Match Race challenges that cut down the water time further hampering the opportunities to fix the faults.
Sunday’s grand prix brought further issues with steering failure and power loss further adding to the complications. Owen managed 8th place overall after battling the whole race to keep position.
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The event was finally won by Norway's Pal Virik Nilsen with last years World Champion Erik Stark in 2nd.
The Championship now moves to Stockholm on the 16th & 17th June .
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Ben Jelf & Beth Stoneman join Peters & May Racing !
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Peters & May is pleased to announce the signing of Ben Jelf, Britain’s youngest ever World Powerboat Racing Champion and his 13 year old cousin, Beth Stoneman into the Peters & May Racing Team.
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Ben, 11, has raced for 3 seasons and already boasts a trophy cabinet that any veteran racer would be very proud of. In 2011 Ben became UIM GT15 World and European Champion, JT 250 National and Sprint Champion, S250 British Speed Record holder and GT15 World and British Speed Record holder!
Ben will race for Peters & May in 2012 and 2013 hoping to retain both his British titles, as well as travelling to Sweden and Estonia for the GT15 World and European Championships respectively. While Ben has a proven track record, 2012 will be a learning curve for his cousin and rookie driver Beth, but she has already shown that she has what it takes to be a serious future contender.
Peters & May Racing continues to work closely with power boating authorities including the UIM and the RYA to promote the growth of power boating at youth level. Dave Holley, CEO of Peters & May comments “We are committed to supporting powerboat racing from the grass roots up and are excited to be working with such a talented and motivated young driver as Ben Jelf. As Funding Partners of the UIM Youth Development Programme, we are privileged to be involved with the individuals who will drive this sport to a wider audience in the future, and there is no better example of such an individual than Ben”.
Ben says “I am totally committed to powerboat racing and am determined to one day realize my dreams and make it to the very top. I am taking the opportunity Peters &May has given me very seriously and while I cannot guarantee that I will win races, I can guarantee that I will give it my 100% best effort at every event”.
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To follow Ben and Beth’s results throughout the year, like Peters & May Racing’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peters-May-Racing/113173265413344
Company Profile
Peters & May has over 30 years experience in global boat transportation and freight forwarding via air, road, rail and sea from a global network of offices and exclusive agencies. The company ships on average 6,000 vessels each year through more than 150 ports in over 60 countries.
Peters & May is the preferred transporter for many of the leading marine manufacturers and associated businesses, including Brunswick Boat Group, Sunseeker, Viking Yachts, Correct Craft & the UIM and regularly works with Beneteau, Oyster, Lewmar, Fairline Boats, Henri Lloyd, Lagoon and many others. For more information regarding the company, please visit www.petersandmay.com
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Ben Jelf gets his season off to a flying start
at the opening round of the
2012 GT15 British National Championship !
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Ben Jelf & Tiff Needell |
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The 2012 British RYA Circuit Powerboat Championships got underway in Oulton Broad over the Bank Holiday weekend (6/7 May) with GT15 reigning World Champion Ben Jelf (11, Maidstone) off to a flying start.
Recent testing sessions had not been going to plan for the youngster but Ben and the rest of the Jelf Racing team were determined to put the pre-season gremlins behind them. With the announcement of a new major sponsor for Ben in the form of leading World Logistic Company Peters & May Racing the young racer was ready to get back on track.
The youngster showed skills beyond his years as he focussed on the job ahead of him and secured the fastest qualifying time with a 53 second lap, seconds faster than his closest rival in the six boat fleet.
With qualifying out of the way the heats got underway and Ben got his season off to a flying start taking the lead from the start and holding off the competition to take the first chequered flag of the season.
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Ben Jelf at Oulton Broad |
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Continuing his fine form Ben went on to secure two more heat wins and with it secures the first championship win of the 2012 season. Second place went to Lancashire’s Tiegen Goodfellow with Oulton Broad’s Thomas Mantripp completing the podium line up.
The youngsters were awarded their Trophies by TV presenter Tiff Needell in front of the crowds of hundreds that lined the banks of Oulton Broad on the Bank Holiday Monday.
The Championship now sees the teams head to Carr Mill Dam in St Helen’s at the end of the month as Round Two gets underway on Saturday 2nd June.
Commenting on his first win of the year Ben offered praise to his fellow competitors “Everyone raced really well this weekend and it looks like it will be a very exciting season with lots of tough races throughout the year. We’d been having problems with the engine in pre-season testing but I’ve got a great team and sponsors behind me helping every step of the way.”
He continued “When I’m racing it’s all about me, my boat and the race ahead, but there’s a lot of people helping me achieve my goals and for that I’m very grateful; I’d like to thank My Dad, the rest of my family, my sponsors, Peters & May Racing, BS Marinesport, Tohatsu UK and RaceBatteries.co.uk as well as all the officials and safety crews that look after us whilst we’re racing.”
