Taking place at the tight confines of the Carr Mill circuit where overtaking can be a as tricky as passing an opponent around a Monegasque circuit Jelf secured a second and third place from Saturday’s heats.

Sunday saw a further two heats but this time on a handicapped system. These were calculated from the qualifying times and faster race times to work out each competitors delayed start time. With just eight seconds covering the entire class Jelf would start first and Whittle last and with the advantage of clear water ahead of him Jelf made it pay going on to secure his first heat win, which was quickly followed up with a second one giving him a total point score of 1160, one hundred points ahead of Whittle who had taken two heat wins the previous day.

For the past few months Jelf has been using the new Mercury APX200 engine fitted to a Molgaard hull as Jelf Racing carry out development work before running the engine in the 2023 UIM F2 World Championship.

When he spoke to PRW he admitted that they had arrived at the circuit with no real expectation of standing on the top step of the podium.

We were just looking to see how the engine performed after making a few changes here and there. We still have a lot of work to do but are progressing well and getting some really good data. Seeing which of the range of propellers works best with the motor has surprised us because we found one that the team used some twenty years ago works really well with it.

A few of the drivers did question whether the handicap system was still relevant, but Jelf was quick to answer that, when he said that the current champion had won his title in the same circumstances last season.

Collecting second place was the current champion Whittle, who had started the weekend extremely well. He was another driver who spoke of a sense of surprise when he spoke to PRW about swapping from a BaBa hull to the Moore.

The speed at which I’ve adapted to the Moore has shocked some people but I’m not complaining. The way it gets off the start pontoon, it’s just ballistic and we have even been able to use some of my best props that we thought would only suit to BaBa, that’s proved extremely useful.

Whittle confirmed that this season he’s concentrating solely on the British Championship with a view to joining up with the UIM F2 World Championships in 2023.

Less than twenty points separated Whittle from third place Bjerknæs, who was running her stock Optimax this weekend, having destroyed her race engine in testing at Stewartby.

It certainly was a frustrating start for her as during qualifying the lift pump packed up. Her mechanics then set about making a spacer to hold the engine up, but it would mean she would start the first heat almost at the back of the grid. Then to make matters worse the engine developed some electrical issues which meant the power kept going on and off.

When she spoke to PRW she was in a philosophical mood.

Any time I spend on the water now is precious not only for me but also for the team I have around me who have reacted brilliantly to the issues we have encountered here. They have done an excellent job in problem solving so it been an enormously valuable weekend for them before we head off to the opening round of the UIM F2 World Championship.

Last place on the start grid for the first heat was scant reward for Jonny Brewer. A last-minute decision saw him enter his first ever Formula Grand Prix race and only his third proper drive in the class.

My main focus this season is Formula GP Light, but we decided to get some valuable seat time in the F2 boat and try out a couple of different propellers in qualifying.

It obviously paid off because he managed to set the fastest time with just a few minutes remaining in the session. Due to his lack of experience in the class though Brewer would have to relinquish the pole position to Whittle though.

Disaster struck him in the opening heat as towards the end his gearbox seized following a real seal failure. Thanks to Ian Blacker from the Jelf Racing Team who loaned him one of his spare gearboxes, Brewer was back on the water come Sunday morning to gain some more seat time.

Blacker meanwhile had overcome the recent mechanical gremlins and finished a credible fourth place.

The British Championship now moves to Oulton Broad, near Lowestoft in June before the final event of the season at Stewartby, Bedfordshire in September.

All images: Chris Davies/PRW

I’m really looking forward to the race at Carr Mill, lining up on the start pontoon alongside the likes of Jono Brewer, Harvey Smith, and Mike Pillow, who have all raced at international level, I must not forget that I’m the newbie here.

Duncan might be a ‘newbie’ to the class, but she certainly brings with her plenty of racing experience. Her first introduction to the sport was through the UK P1 Superstock Series, but quickly realised that she was too young to race offshore. So, when some of the drivers suggested circuit racing would be a good place to start, she enrolled in the Formula Future class. From there she progressed to the GT15 series and now has decided the time was right to start racing in the Formula Grand Prix Light category.

I feel like I’ve done as much as I can do with GT15, and I want to really challenge myself again. First impressions are I love it. It’s everything I imagined it would be but in the same way completely different to what I am used to.

Having to adapt to sitting in a cockpit with a screen to look through is obviously the first significant difference although Duncan admits that the screen so far is not an issue as all she is doing is focusing on the water ahead of her.

Wearing a full-face helmet with the tiger face mask under it is a new experience, plus having someone talking to you via the radio was of course new but it is helping as I’m being updated on how the boat is doing and who is nearby. In the monohull you are more aware of what’s going on around you, were as in the Moore hull it’s almost like being in a bubble by comparison so the radio makes an enormous difference.

I’m glad I made the jump because I’m relishing the challenge. Now I’m learning to get the feel of the Moore hull, which I know will take time but those who know me will also be aware that I can be a little bit impatient. At the end of the day the only person pushing me is myself but that’s me all over.

