Powerboat racer Ben Jelf battled to eighth place in round four of the F1H2O World Championship in China.

Jelf, from Maidstone, said the weather conditions in Shanghai last weekend were “by far the worst I’ve ever raced in”.

“The water is unreadable and the wind made it very difficult to compete in,” he added.

The series returned to Shanghai after a 20-year absence, with Jelf competing for the F1 Atlantic Team.

A typhoon warning meant Saturday’s qualifying was reduced to one session from three and saw Jelf take seventh on the grid for the Grand Prix of Shanghai China.

With no break in the weather, Sunday’s start time was brought forward to 9am but with visibility worsening, the race was red-flagged on safety grounds on lap 11 of 32.

Jelf, who jarred his back after hitting a wave and landing with a thud on the second lap, was classified eighth.

He said: “I’m happy to secure some more championship points but, more importantly, I’m happy to have brought the boat home in one piece.

“Our next race is in less than two weeks, in Zhengzhou, China, so it was important that the boat doesn’t need any repairs so we can be back out and fighting for more places in the penultimate round of racing.”

The Zhengzhou meeting takes place on October 17-19, with the championship concluding in Sharjah, UAE, from December 6-8.