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Ben’s battle to become British Champion begins this bank holiday weekend !
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Ben Jelf at Pre-season testing |
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Eleven year old World Powerboat Racing Champion Ben Jelf from Maidstone begins his battle to become 2012 British RYA GT15 Champion this Bank Holiday weekend (6/7 May) at the Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club National Championship Round in Oulton Broad.
Following his success in the 2011 season that saw him crowned British, World & European Champion, this weekend sees Ben bid to add his 5th consecutive British RYA Championship title to his list of successes in his short three year racing career.
2012 will see the inaugural year of the RYA British GT15 Championship to be held in the UK and with seven youngsters aged 9 – 16 signed up for the battle it looks to be one of the most exciting competitions in recent years.
Ben’s 2012 championship campaign sees him bring on board two new partners in Tohatsu Marine UK andRacingBatteries.co.uk joining him in his bid to win this British Title.
After a long winter of training Ben can’t wait to get back in the boat and out on the water; “I’m really looking forward to the race this weekend. Everybody’s looked really good in testing and training so there should be some really strong competition in the championship this year”, commented the young champion.
“Testing hasn’t been going so great recently and we’ve been having a few engine problems but with the support of the rest of team Jelf and my sponsors Tohatsu Marine UK, RacingBatteries.co.uk and BS Marinesport I’m sure we’ll resolve the issues for the best possible result this weekend.”
The championship campaign will see the British youngsters travel to five venues in the UK in their bid to become champions, visiting Suffolk, Lancashire, Cardiff, The Midlands and Bedford throughout the season.
To find out more about Powerboat Racing visit www.rya.org.uk or follow us on the RYA Powerboat Racing Facebook page www.facebook.com/ryapowerboatracing
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Easter weekend saw the first club race of the year at Stewartby and the team used this opportunity to test various different propellers and gain valuable data. The weather wasn't perfect but the boat ran well and Ben as ever did a fantastic job and finished 3rd in the event .
The next weekend for testing will be on the 28th and 29th of this month and will be the last chance to test before the British Championship for 2012 kicks off at Oulton Broad on the 6th and 7th of May.
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The start of the 2012 season is nearly upon us and the team are busy preparing themselves for an action packed season.
The fantastic news that a round of the F2 World Championships being held in the UK for the first time in a decade has given the team a real boost and the incentive to work even harder !
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Owen Jelf |
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| 2012 sees Owen Jelf with a lot of work ahead of him in trying to develop his set-up after switching to the Optimax engine mid-way through the 2011 season.
With his last 2 races resulting in disaster he is yet to settle into using the new engine and hopefully will be out testing as soon as his schedule permits.
Owen intends to race all of the F2 World & European Championship rounds and perhaps a few National Races as well.
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The new season sees changes to our youngest driver Ben Jelf's 'career path'.
After competing in 3 different classes in the 2011 season the team have decided to scale back on its commitments and concentrate efforts on the GT15 Class.
Competition is expected be even stronger this year both at National & International level so the team will again be working hard to help Ben stay competitive.
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Ben Jelf |
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Jelf Team Collect 2011 Awards
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L. Owen Jelf .C. Ben Jelf .R.Colin Jelf at the RYA Awards |
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On Saturday 4th February 2012 the Jelf Team headed to Southampton for the RYA Powerboat Racing Awards Ceremony that was held at the DeVere Grand Harbour Hotel.
With more than an armful of awards to collect, Ben had to be assisted by his Uncle Owen Jelf & his father Colin Jelf.
Cheered on by massive support from everyone attending, Ben was presented with his awards by Mr Geoff Holt MBE. A really proud moment for the team, our friends & family.
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Ben Jelf with UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli |
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Just one week later, Ben headed to Monte Carlo to attend the UIM Awards Ceromony which was held at the Salle Des Etoiles on the 11th February in Monaco.
Ben was very proud to be presented with the H.H Sheik Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan - Abu Dhabi Trophy in recognition for winning the UIM GT15 World Championship in 2011.
A total of 55 World Champions attended the prestigious event, along with various VIP's & celebrities.
Saturday 3rd March saw the team heading for the final award ceremony and attended the Stewartby Powerboat Club awards that were held in the Mercure Parkside Hotel in Milton Keynes.
A fantastic chance to celebrate the club's member acheivements, made even more special by it being the club's 40th Anniversary.
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Ben Jelf receiving his trophy from Mrs Kay Noone |
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As an extra special surprise - the Club awarded Ben with the Bougain award for the International Acheivement.
Both Ben & the whole team wish to extend their thanks to the UIM, the RYA, SWSC and all of our friends for their invaluable support.
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