
Warriors on the warpath!
It promises to be an exciting season for Wightlink Warriors and their fans as speedway returns to Smallbrook Stadium this April.
Barry Bishop and Martin Widman, co-promoters of the Warriors, have ambitious plans to transform Smallbrook into the Island’s leading sports complex, as well as making Thursdays a speedway fun night out for all the family.

Music festival ‘Jack Up the 80s’ and the Scooter Festival are already booked at Smallbrook for this year, and they need support to make the complex self-sufficient. Barry, also commercial director, said: “My dream is to make it the centre of all activity on the Island. It is ideally located, has plenty of space, and already has speedway, table tennis, cycling, Ryde Harriers, football, archery, cricket, remote control cars and hockey.
“But they are all individual companies, so the actual premises is finding it difficult to survive, because virtually everyone does everything voluntarily. I find myself deeply in love with this place, but it is hard to get other people to see how it needs to be in order to survive, and not become a housing estate. But without input and activity, that is what it is going to become.
“It is not an IW Council-run facility. It is privately leased from the Council; so we don’t own it, we rent it. But if we can’t pay the rent, we turn off the lights.”
That is why Barry and Martin are having to constantly think ‘outside the box’. Barry continued: “With the Warriors we are doing things differently — making it a fun-filled family night. There were 50 spectators coming when it closed; last season we were having 700, and that was down to making it affordable and a family night out. This year I want to double that figure.”
