SpeedwayPortal

It's been a long wait, but SPEEDWAY PORTAL are proud to announce the launch of 2016 WIGHTLINK WARRIORS GEORGE PIPER'S MEDIA CHANNEL which is now live! Head into the riders section on SPEEDWAY PORTAL to access the channel. http://www.speedwayportal.com/#!george-piper-speedway-rider/b6kuv Many thanks, Andy

Ok guys, so who do you think will be the one to watch in this years Warriors team? And which rider do you think will be the one to watch in the National League in 2016? I am biased, so I will be watching all 8 of ours Warriors! haha However come the other teams in the league, I think Danny Ayres. Thoughts? Andy

Great stuff Brummiestormer, will see you there!

OK guys, so after the in-forced swap around of the team, what are your thoughts on how the Warriors are going to get on this year in the National League? 1 - 8.95 - Benji Compton 2 - 8.59 - James Cockle 3 - 5.88 - Mark Baseby 4 - 5.76 - Lee Smart 5 - 4.49 - Kelsey Dugard 6 - 3.00 - Tyler Govier 7 - 3.00 - Matt Saul 8 - 3.00 - George Piper TEAM MANAGER - Neil Vatcher TEAM CAPTAIN - Brendan Johnson

Warriors make team changes. http://www.wightwarriors.co/news/82/warriors-make-changes

Now the tapes having risen on the 2016 speedway season, why not check out the Isle Of Wight's Wightlink Warriors Media Channel on Speedway Portal. Lots of videos, behind the scenes action, sponsor videos, forum event videos etc. With their press day on April 2nd getting ever closer, and the first meeting on Thurs April 7th, get a feel of the passion and pride that has been injected into the club by the new promoters and army of Warriors on their media channel by clicking the link below. http://www.speedwayportal.com/#!ww-landing-page/gk680

Richard Weston, obviously we hope and believe they will, and are doing everything we can to help towards making that happen. But as you say, only time will tell, but it won't be for a lack to trying! Andy

Warriors announce travel details, Wightlink Discounts and launch their travel page, which you can view by clicking the link below. http://www.wightwarriors.co/travel Andy

Hi Stoke Potter, just June 2nd is still reserved at the moment with no plans or further information available at the moment. I will make a log of your interest and as soon as an announcement for that date has been made I will pop it up on here. Thanks Andy

Many thanks for your support Kirkylane. Kitten 2502, The Wightlink and all travel options will be released if not today then tomorrow I believe. As soon as it is released I will post on here. Andy

Teams for the 4TT have officially been announced. The Warriors : Brendan Johnson ©, Mark Baseby, Matt Saul, Kelsey Dugard. Southampton : Lee Smart, James Purchase, Luke Priest, Danno Verge. Weymouth : James Cockle, George Piper, Richard Andrews, Layne Cuppit. Exeter : Ellis Perks, Tyler Govier, Luke Chessell, Alfie Bowtell. The 4 riders for the individual meeting are still yet to be confirmed. Andy

Hi guys, so sorry for my absence these last few days. Captain, I have spoken to Barry and Martin and as yet a date for the announcement of those riders is not immanent. MikeC & Pitlane. The fixtures I believe came out yesterday however I didn't want to reply to you until the list had been looked over and confirmed as correct. However, I am happy to say those dates are indeed going ahead as planned so great news for you guys. If there are any changes to our fixture list in the future I will post them up on here ASAP. Thanks guys. Andy

Thank you very much for all your feedback, I can assure you it all helps and is taken on board. 45year = Great idea regarding newcomers, will have a think on this one. Thanks guys Andy

Countershaftcounter, I don't think it's an elephant in the room anymore as people have voiced their opinions on the logo both on this forum and other social media outlets. Opinions from all angles have been listened to and the decision has been made to go with this logo, so naturally it will feature on the clubs merchandise. Would be great though to get your feedback on last nights 4 announcements on pricing/press day/first match and 4TT? Many thanks Andy

Warriors v Falcons v Wildcats v The Saints The second meeting of the season for the Warriors looks to be an absolute cracker with a 4TT between Isle of Wight, Exeter, Weymouth and Southampton on April 14th. The meeting will see all 8 Warriors joined by another 8 riders to make 4 teams of 4. Warriors will be split amongst the 4 teams, with riders representing teams closest to where they live or have previously been associated with. Commercial Director Barry Bishop said, "This is going to be a fantastic meeting with 3 famous sides returning to the track at Smallbrook. We hope that if this meeting proves to be the success we think it will be, we can repeat it in the years to come. Personally, I cannot wait to watch this meeting and welcome our friends from Exeter, Weymouth and Southampton to Smallbrook." Islander 15, glad you like the pricing structure. A lot of thought and discussions have gone into these figures to make sure that whilst it works for the club, the fans get the maximum benefit that can be passed on through the admission prices. Andy

The Wightlink Warriors will open the 2016 season with the Vince Mapley Memorial Trophy meeting. The meeting will celebrate the life of Vince who was a member of Team Warrior until he unfortunately passed away at the stadium whilst helping the team at Smallbrook. The season's opener will take place on Thursday April 7th and will include all 8 of the Warriors in the individual meeting and they will be joined by a further 4 riders. The trophy will be contested over 16 heats and with other surprises coming along it's sure to be a great meeting. As it's the season opener it is bound to be a night full of pride for everyone who has helped in the return of speedway to Smallbrook. Warriors Skipper Brendan Johnson said "Over the years of racing at the island, Vince was always a top guy, from helping me unload my race van to just being there for a chat if you needed it. He was a a true gentleman, so for our season opener to be in his honour is great and I will be trying to win it with pride. I would like to thank each and every member of Team Warrior, our sponsors and the promotion for getting the Warriors back on track in 2016."

