The Bank holiday weekend saw the Peters & May Racing Team, Jelf Racing from Kent head to the second round of the Powerboat GP British Championships in Oulton Broad as they competed at the Lowestoft GP.
Heading into the weekend Ben Jelf was leading the Championship with a clean sweep of wins at the Lancashire GP earlier in the month and once again looked unstoppable. As he took to the water for qualifying Ben was looking set for another promising performance securing pole position with half a second speed on his closest rival.
The Lowestoft GP title would be decided over 3 individual heats. So from pole position in the first heat Ben set out with only one thing on his mind, another 3 wins. Remaining focussed throughout the weekend Ben dominated once more taking another 3 clean wins and the second title of the season!
Meanwhile Ben’s dad Colin had put the problems of Lancashire behind him in the F2 class and was out with a point to prove as they headed out for qualifying Colin was set on securing that top spot. Taking clean lines round the course and cornering near to perfection it was in the bag as the results came in Colin would start heat 1 in pole position.
A poor start in heat 1 saw Colin finish in 5th leaving him with lots of work to do if he was to take a podium finish but with two races to go there was still everything to play for.
Heat 2 and a better start saw Colin chasing down the front runners of Steve Hoult and Matt Palfreyman every inch of the course but as the chequered flag dropped he was forced to settle for third place.
Everything would go down to the final heat and with points so close between Colin and Alan Marshall either one of them could take the final podium place. As the red lights went out Steve Hoult got a flying start and rounding the first mark Colin was hot on his wake in second place but with youngster Matt Palfreyman breathing down his neck. The former 3 times World champion held his nerve keeping Matt in his mirrors and baring down on Hoult looking for any mistake or opportunity to pass him, and catching him with every lap. But He was forced to rely on his experience to avoid near disaster as his boat went airborne and lost vital water rectifying the situation. The race finished with Colin in second place and forced to settle for a fourth place finish missing out on the Bronze by a whisker.
Represented by two junior racers in the GT15 Class the team were focussed on the job ahead. Both Jonathan Brewer and George Elmore had put in strong performances at the Lancashire GP and now it was time to push the boats a little bit further.
Jonathan however took this to the extreme in qualifying as his pushed the boat to its limit and got caught by a gust of wind and went airborne. The youngster quickly recovered and continued on just a little damper than he’d started qualifying but managed to once more secure pole position from the reigning champion Thomas Mantripp and with team mate George Elmore securing a very strong third in qualifying just behind the two leaders things were looking positive for the Peters & May Racing Team.
The youngest member of the team George Elmore continued to race valiantly throughout the weekend and kept a cool head despite a collision during the start of heat 1. He continued to stay focussed and finished in a strong 5th place position with some great on water battles on the way, he is consistently improving and is gaining experience in every race he competes in.
Meanwhile still on a high from his second place podium finish at Lancashire and encouraged by his team mates following his pole position Jonathan went into the first heat with something to prove. He knew he had the speed, he just had to get the best start possible to keep Mantripp behind him which is exactly what he did. Leading the race from start to finish Jonathan was determined that the Powerboat GP Lowestoft GP Title was in his sights.
Faultless driving throughout all three heats and taking the chequered flag in each saw Jonathan secure his first Grand Prix Title leaving the team with 3 Pole positions and two podium top spots to celebrate.
Following the racing Team Manager Colin Jelf had this to say about the teams’ results “The team have all worked exceptionally hard this weekend and we’ve benefitted from that hard work with some great results. 3 Pole positions and a 3rd in qualifying shows we’ve got the speed. I couldn’t be prouder of Ben, Jonathan and George they’ve all raced really well this weekend and two walk away with two of the five Lowestoft GP titles up for grabs this weekend is a great result for the team!”
He continued “We now turn our attentions to the Kingsbury GP in a few weeks where we’ll be looking for a repeat performance from the team. The whole team would like to thank everyone involved with the team and the race series for their hard work and dedication and making it possible for us to do what we love and also a huge thank you to the team sponsors, Peters & May Racing, Your Print Partner & Castlemaine Accountancy for their continuing support.”