Duncan admits she has come a long way in her short time in the sport, having won her first title at the age of ten when she became the youngest ever Scottish Junior RiB Champion.

I never expected to be where I am now in the Formula Grand Prix Light class. It’s been weird looking back on it, but it’s also nice to think about how far I have come.

Qualifying for the Formula Grand Prix Light gets underway at 10:30.

The Jelf Racing team were back in action making the most of the early test session with Colin Jelf and Ian Blacker putting the teams Formula Grand Prix boats through their paces in the build-up to the forthcoming season.

Team Manager Colin Jelf had this to say following the session

It was great to get a test session under way and blow the winter cold webs away. Unfortunately, Ben Jelf had to work so he will need to wait for his test session in two weeks’ time. We’ve got a remarkably busy season ahead of us and all the team are working hard to make sure we get the season off to a flyer.

Having had a winter ‘make-over’ Leon Wigg’s BaBa hull was certainly turning heads in the pits thanks to its new livery.

As a team we have all been working extremely hard over the winter period and I must give a massive thank you to Phantom Marine for the professional repair they carried out to the bottom of the hull. Plus, also a big thanks to my other sponsors for their contribution, it is very appreciated

Although his main focus will be racing in the F4 class it didn’t stop Jonny Brewer getting some valuable seat time in his recently acquired Moore hull.

Since I got the boat, I’ve spent several late nights getting it ready. I have noticed there is much more to think about with the F2 compared to the F4 like remembering to turn the power steering on, something I forgot to do in the first practice session and my arms were killing after!

When I went out in the second session, this time with the power steering turned on, I felt so confident in the boat. It was running nicely down the straights; I could turn it exactly where I wanted and never felt like I wasn’t in control. One thing I noticed compared to Steve Holt’s Molgaard that I tested back in September is that the Moore carries a lot more speed through the turns.

As everyone who saw me get out of the boat at the end of the weekend, I had a huge smile on my face. It’s only testing so I’m not really thinking anything of it, but I did post the fastest time of the weekend in F2. The boat feels very fast, and my confidence was building and building after every session.

For the reigning Formula Grand Prix British Champion Sam Whittle, it turned out to be an extremely frustrating weekend. This season the UK’s CPA Scrutineers are making sure that all craft adhere to rule 9.1. in the CPA Rule Book, which states the following: ‘Steering wheel and drum must be secured and locked on the shaft, the unit must be through bolted and locked to the dash panel or steering mount bar.’ Does carrying out this modification impact on the steering integrity; some say it might but manufacturers like Molgaard have had this fitted in their boats for several seasons and now this requirement will mean all the Moore runners will need to carry out this modification before they can race in the UK.

Stewartby Powerboat and Hydroplane Racing dates this season are as follows; details as to whether testing or club racing will be confirmed nearer each meeting.

16 April – Easter Saturday – Testing.

17 April – Easter Sunday – Club Race.

14/15 May

2/3 July

13/14 August – CPA Sprint Championship

17/18 September – CPA National Championship

8/9 October

Photos: Fred Emeny

The JLB Racing team had been looking for a suitable hull for Jonny to progress from Formula 4 to F2 with and opted for this 2009 version, a similar one to that used by Matt Palfreyman when he finished second at the UIM F2 Grand Prix of Norway back in 2015.

Brewer spoke to PRW on his way back to the UK.

I’m really looking forward to testing this Moore hull out. We’ve got it as part of my development programme. Last September Steve Hoult gave me the opportunity of driving his Molgaard F2 at Stewartby and I found that with its powered steering it was easier to drive than my F4. Yes, the speed difference was a bigger jump than I had expected as those turn marks come up to you a lot quicker but once you’ve rounded them it’s so much easier to punch it out of the turns.

Brewer though grateful as he was to Hoult is not about to switch classes as he still plans to concentrate this coming season on retaining his British Championship title which he won for the first-time last year.

I’ve been so close in the past but to stand on that top spot of the podium was what I’ve been racing years to achieve and to manage it amongst some strong racers meant even more to me.

Brewer is also planning on racing in the UIM F4 World Championship at rounds taking place in Italy, Lithuania and hopefully Macon in France. There is also a chance that we could see him compete at the 24h Motonautics of Rouen.

He’s also not finished with setting speeds records. Following the 49th Coniston Powerboat Records week, where he walked away with three British Records, a World Record, and a silver K7 star, he could be heading back to the Lakes in November.

To claim a World and British record of 80.00mph in the F4 class was special to me. Jason, my father also has a World and British record in another class so it’s nice that we can both hold records at the same time. Being awarded the K7 Silver Star was an honour as it’s presented by Donald Campbell’s K7 Club.

2022 Circuit Powerboat Association British Championship

28/29 May                         Carr Mill Dam                    Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club

23/24 July                          Oulton Broad                    Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club

17/18 September             Stewartby Lake                 Stewartby Powerboat & Hydroplane Racing Club

2022 CPA British Sprint Championship

13/14 August                    Stewartby Lake                 Stewartby Powerboat & Hydroplane Racing Club

Coniston Powerboat Records Week

01/05 November              Coniston                             Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club