The Wightlink Warriors will be formally introduced to the fans, sponsors and press on April 2nd. Rider introductions to the media will be followed by a structured practise session where fans and sponsors will be able to see their team get to grips with the Smallbrook race track for the first time in Warrior race jackets. Admission to the rider introductions and practice day is free to all, and it is planned to follow with a “start of season” party that evening in the Premier Lounge at the stadium. Timings for the event will be released closer to the date.

The Wightlink Warriors have today released pricing for the 2016 season. The Warriors promotion have put together an attractive pricing structure maintaining or reducing previous prices to attract new and existing speedway fans. Admission Prices Adults £11 Seniors (65+) £8 Children 16 and Under Free Students with Card £6 Service Personnel £8 Disabled Pay the appropriate price. Carer goes free. Season Tickets (includes a programme) Adults £185 Seniors £140 The prices are based on a planned 20 meeting programme and purchasers must provide the Warriors with two passport photographs. Programmes £2.50 Wightlink Travel All travel on Wightlink is discounted if booked using a code from our website - coming soon. For foot passengers travelling on the FastCat boats departing from Portsmouth at 16.40, 17.15 ad 17.40, there will be free travel from the bus station at the town end of Ryde Pier to Smallbrook and back if booked prior to midday on race day by emailing speedwayontheisland@yahoo.co.uk Taxis will be on hand at the stadium to take travellers back to Ryde Pier after the meetings. * Please note that the current weight limit on Ryde Pier prevents us using anything larger than a 9 seater on the pier but if there are people that cannot make the walk along the pier, please call the Speedway Office (number coming) or email speedwayontheisland@yahoo.co.uk and special transport will be arranged.

No worries Macca56, and thanks for the feedback. I'll keep the avatar a little longer then, see if it grows on you! haha Andy

Hi guys, I will do my best to answer the above points. Islanders15 = As of yet nothing is confirmed for the opening date or in fact what type of meeting it will be. I assume that once the confirmed national league fixture list is produced an announcement will be made. I am pretty sure that the promoters have a plan in action for the type of event and date, but nothing has officially been announced to date. Speedibee = Great question, I will get an answer to you shortly. macca56 = Yes, regular race night is going to be Thursday's, and thank you for pointing out it is missing from the home page. It is a good point to get it on there so will be looking into that a little later today along with timings etc. With regards the logos, much feedback has come in and many discussions have taken place on many platforms, all points considered though the decision on the logos has been made so they will be sticking around. Although, I will change my avatar picture if it annoys you that much! 7/8 man teams and warriors. Personally I love the fact that a number 8 has been signed. It helps the team in many many ways, and would love to see more clubs add an 8th rider, so in answer to your statement yes I believe the 8 warriors was on the cards from the start due to this. Just to explain a little about the difference between the media channel (Portal) and a website. The Portal is not solely a website, it also has other avenues it is tied with such as the add-on (app) etc, so it is constructed to work with those, not as a stand alone website project. The portal mainly delivers visual media first and foremost so yes it has a website, but the website plays only a part in the portal framework. In the Warriors channel under "Island Attractions", you will find videos, not text/times/explanations/directions etc. The attractions section should be included within the channel, but in the video aspect, therefore allowing the websites to include the written information. The Portal reach viewers that websites and to be honest current speedway media avenues don't hit, so to show that the Island is a great place with lots going on etc may entice travelers? I do agree and it is in the plans to have this section also in the website with text and pictures etc. The Portal does not replace websites, more aimed to compliment not only adding what is missing, but getting it "out there" to a wider audience. And not just for the Warriors, for all teams/riders/sponsors/countries etc. Andy

I believe it was around that price although I am not certain myself. The promotion are working hard on securing the finance deals for entry/transport etc, and as soon as it is confirmed I will post it up on here. SpeediBee & Jubileeclip, it has been mentioned before, so how about I put the comments regarding the round logo to the promoters and see if I can put up a video response when I am next on the Island? Also, any other questions that anyone else would like to ask? Andy

And new friends Wightlink Flyer!

Hey Builderbob. Holidaying on the Island is only one option, and we must try our best to offer affordable speedway for all options. Whether that is for people based on the Island, people just over the water in Portsmouth or speedway fans from further afield. As for the higher class of racing, well, that is debatable as has been discussed on other threads many times. Sure, the Elite and Premier leagues have better standard of riders, however this doesn't always mean the racing on track is better. It's great that we have the options of many tracks within the south area, and all are to be supported and commended. The national league is a great platform for British riders, many of whom are youth, to make a start in their speedway careers, and at the same time to be guided by more experienced riders who are willing to help them. All of the points raised regarding costs to the fans in this thread are on the promoters minds, and are considered within their planning. The fact that you are considering coming over to watch speedway on the Island at the right cost is a great start, lets try and make that happen for you and many others! Andy

Hi guys, I believe the costs of entrance, Ferry, Taxi etc is still being finalised. As soon as the figures have been confirmed I will post them up on here for you. There are many options regarding getting over onto the Island with Wightlink ferries : Lymington to Yarmouth Ferry Portsmough to Fishbourne Ferry Portsmouth to Ryde Cat (Foot passengers only) So at the moment no figures to provide for you, but the knowledge that it is all being finalised to make sure Wightlink Warriors matches are as economical as is possible for all, both on the mainland and for the Islanders.

Hi guys, for those of you that were there and would like to watch again, or to those that couldn't make it and would have liked to have been there. The Wightlink Warriors Celebration Party Riders Introductions video is now available to watch on the Speedway Portal on the Website in the Warriors media channel. Many more interviews to follow. Speedway Portal apologise for the quality of the audio/visual in the video, this unfortunately was beyond our control this time. http://www.speedwayportal.com/#!ww-home-page/pbcfz Andy