Holder 2.0 – Chris Ready To Make His Mark Again

His nightmare 2017 saw him finish outside of the top eight in the SGP Series and that meant that his place for 2018 was under serious threat, needing one of four wild card picks from the organisers to get a place. 

For a man who is used to fighting for medals, sweating on a place in the whole series wasn’t where he wanted to be.

He said: “It wasn’t nice to need a wild card and to rely on someone else’s decision, last year was terrible so my hopes weren’t that high but I was praying I’d get one. It was a bit of a wake up call really, I want to be back at the top and back mixing it with the top guys and to do that you’ve got to sacrifice a fair bit, so that’s what I’ve done. All the other stuff has taken a back seat and I’m just focused on this.”

The Australian has taken his preparations seriously and he appears to be healthier than he has been in years, something Chris hopes will make a difference when the season gets underway.

“Over the Winter I had a lot of time just stuck in England so I got a personal trainer that would come to the house and get me into shape and I feel good. I did it once before in 2016 and started that season well but personally everything went out the window mid-season and it all went wrong from there.

“2017 was pretty much written off before it started, I didn’t do anything and didn’t care at all. I don’t want to have a year like I did last year; I was terrible everywhere, things weren’t working and I didn’t give a s**t about it really, I was over it.

“This year is different, I’m doing the things you should be doing. Everyone is stepping it up and to run with those boys you’ve got to do something, so I’m there and working hard.

“I’m excited about racing speedway again, that’s the biggest thing. I’ve had a decent start, my bikes are good, I’m happy with them and I feel good in myself. Coming to the track I’m pumped again, I want to be there and that’s a big thing. I’m just looking ahead now.”