CHRIS Holder believes he won't be ready for the Grand Prix until 2010 at the earliest.

Pirates' chiefs Neil Middleditch and Matt Ford have been publicly promoting the young gun's cause to be awarded World Championship status next year.

But the modest Aussie has played down talk he should be given one of four seeded places for 2009.

Holder, however, admitted he'd love the chance to pit his wits against the best as a one-off wild card.

It's just the 20-year-old Poole Castle Cover rider, who Ford tipped as a future world champion two years ago, genuinely doesn't believe he's ready for regularly GP racing.

Holder, who has boosted his chances of receiving a wild card this year by producing a storming debut Elite League campaign, said: "It's alright to beat a GP guy now and then, but they go up to a different level in the GPs.

"It's not easy racing regularly at that level, and I'm not interested if I do or not at the moment."

As flattered as he is by Middlo's and Ford's comments that he is ready for World Championship action, Holder added: "You need to spend a lot more time and money to be competitive in the GP and I don't think I'll be that competitive yet.

"I might win a couple of races but I don't think I can spend all that money. It's probably better to wait a couple of years and hopefully get in it then.

"If they wanted to give me a wild card I would take it. I'd snap their hand off. But to do the whole GP would be very hard because I still don't have a set up to do that."

Holder, who showed Swindon's Leigh Adams his back wheel at Poole on Wednesday, is flattered by Middlo's and Ford's comments that he is ready for GP competition.

But he's determined not to get carried away, although his long-term aim is bound to become individual world champion.

With that in mind, Holder confirmed he would defend his Australian title over three rounds this winter.

He said: "I'm definitely going back to race in the series because you have to finish in the top three to get into the GP qualifiers."

Holder, who won all five Aussie rounds last winter, said: "I don't think many people realise how hard the Aussie title can be.

"There are a lot of home track specialists who are so good around their tracks.

"Freddie Lindgren didn't make the rostrum once in the five rounds last winter. Just because people don't know some of the riders' names, it's not easy.

"It's not as hard as some championships but it's still tough."

Holder's Poole team-mate Bjarne Pedersen continues his battle for a GP top eight place at Daugavpils, Latvia, tonight.

The Dane is 15 points adrift of an automatic re-qualification spot with four rounds of this year's series to go.

  • Pirates have confirmed they will visit Ipswich in their outstanding league match on September 25.