Jelf, Carella in quest for powerboating glory

Dubai: The waters of Fujairah will be the final arena for the battle between Colin Jelf from the United Kingdom and Alex Carella from Italy as they power their boats to the finish line in their quest for this year's UIM F2 World Champion title.

The third and fourth rounds of the UIM F2 World Championship and the Continental Cup will be held at the Fujairah International Marine Club from December 13 to 18, when reigning world champion Jelf, a three-time world title winner, defends his title against Carella who won the first round in Bahrain.

Jelf and Carella both have secured 20 points each after winning the rounds in Bahrain and Port Galib, Egypt. This gives them the lead against 18 other teams competing for the third and final rounds. Carella, who won the title during the first round held in Amwaj Islands, Bahrain, clocked a speed record of 00:34:02:69 while Jelf who grabbed the title during the second round in Port Galib, Egypt, finished with a speed record of 00:47:59:17.

Jelf, who is the only driver to win the F2 world title three times, is looking forward to clinch his fourth title this year. He won last year's crown in Sabah at Kota Kinabalu waterfront Malaysia against Carella who placed second.

The upcoming rounds will also witness fierce competition from the UAE team who are racing at home for the UAE population. Malek Al Malek, the UAE racer who did not have enough luck in the first two rounds to secure points, is set to give a tough challenge to both champions and other competitors as well.

After the two rounds, the team standing showed the Netherlands team in third place with 19 points, the Latvian team in fourth place with 18 points and the Swedish Jansson Formula Racing team and Swedish Getel racing team in fifth and sixth places with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

"The winner of the third and the final rounds is still anybody's guess. With Carella and Jelf having equal points, they both need to race against each other and the rest of the teams to gather solid points in order to steal the final grand prix of the F2 World Championship," according to Abdul Salam Fairooz, Managing Director of Formula World Sports and organiser and promoter of the UIM F2 World and Continental Powerboat Championship 2009.