Duarte Benavente is the 2020 UIM F2 World Champion, clinching his maiden title with a dominant pole-to-flag victory in the Grand Prix of Portugal II at Vila Velha de Ródão on Sunday, 4 October, in front of his home crowd on the banks of the River Tagus.
The season had been cut to three rounds by the COVID-19 pandemic, with racing confined to Lithuania and a decisive double-header in Portugal. What could have been a fragmented campaign produced two weekends of high-stakes racing and a worthy champion in the Atlantic Team driver.
Grand Prix of Portugal I – 1 October
Qualifying for the first Portuguese round was postponed by strong winds, but once it ran, Britain’s Owen Jelf converted his first pole in a decade into a lights-to-flag victory across 45 laps. Benavente chased hard throughout but had to settle for second, 2.128 seconds behind. Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko completed the podium. Giacomo Sacchi took fourth, while Colin Jelf, Owen’s brother, retired after 30 laps.
Sami Seliö had shown strong pace in free practice but was disqualified in qualifying for breaching course-limit regulations and scored no points. The result left Benavente well placed for the decider but without the luxury of a large buffer.
Grand Prix of Portugal II – 4 October
Sunday’s finale was Benavente’s from the moment qualifying opened. He claimed pole in both Saturday and Sunday sessions, posting a stunning 41.543-second lap in the final shoot-out. Once the 45-lap race started, he pulled away and never looked back, crossing the line 26.609 seconds ahead of Riabko to seal the championship. Riabko’s second place earned him the UIM silver medal overall. Owen Jelf finished third, ahead of Seliö, who set the fastest lap of the weekend and broke the Vila Velha de Ródão course record in the process.
2020 UIM F2 World Championship – final standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | 55 |
| 2 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania | 42 |
| 3 | Owen Jelf | Great Britain | 34 |
| 4 | Giacomo Sacchi | Monaco | 19 |
| 5 | Sami Seliö | UAE | 18 |
| 6 | Johan Österberg | Sweden | 16 |
| 7 | Uvis Slakteris | Latvia | 12 |
| 8 | Colin Jelf | Great Britain | 8 |
| 9 | Héctor Sanz | Spain | 8 |
| 10 | Nikita Lijos | Latvia | 7 |
| 11 | Bimba Sjöholm | Sweden | 7 |
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
