Speedway: Ward to shadow Holder on GP circuit (From Bournemouth Echo)

Speedway: Ward to shadow Holder on GP circuit

7:00am Friday 5th March 2010 in

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DARCY Ward has revealed he will shadow fellow Aussie ace Chris Holder around the Grand Prix circuit this year.

Pirates’ new boy, the reigning world under-21 champion, is tipped by many pundits to go on and claim the senior crown.

But still two months shy of his 18th birthday, Poole Castle Cover’s £28,000-plus club record signing feels he must do his apprenticeship first at the very top level.

That means following his good friend Holder around the World Championship scene first hand and soaking up as much information as he can from his Pirates team-mate.

Holder, himself, is making his eagerly awaited debut in the GP series, which kicks-off at Leszno in Poland on April 24.

Great things are expected from the slightly older Aussie, who at 22 is like a big brother to Ward.

Holder renews his intriguing rivalry with Russian sensation Emil Sayfutdinov, last year’s third-placed podium GP finisher, who has pegged Poole’s top man back into runners-up spot twice in world under-21 finals.

Ward, speaking to the Echo from his Brisbane home, said: “I think Chris will do pretty well in the GP.

“He just has to do what we know Chris can do.

“Chris is pretty good everywhere he rides, so I think he’ll do all right.

“He will live up to his name.”

Ward, due back in Britain in time for Poole’s press and practice on March 22 after spending the winter racing Down Under, added: “I’ll be at every GP with Chris helping him out.

“That’s where I want to be in the next year or two, so I can learn from it, gaining the experience of being in the pits at all the tracks on race nights and during practice.”

Former King’s Lynn rider Ward, who topped the Premier League averages last year with a stunning 9.11 figure in his debut second-tier season, said: “I’m great mates with Chris.

“He knows how I ride and I know how he rides, so hopefully we can get some 5-1s for Poole.”