PIRATES charger Chris Holder bowed out of the Swedish Grand Prix at the semi-final stage after team-mate Maciej Janowski had fallen short of a last-eight spot.

Holder totalled 10 points in Malilla but was forced wide in the first semi and was unable to recover.

Latvian GP champion Janowski narrowly missed out on progress beyond his five scheduled rides after being relegated to fourth by mentor Greg Hancock in his last qualifying race.

It was Nicki Pedersen that kept his cool to triumph, the Dackarna ace holding off the challenge of British star Tai Woffinden to take the honours on his home track.

Despite torrential rain prior to the event and a delayed start, organisers managed to put on a raceable track at the G&B Arena.

Holder got off to a flier with a gate-and-go victory in heat one, the Aussie blasting out off the inside to see off Cardiff nemesis Niels-Kristian Iversen and Woffinden.

Leicester captain Jason Doyle capitalised on Troy Batchelor’s error before Janowski gated in heat three, only to be undone by a spectacular move from Matej Zagar.

The first turn was chopping up rapidly but it did not appear to affect wild card Antonio Lindback unduly as the Rio Rocket held off Pedersen in style.

After the first track grading, Holder once again showed terrific speed and his dive up the inside of Peter Kildemand earned him a second win from as many starts.

Janowski won a scintillating battle with Lindback to make it five points from two rides and then reigning world champion Hancock banked his first victory.

Woffinden increased to nine points his standings lead as he defeated rival Pedersen in heat eight courtesy of a jet-propelled start from gate one.

And the winning run of Holder was finally ended next, the Aussie having to be content with a point after nipping beyond an off-colour Krzysztof Kasprzak.

Hancock showed plenty of guile to pass Zagar and then Doyle won a second race, before a Peter Kildemand spill resulted in a re-run heat 12.

That did not work out for Janowski as his second place in the initial contest became a third in the second staging.

Holder then played his part in a sensational heat 13 with the Poole number one roaring from last to first on turn two before being forced back to third by Lindback and Zagar.

Despite his earlier struggles, Britain’s Chris Harris edged out Kildemand before Janowski battled past Batchelor and then Iversen to secure two more points.

Woffinden found a route beyond Michael Jepsen Jensen for his third straight win before heat 17 gave spectators a line-up of Pirates riders past and present.

The in-form Holder forced his way past Hancock on turn four but could not quite get past Doyle, while Janowski lost a lively and crucial battle with Hancock for third.

Zagar was in cruise control next and Woffinden’s second-bend blast sent the 2013 champion into the semi-finals on a high.

That was where Holder’s meeting ended with the Sydneysider unable to find a way round his rivals, Pedersen taking the win from the gate while Woffinden overcame Iversen.

And Lindback ensured his place in the last four with a sweeping wide move, Zagar finishing just behind to book his first final of 2015.

Pedersen repeated his fast-starting exploits in the final and although Woffinden came close to a superb recovery, the Dane took the chequered flag, with Lindback third and Zagar fourth.

Round results: 1 Chris Holder (3-3-1-1-2-0) 10, 2 Chris Harris (0-0-1-3-1) 5, 3 Niels-Kristian Iversen (2-2-2-1-2-1) 10, 4 Tai Woffinden (1-3-3-3-3-2-2) 17, 5 Troy Batchelor (1-0-0-0-1) 2, 6 Michael Jepsen Jensen (0-1-3-2-1) 7, 7 Andreas Jonsson (2-1-2-0-r) 5, 8 Jason Doyle (3-0-3-2-3-0) 11, 9 Tomas H Jonasson (1-1-1-1-3) 7, 10 Maciej Janowski (2-3-1-2-0) 8, 11 Krzysztof Kasprzak (r-0-r-0-0) 0, 12 Matej Zagar (3-1-2-2-3-2-0) 13, 13 Peter Kildemand (0-2-fx-1-0) 3, 14 Antonio Lindback (3-2-0-3-2-3-1) 14, 15 Greg Hancock (1-3-3-0-1-1) 9, 16 Nicki Pedersen (2-2-2-3-2-3-3) 17, 17 Linus Sundstrom (DNR), 18 Peter Ljung (DNR).