CHRIS Holder has confirmed he has ridden his last race for Pirates this season. But the Aussie ace has strongly indicated he hopes to be back at Wimborne Road again next year leading Poole in the Elite League.

Asked if he would be taking part in any of the Dorset club’s home and away challenge matches against Ipswich and Eastbourne this month, Holder said: “I’m not going to do them.

“I’ve got plenty on my plate with the Polish League play-off finals, so I think that’s it for me at Poole this year.

“I’ve got an under-25 international for Australia at Ipswich on October 15 and I may do an open meeting.

“I was more than happy to take a break and help Matt Ford out with looking at new riders for next year.

“The Poole fans have been brilliant to me this season and I’d like to thank them for their support.

“Even when the team wasn’t winning, they still came out and supported us.

“So my message to them is ‘thank you for that and I hope to see you again next year’ when I’m sure Poole will do much better in 2010 and be back near the top of the table.

“I have no reason to go anywhere else as long as they have an Elite League team.”

Holder, who flies back to Australia next month to spend the British winter in his homeland, added: “I don’t know what Poole’s plans are.

“I haven’t heard from Matt or Giles Hartwell, but I’ll probably talk to them in the next couple of weeks to see whether they want me and what their plans are.

“They can’t do much anyway until they draw up the league rules at the annual conference next month, but hopefully I’ll be back at Poole.

“The container for Aussie leaves Britain this week so I have to put my equipment in there.

“I’ll probably be at the Ipswich home meeting on Wednesday to support the boys. But I also hope Matt will put on a club dinner dance again this year and if he does I’ll see the Poole fans there before I go home.”

Holder, third behind champion Leigh Adams and Chris Harris in the Elite League Riders’ Championship at Coventry on Friday, said: “I was happy with my personal form for Pirates. I think I did pretty good.

“It’s just a shame we had the injuries at the start of the year. We had a few riders come and go but couldn’t get the ones needed to turn things around.

“I was probably a bit more consistent at Poole this year. I could go there every week and score good points, which pleased me.”