Tuesday 10th April 2012, 15:41

Australian champion Chris Holder admits his special late-night delivery ahead of the FIM Buckley Systems New Zealand SGP proved a bigger distraction than he thought it would.

While most SGP stars were sleeping at Auckland’s Crowne Plaza Hotel ahead of the World Championship opener on March 31, Holder was awoken by a phone call from the UK at 2am as his partner Sealy gave birth to their son Max.

The delighted 24-year-old understandably didn’t get much sleep that night and managed just four points at Western Springs – his worst SGP performance since he joined the competition in 2010.

Holder didn’t appear drained or distracted in the pits before the meeting, but he admits Max’s arrival must have been playing on his mind.

He said: “They told me at 9pm on the Friday that they were going to hospital and stuff was going on. At 2am they rang me and said it was happening and I listened to it all go down. It was pretty wild and it took me a while to get back to sleep after that.

“I thought I would have been okay for the Grand Prix. I was really happy and stoked. But obviously I mustn’t have had my mind on the job enough and I was too busy in la, la land. It must have played some part in me not being on the ball enough and you need to be spot-on in the Grand Prix.”

Holder had plenty of backing from the thousands of Aussies who made the hop across to Auckland, as well as the Kiwis. An army of his friends and family also made the trip to cheer him on.

But no-one was more disappointed by his nightmare in New Zealand than the rider himself.

He said: “It’s me who’s the most disappointed. It doesn’t really matter what other people think. It’s all down to me and it hurt me big time.

“New Zealand is gone now, though. I like Leszno and we’ll start again. Everyone has a bad meeting and it wasn’t my night.”

Holder and his young family stole the limelight in Dorset on Good Friday. A family photo appeared on the back page of the Bournemouth Daily Echo and Sealy even brought Max to Wimborne Road to see the Poole No.1 score a 15-point maximum against Coventry.

“He probably wasn’t even watching – he was probably sleeping,” Holder senior smiled. “But he’ll be here all the time I reckon.

“It’s cool. It’s pretty hard to comprehend that I’ve got a kid. I don’t feel old enough to have one, but obviously I am and it’s great.

“It was funny to be in the paper with little fella. He’s already famous! I’ve had heaps of messages and it’s cool to come home and see him after a good night.”

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