PIRATES chief Matt Ford believes in-form Chris Holder is worth a wager ahead of this year’s world championship.

The 2011 Grand Prix series gets under way on April 30 with the European round in Leszno, before moving on to Gothenburg for the Swedish GP on May 14.

Holder took last year’s series by storm, finishing eighth and winning the showcase British GP in front of a huge crowd at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

And Ford, whose side face Belle Vue in the Elite League at Wimborne Road tonight (7.30pm), reckons Holder could be a genuine contender to steal Tomasz Gollob’s crown this summer.

Ford told the Echo: “If you were looking at an outside bet for the Grand Prix, you’d be silly to ignore Chris. His form at the moment is exceptional.

“He went to Poland last weekend and broke the track record and I think his attitude this season has been exemplary.

“What happened in Cardiff last season must have played a massive part in his form this year.

“He knows he can beat the other guys now and this extra dedication he is showing is making him more consistent in notching victories against the top riders.

“He knows if he puts the time and effort in and gets a bit more sleep at night, he can achieve so much. He’s almost taking a leaf out of Bjarne Pedersen’s book. When the meeting ends, he goes home and gets into bed for an extra hour or two’s sleep and it’s really making a difference.”

Aussie Darcy Ward could return from injury for tonight’s clash against the Aces, after coming through practice sessions at Newport and Rye House over the weekend.

The reigning world under-21 champion sustained wrist and shoulder injuries in a motocross accident last month, with Poole Castle Cover using rider replacement to cover for his absence in away wins over Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Team boss Neil Middleditch said: “We will have to assess Darcy’s full fitness and the signs are promising but nice as it would be to have a full seven-man team back on track, it is important that he is 100 per cent happy with everything before he comes back.

“If it means extending the use of rider replacement then we will and it is good that we have the resources to cover it.”

• Pirates have called up Dakota North for Saturday’s Elite League visit to Eastbourne, with both Dennis Andersson and Jason Doyle unavailable.

Back-up man Gary Havelock is also unavailable due to commitments with Premier League side Redcar, so North steps in as cover.

Pirates: Chris Holder, Davey Watt, Darcy Ward, Jason Doyle, Renat Gafurov, Dennis Andersson, Christian Hefenbrock.

Belle Vue: Chris Harris, Rory Schlein, Patrick Hougaard, Charlie Gjedde, Ricky Kling, Craig Cook, Tomasz Piszcz.