Kent powerboat racer Ben Jelf is set to launch his 2026 campaign this weekend as he heads to Stewartby Powerboat Racing Club in Bedford for the opening round of the British Masters Championship.

The 25-year-old from Maidstone will line up in the F2 catamaran class, taking on some of Britain’s top powerboat racers as the new domestic series gets underway.

The Stewartby Powerboat Racing British Masters will feature competitors from across the country, all aiming to build momentum toward the season title. The championship will be contested over four rounds in 2026:

• Round 1: 5 April 2026
• Round 2: 2 August 2026
• Round 3: 26–27 September 2026
• Round 4: 17–18 October 2026

A New Three-Part Racing Format

The British Masters format includes seven different classes competing across three distinct competitions, creating multiple opportunities for drivers to deliver strong results during the season.

The first element is the British Masters Championship, which includes one qualifying session and four heats per day. The heats are run back-to-back, with reverse grids for heats two and four.

The second element is the British Masters Match Race Championship, featuring head-to-head elimination races over two laps, using both short and long courses.

The third element is the British Masters Lap Record Championship, where competitors score points based on their fastest laps achieved during racing conditions.

According to the press release, the new series is designed to test all-around ability, combining endurance-style heat racing, the intensity of match-race duels, and the outright speed challenge of the lap record format.

Jelf said he is ready to get the season started.

“The British Masters is set to be an awesome new competition, and I can’t wait to kick my season off on home water at Stewartby. We’ve put in a lot of work over the winter, and I’m feeling ready. The format means you have to be sharp in every session — qualifying, heats, match races, everything. I’m going out there to fight for wins and start the season strong.”

The weekend is also expected to deliver plenty of action for spectators, with back-to-back heats, rapid turnarounds, and the added challenge of reverse-grid racing. The match-race section is expected to add further drama, with close head-to-head battles likely throughout the event.

The season begins with testing and training on Saturday, before the racing program gets underway on Sunday.

Maidstone’s Ben Jelf yesterday travelled to Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club to compete in the 2025 Club Powerboat Championship opening round.

With the opportunity to put his Formula 1 DAC Powerboat through its paces ahead of the opening round in Indonesia in August, Ben and team jumped at the chance for some vital testing and race time.

 

A club steeped in history; Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Clubs outright lap record was set in 1984 by Tom Percival in his Formula 1 Hull with a 3.5ltr Engine. A testament to the achievement and speed set in 1984 years ago Percival’s 27.78 seconds lap record has remained untouched for over four decades, although a few have come close.

 

2023 saw Jelf take his Formula 1 outfit to Oulton Broad for a few test sessions where it became apparent that he was within grabbing distance of the record when he set a lap time of 27.94seconds.

 

With the rare opportunity for the boat to return to the UK with the delayed start to the F1H2O World Championship. The F1 Atlantic Team Driver and team grabbed the opportunity to perform maintenance and upgrades on the boat over the last couple of weeks.

 

With work completed and the looming schedule of shipping the boat to the opening round of the championship in Lake Toba, Indonesia in August. The team made the decision to put the Boat and Ben through their paces at the Club event last night and over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

 

Jelf was happy to get back in the driving seat and as crowds gathered to see the F1H2O driver in action, apprehensions were high. As he skimmed round the course the air was filled with the roar of his 2.5Ltr Mercury Engine and spectators held their breath to see if he could match Tom Percival’s 40-year-old record.

 

Ben soon got to grips with his boat and it was soon apparent that the 24-year-old was not missing a beat despite not having driven his boat in six months. As the lap times started to fall by lap eight, he was a fraction of a second off the Outright Lap record. Lap ten and he was gaining speed and had matched his own lap record from two years ago and there was still more to come.

 

Two laps later and the boat was handling perfectly and as Commentator Jason Mantripp read out the latest lap time a cheer went up in Nicholas Everitt Park as spectators and race fans alike heard the magic 27.46 seconds and after 40 years the record was broken.

 

Jelf headed out for heat two for the sports boat class and once more quickly got down to business and once more the times began to fall. Lap six of the fifteen lap race saw Jelf put in a sensational lap that would set the benchmark for future powerboat racers to strive to achieve as he set a new Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club Outright Record at 27.14seconds.

 

On setting the new record an emotional Jelf had this to say

“Tom Percival was a fantastic powerboat racer; he is one of the legends of the sport I have grown up hearing stories of over the years. His record was a phenomenal achievement over 40 years ago and is testament to his skill and calibre of Powerboat Racer. Technology moves on and records exist to be broken. Tom’s Engine was 3.5ltr whereas mine is only 2.5ltr our boats are quite different and conditions and racing nowadays is a completely different ball game.”

He continued

“I have the utmost respect for Tom and his record. The fact that nobody has been able to beat it in 40 years says it all. I am over the moon to have been able to achieve the record, and I can tell you it was not easy at all. Lots of my laps were coming in near but I had to push myself to get it. It is a great feeling knowing you are the fastest person to have raced at such a historic racing venue and club, and it was great to reward my family, team, sponsors and all our supporters with the record. I would like to thank the LOBMBC Club, their officials, volunteers, my fellow racers and everyone that came down tonight to watch and support me.”

 

Ben will be back in action over the Bank Holiday Weekend with more racing scheduled for Sunday and Monday at Oulton Broad and who knows if conditions are perfect and allow, he could take the record below 27 seconds.

The much-anticipated UIM F4 European Championship round scheduled for May 1–4 in Augustow, Poland, has been officially cancelled. A disappointing blow to the international powerboat racing community, the event was expected to feature an impressive lineup of over 25 boats from across Europe—stretching from Italy in the south to Finland and Latvia in the north.

The stage was set for a spectacular season opener. Finnish drivers, long regarded as podium regulars in F4, were joined by rising talents like Latvia’s Slakteris and Norwegian rookie Martinsen. French veteran Jean-Baptiste Thomas was also tipped as a strong contender for the top step of the podium.

But excitement turned to frustration when organizers, citing financial issues, announced the late cancellation. For many teams, it was too late to recoup costs.

UIM F4 Race Director Jeni Jelf expressed deep disappointment, acknowledging the significant logistical and financial preparations made by the 25 participating teams.