Chris Holder

Chris Holder
Personal information
Nationality	Australia
Date of birth	(1987-09-24) 24 September 1987
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales
Nickname	Noddy
Website	www.chrisholderracing.com
Current club information
Polish league	KS Toruń
Swedish league	Piraterna Motala
Career history
Great Britain Isle of Wight Islanders Poole Pirates Poland WTS Wrocław KS Toruń Sweden Piraterna	2006-2007 2008-2013 2007 2008- 2007-
Individual honours
Australian Champion Australian Under-21 Champion Australian Longtrack Champion NSW State Champion WA State Champion World Speedway Champion	2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 2005 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 2008 2012
Team honours
Polish Ekstraliga Champion Elite League Champion Elite League Pairs Champion Swedish Elitserien Champion Premier League Pairs Winner Premier League Fours Champion Swedish Allsvenskan Champion	2008 2008,2011 2009 2008,2009 2007 2007 2007

Chris Holder (born 24 September 1987 in Sydney, New South Wales)^[1] is an Australian speedway rider currently riding for Piraterna Motala in the Swedish Elitserien and for Unibax Toruń in the Polish Speedway Ekstraliga. He became the Australian Individual Speedway Champion in 2008 and followed up with wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 (he was runner up in 2009) as well as winning the Australian Under-21 Championship in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. He finished as runner-up in the Under-21 World Championship in 2007 and 2008. He is 2012 World Speedway Champion. His brother, James, also rode in the UK with the Plymouth Devils in the Premier League.

Career

Chris Holder started racing in the UK with the Isle of Wight Islanders in 2006. In 2007 he rode for Atlas Wrocław in the Polish Speedway Ekstraliga. Holder won the Swedish Allsvenskan in 2007 and the Elitserien in 2008 and 2009 with Lejonen. In 2008, Holder signed for KS Toruń in Polish Ekstraliga and won the league championship.

In October 2007, the Poole Pirates announced that Holder would ride for them in 2008 in the Elite League.^[2] Holder won the Elite League Championship, and became a league winner with all three of his domestic teams in 2008.

Holder finished second in the 2007 Junior World Championship and was also selected to ride in the Australian team for the 2007 Speedway World Cup, finishing in 3rd place. Holder again represented Australian in the 2008 Speedway World Cup.

Holder won the Australian Championship in 2008, winning all five rounds with a record maximum 100 points.^[3] He has won the Australian Under 21 Championship for four consecutive years (2005–2008), equalling a record set by Leigh Adams.^[4] In October 2008, Holder finished runner-up in the Junior World Championship for the second year in succession to Emil Saifutdinov.

After Lejonen Gislaveds relegation from Swedish Elite League Chris has changed club to Swedish champions Piraterna Motala.

Chris Holder is the reigning Australian Individual Speedway Champion having won his 5th title held over three rounds in January 2014. He won the title in his comeback from injuries suffered during the 2013 Speedway Grand Prix series.

In 2010 and 2012, Holder won the British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

On 7 October 2012 Holder became world speedway champion.

World final appearances

Speedway World Cup

• 2007 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium - 3rd - 29pts (3)
• 2008 - Vojens, Melbourne Speedway Center - 4th - 21pts (4)
• 2011 - Gorzów Wielkopolski, Edward Jancarz Stadium - 2nd - 45pts (15)

Individual U-21 World Championship

• 2006 - Terenzano - 12th - 5pts
• 2007 - Ostrów Wielkopolski, Stadion Miejski - 2nd - 14pts
• 2008 - Pardubice - 2nd - 12pts + 3pts

U-21 Speedway World Cup

• 2008 - Holsted - 4th - 16pts

References

External links

• Official website

2011 Speedway Grand Prix riders
1	Gollob	2	Hampel	3	Crump	4	Holta	5	Hancock
6	Harris	7	Bjerre	8	Holder	9	Jonsson	10	Pedersen
11	Lindgren	12	Sayfutdinov	13	Laguta	14	Lindbäck	15	Kołodziej

v t e Speedway World Champions 1936 - L. Van Praag 1937 - J Milne 1938 - B. Wilkinson 1949 - T. Price 1950 - F. Williams 1951 - J. Young 1952 - J. Young 1953 - F. Williams 1954 - R. Moore 1955 - P. Craven 1956 - O. Fundin 1957 - B. Briggs 1958 - B. Briggs 1959 - R. Moore 1960 - O. Fundin 1961 - O. Fundin 1962 - P. Craven 1963 - O. Fundin 1964 - B. Briggs 1965 - B. Knutsson 1966 - B. Briggs 1967 - O. Fundin 1968 - I. Mauger 1969 - I. Mauger 1970 - I. Mauger 1971 - O. Olsen 1972 - I. Mauger 1973 - J. Szczakiel 1974 - A. Michanek 1975 - O. Olsen 1976 - P. Collins 1977 - I. Mauger 1978 - O. Olsen 1979 - I. Mauger 1980 - M. Lee 1981 - B. Penhall 1982 - B. Penhall 1983 - E. Müller 1984 - E. Gundersen 1985 - E. Gundersen 1986 - H. Nielsen 1987 - H. Nielsen 1988 - E. Gundersen 1989 - H. Nielsen 1990 - P. Jonsson 1991 - J. Pedersen 1992 - G. Havelock 1993 - S. Ermolenko 1994 - T. Rickardsson 1995 - H. Nielsen 1996 - B. Hamill 1997 - G. Hancock 1998 - T. Rickardsson 1999 - T. Rickardsson 2000 - M. Loram 2001 - T. Rickardsson 2002 - T. Rickardsson 2003 - N. Pedersen 2004 - J. Crump 2005 - T. Rickardsson 2006 - J. Crump 2007 - N. Pedersen 2008 - N. Pedersen 2009 - J. Crump 2010 - T. Gollob 2011 - G. Hancock 2012 - C. Holder 2013 - T. Woffinden