SHEFFIELD No.1 Jack Holder admitted it was a “massive monkey” off his back after winning his first Grand Prix victory at Saturday’s season opener in Croatia.
Holder led the score chart this year after the qualifiers and rode well in both the semi-final and final at the Donji Kraljevec venue.
After being denied in a re-started final at Warsaw last year, the Australian rider was pleased with the result.
He said: “I’ve been wanting this one for so long, but it definitely wasn’t easy.
“It was a pretty technical track out there, there were a few big, big holes, but I was just trapping for fun and got to that chequered flag first.”
The result makes the Holder brothers, Jack and Chris, the first sibling duo in Grand Prix history to both top the podium.
Ipswich star, Jason Doyle, recovered from a crash early in the meeting to take second place ahead of Fredrik Lindgren, leaving defending World Champion, Bartosz Zmarzlik, in fourth.
Robert Lambert was the highest placed Great Britain rider as he won three of his first four races but missed out in the first semi-final.
Dan Bewley and Tai Woffinden failed to make the top eight.
Holder will receive a welcome back at Owlerton Stadium when Sheffield Tigers host Oxford Spires in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership this Thursday.
Words by Freya Taylor.
Images by Taylor Lanning.