YOUNG gun Chris Holder has stressed it's a "shame" he won't be lining up as a Pirates team-mate of Jason Crump this season.

But the 20-year-old Australian fully understands that the vagaries of the team building limit have made it impossible.

At the same time, the newlycrowned Aussie champion has also admitted he is looking forward to linking up with Poole Castle Cover captain Bjarne Pedersen.

And he also wants to forge a "very good friendship" with fellow Pirates heat leader Davey Watt in 2008.

Holder had publicly stated he was keen to line up in the same team as Crump, the two-times world champion, when he signed for Poole Castle Cover before the end of last season.

Crump's hopes of a second successive term at Wimborne Road floundered, however, when the team building limit was then slashed from 42.50 to 38.85 at the promoters' annual conference.

So Crump, with a 10.30 figure, has gone on loan to his former club Belle Vue, while Holder switches from second tier Isle of Wight to Pirates.

Holder, who learnt a lot from his compatriot while they rode together at Wroclaw in the Polish League last year, said: "It's a shame Jason isn't at Poole this year.

"He is a great rider and is very enthusiastic and helpful to his team-mates in the pits.

"I had a good year in Poland with him last season and was looking forward to racing with him again this year, but then the points thing went down, and there is nothing you can do about it.

"I've changed team in Poland. I've gone to Torun, while I think Jason is still at Wroclaw.

"But, hopefully, next year he will be back at Poole."

Holder, speaking exclusively to the Echo from his home in Appin, about an hour's drive from Sydney, admitted he hadn't had time to look at the composition of Pirates' rivals for the Elite League title.

"I'll just have to see who's riding where when I get back to England next month," said Holder, who has been concentrating on his riding commitments in Australia over the past three months.

He is aware, however, that Poole's all-foreign starting line up is Pedersen, Watt, himself, Karol Zabik, Adam Skornicki, Zbigniew Suchecki and Freddie Eriksson.

"It looks as though we have good strength in depth," said Holder, who will be making his Elite League bow this year despite already having just completed his debut Polish ExtraLeague campaign last term.

Asked if Pirates could seriously challenge for honours, Holder replied: "Yes, I can't see why not.

"Bjarne is a Grand Prix rider, Davey is pretty much a GP rider and he is pretty good round Poole.

"He had a good season at Eastbourne last year and he can do it again for us this year.

"Karol Zabik is a great rider, a former world under-21 champion who knows what he is doing.

"The rest of us are all pretty good riders, so I'm looking forward to the season starting because it looks like we can score all the way down the team."

More often than not with Pirates, a special comradeship builds up between team-mates from the same country while riding for the side.

In particular, Poole has a renowned reputation for putting Aussies together and seeing them impress for the club and on an individual basis.

So it will be a major surprise if Watt and Holder don't bring the best out of each other while wearing the skull and crossbones race jacket.

Holder, who has spent two years in the Premier League, admits he barely knows Watt, the 30-year-old Queenslander who lives in Poole and has just completed a third successive top flight campaign over here.

The younger Aussie said: "I probably got to know Davey more last year when we both rode for Australia in the World Team Cup, and we raced against each other in Poland a few times.

"I know him a little. We got on very well and I hope we shall be very good friends by the end of this year."