AN EARLY start and a trip to the airport were probably not the celebrations birthday boy Chris Holder would have wished for after blasting to second in the Stockholm Grand Prix.

But the Sydney-born charger might soon be revelling in double success if he can help Pirates complete the job in tonight’s play-off semi-final clash with Wolverhampton.

On Saturday, his 29th birthday, Holder racked up 13 points in the Swedish capital to boost his chances of a world championship medal with two rounds remaining.

But commitments in Poland yesterday meant Holder’s celebrations were muted, the Ringwood-based flier also keen to ensure he remained in prime shape for the subsequent trip to Monmore Green (7.30pm).

Holder told the Daily Echo: “Grands Prix are tough meetings to be involved in but it was good. I had a rough start to the meeting but didn’t panic and made a few changes, which seemed to work.

“I managed to get into the semis and then the final, and I didn’t have a bad run in the final so it was a good night.

“I got a few points and that was the main thing.

“We had the Polish play-offs to come so, unfortunately, we couldn’t really do too much afterwards.

“I was up first thing in the morning to fly to Berlin so we could get across to Poland. That was about as exciting as it got!”

Pirates have a 12-point lead heading into the second leg at Wolves and Holder believes it is key to stop the hosts from gaining momentum.

He said: “Twelve points is a really good lead to take anywhere.

“Wolves are one of the top teams in the league. They have a good team this year and are really dominant at home. We’re going to have to be on our game to make sure we don’t let that lead slip.

“Wednesday’s meeting was pretty much perfect for us, there wasn’t really much more we could do and, hopefully, tomorrow we can finish what we started.

“We want to try and ensure they don’t get on too much of a roll. When a team gets a bit of momentum after a few good races, it’s really hard to stop.

“Hopefully, we can go there win some races and avoid finishing last so we can make sure the heats are at least level.”

Holder has a decorated history at Wimborne Road and is desperate to add to it.

He added: “Ever since I’ve been involved at Poole, I’ve been involved in a lot of finals and we’ve had a pretty unbelievable run.

“There was only one year when things didn’t go to plan. Every other year we’ve been in the final and it’s been amazing.

“We’re close now and we’re confident we can get through. Only half the job is done at the moment but we will go there and, hopefully, do enough.

“Then in the play-off final, if we get there, it will step up another level."