Maidstone’s Ben Jelf returns to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates for the final round of the 2024 F1H2O World Championship this weekend - two years on from his debut race in the championship.

F1 Atlantic racer Jelf will go in search of vital points as the 24-year-old, currently ninth in the standings, looks for his best championship finish to date.

He proved his pace last time out in Zhengzhou, China, and was sitting among the frontrunners in the sprint race when his engine blew up.

In the Grand Prix, due to an engine change, he found himself 16th on the grid and at the back of the pack for the gruelling 32-lap race but fought hard for a seventh-place finish.

“I can’t wait to get back in the boat and fight for positions as the season ends in Sharjah,” said Jelf.

“It was the first place I got to show my skill in the pinnacle of our sport so Sharjah will always be a special race venue for me.

“The last couple of races have been extremely rough conditions, so we’ve had rolling starts, which always favour the boats at the front and it’s hard to make up positions early on.

“I’m looking forward to a dead engine pontoon start and hopefully with a good qualifying position I can make up some positions and reward the team with a strong finish to the season.”