PIRATES superstar Chris Holder is firmly on course for his maiden Australian Championship, after winning a third consecutive round in Mount Gambier on Saturday.

The 20-year-old faced a titanic fight from foreign entrants Joe Screen and Freddie Lindgren at the high speed circuit in South Australia.

Holder won four of his outings comfortably.

But the European duo produced a sublime display in race 14 to relegate the Wimborne Road new boy to third place - his first one-pointer of the series.

Screen's instant love affair with the Mount Gambier shale meant he qualified for the A Final as top scorer on 14 points.

Lindgren and Holder both finished with 13, while former Pirate Troy Batchelor notched 11 to complete the line-up.

Despite the Brit's best efforts in second, Holder was too hot to handle and won the showdown at a canter.

The former Isle of Wight man is now 10 points clear at the top of the championship standings with a maximum 60 points.

His closest competition is set to come from second-placed Batchelor, who finished last in the Mount Gambier final.

Meanwhile, 2007 Poole reserve Jason Doyle did not enjoy the best of evenings.

He scored nine to reach the consolation B Final, where he came home in last place.

The Somerset man will among the front-runners for round four on Wednesday, which will be staged in his home town of Newcastle.

But another victory for Holder will all but seal the biggest title of the young gun's career.