Crump: Holder can win world title in Melbourne

Australian Chris Holder is "back to his 2012 form" and is capable of winning a second Speedway World Championship when the curtains are drawn on the 2015 season at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium on Saturday, October 24.

That's the opinion of Aussie speedway legend Jason Crump, who has been buoyed by Holder's renaissance, which included a brilliant second place in round four of the world title in Cardiff on July 4. Not only was Holder in booming form, but he also catapulted from 13th to sixth in the standings with eight rounds still to go.

Crump believes Cardiff's Millennium Stadium is a "real rider's track", and he wasn't surprised to see the gifted Holder burst back into title contention.
"Cardiff is not just about horsepower, so I wasn't shocked that he was battling at the front," said Crump, who was a three-time winner at the Millennium Stadium himself. "In fact, I am now seeing the Holder of 2012 more and more, and that's the year when he won the world title.

"Since then he's had a lot of injuries that have worn him down mentally and physically, but he's found his feet again and that smart approach is starting to deliver some really good results like we saw in Cardiff."

Holder was also encouraged by his sizzling performance.

“I wasn’t paying much attention to the points because I knew I was a long way off," he said. "But this has given me a better shot. It’s better to be fighting in the top half than battling at the bottom. It was a good night. I just want to make the most of it and kick on from there.

“I know I should be up here battling with these boys and on the podium. It’s good to be back up there. I definitely need to build on it now. I can’t let things slip. This has given me a bit of hope. There wasn’t much hope after the first three.

"I was thinking it was going to be a long season in the GPs, but I’ve put myself right back in there for anything."

By "keeping his head down and bum up", Crump believes the Sydney-born UK-based Holder could deliver the best possible result for a partisan home crowd at Etihad Stadium on October 24: his second world title.

"If he can reproduce that Cardiff form on a consistent basis, I can't see why he won't hit Melbourne with the world title in his reach," continued Crump. "It will certainly be hard-earnt against the likes of Tai Woffinden, Greg Hancock and Dane Niels-Kristian Iversen, but he can definitely do it — and the roof would just about be lifted off Etihad if he did!"

Holder concurs: “Woffy (Woffinden) is only human. He could go out and have a couple of shockers. Who knows? You never wish that on anyone, but we’ll see how it goes. It’s speedway and it’s a long year. We have a lot of meetings to go."

Woffinden, the 2013 world champion, leads the 2015 title by 12pts (55 to 43) over Dane Nicki Pedersen, followed by reigning world champion Hancock (39), Iversen (35), Matej Zagar (34) and Holder (31).

Holder has been racing in the world title full-time since 2010, as well as competing across the three main domestic leagues in the world: the UK, Poland and Sweden. It amounts to a brutal timetable for about seven months of the year — and then he heads home like so many of his countrymen to compete in the Australian summer, where he has been national champion nine times in the open and U21 ranks.

But Holder's vocation isn't by chance: in a grade five worksheet he listed his pastimes as "motorbike riding and soccer" and earmarked a career racing speedway bikes and becoming world champion when he left school.

He got there — Holder is now one of only five Aussie speedway world champions alongside Lionel van Praag, Bluey Wilkinson, Jack Young and Crump.

Three other Australians will compete at Etihad Stadium on October 24: championship regulars Jason Doyle and Troy Batchelor, as well as an as yet unnamed wildcard. The 16-rider field will race on a purpose-built 346-metre circuit, created from 4500 tonnes of dirt and tipped to be one of the fastest layouts on the calendar.

Speedway bikes weigh a minimum of just 77kg, run on pure methanol and have no brakes.

General admission tickets for Etihad Stadium start from $49 for adults and $24.50 for juniors (15 years and under), while there is a VIP package available which includes first-class reserved seating overlooking the start/finish line, a gourmet buffet with premium beer, wine and soft drinks, a pit walk, exclusive all night access into a premium facility, complimentary program, parking pass, and live entertainment.

To buy tickets for the world speedway round at Etihad Stadium, visit speedwaygp.com/event/speedwaygp-2015-australia.