WHANGAREI'S Denis Crene has joined the national Parker ENZED Jetsprint series as a beginner this season and after a great start is in line to win the Jetpro NZ Lites Development category.
Crene and his wife Jo, who navigates for the team, live in Glenbervie. They purchased a boat and began
racing with few expectations this season.
The pair made an instant impression finishing fourth in their first drive - out of a field of more than a dozen teams - running in the development category at the competition's first round in Wanganui.
At the second round, they went one better to take third place overall, then at round three in Auckland, they achieved an outstanding second place.
At that point they took over the outright lead in the national championship race.
Another two third places in the fourth and fifth rounds sees them handily placed going into the final round of the series in Featherston, next Saturday.
The Crenes go into the final round in second place just two points behind leader Sam Newdick.
Barring disaster at the final round, the title will go to either Newdick or the Crenes and a podium result for the championship is all but assured for Denis and Jo.
The couple have been thrown in the "deep end" as far as the competition has been concerned.
Their biggest incident to date was when Denis and Jo misjudged a turn during qualifying in the fourth round in Hawke's Bay - they rolled and took a dunking with it.
The couple bravely went back out to race after their roll, and took third place that day.
