PIRATES chief Matt Ford has revealed his determination to keep prized asset Chris Holder at Wimborne Road – for the rest of his career..

Ford is hoping to see the Australian spend his English speedway life in Dorset after seeing him achieve stardom since joining the club.

Now in his fourth season at Poole, Holder has established himself as one of the leading riders on the global stage by rising to third in the world championship standings.

The 2010 British Grand Prix winner has been one of the key men behind Pirates’ Elite League dominance this season.

At the age of just 23, there is likely to be plenty more to come from the three-times Australian national champion.

And Pirates promoter Ford wants to ensure his club can build around Holder – and the likes of Darcy Ward and Dennis Andersson – for many years to come.

Ford told the Daily Echo: “I know Chris well and he has lived with me for the past couple of months.

“He is ready to move into his new house now, which will give him something else to concentrate on.

“He is happy and I think Chris rides his best when he is happy. I can honestly say that he loves riding for Poole.

“I understand he has been on certain social networking sites, stating that he wants to stay at this club forever.

“And as long as the rules allow us to do that, I certainly intend to keep him here forever.

“To me, he is already the next Bjarne Pedersen. He has already become the person that I hoped he would and has become loyal to the club.

“We hope Darcy Ward is the next one and, perhaps, Dennis Andersson the same.

“These are the guys we have always said we wanted to build the club on – these young guys who are making a career for themselves in the sport.

“Fingers crossed, things are looking very good for the club.”

While Holder has regularly topped the Pirates scoresheets this term, fellow Australian Ward has also hit the headlines with a string of exceptional performances of his own.

Ford believes Holder has enjoyed going quietly about his business.

He added: “Chris is in exceptional form and I actually believe he is in the form of his life at the moment.

“Chris, while everyone is talking about Darcy and perhaps his future as a Grand Prix star, has quietly risen to third in the world and is in the best form of his life. It is lovely to see.”