Ben Jelf saw his racing dreams come true with a seventh-placed finish in the F1H2O World Championship for the F1 Atlantic team.

Maidstone’s Jelf jumped at the opportunity to compete and follow in the footsteps of legendary British Powerboat racers in the Grand Prix of Sharjah and Grand Prix of the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates.

The 22-year-old joined Portugal’s Duarte Benavente as the second racer in the team as they aimed to end the season on a high.

As the boats lined-up for the first Grand Prix race, Jelf was 10th and got a blistering start.

He backed off following a coming-together with a boat on the inside, though, to complete the team’s goal and finish his first F1 race safely.

He lost power steering at lap 18, securing a 14th-placed finish despite the loss of a propeller blade in the race as well.

The team realised they still had a lot of work to do before the Grand Prix of the Middle East and were soon back at work.

Starting from 14th, Jelf quickly got to grips with the boat and the conditions. And in a race that saw the three championship leaders all push their boats to the limit - with two crashing out and the other forced to retire - Jelf took the chequered flag in seventh, putting all-important championship points on the table.

Jelf said: “There’s so many people to thank. I’m scared I’ll forget someone!

“Having this opportunity was absolutely fantastic and I can’t quite believe I’ve done it and to secure a top-10 finish is beyond all expectations.

“I have to thank the F1 Atlantic team and Duarte for giving me this opportunity but, also, my crew and team for all their hard work and belief in me to get me on the water.

“The biggest thanks is to mum and dad for their unwavering support and in helping me achieve my dreams!

“Also, I have had a huge number of support and messages from all over the world and it really means the world to me! We now turn our attention to the 2023 season.”

Team manager Colin Jelf - Ben’s dad - said: “We are all immensely proud of him and, for him to secure a seventh-place finish at his first event, we couldn’t have asked for any more.

“He learns something every race and pushes himself to be the best he can so we will see what comes next.”

Jelf will head with The F1 Atlantic team to Indonesia in February for the opening round of the 2023 F1H2O World Championships before the start of the F2 British and World Championship seasons.