IF, like us, you are a complete novice to the sport of speedway, you may not have any idea of the fun you could be missing!

Last Tuesday the Southern Daily Echo motors team went for an evening of speedway a little concerned that we had to travel to the Isle of Wight - but it could not have been easier.

We left work at 5.15pm, took a steady drive down the M27 to Portsmouth. The Isle of Wight ferry was easily signposted, lucky for us, and we pulled up in time for the 6.30 ferry.

Once boarded we got the holiday vibes as we were not frequent travellers of the ferry, but as soon as we had settled, drank our coffee, nibbled our sandwiches, than we had arrived on the Isle of Wight!

Within ten minutes we were parked at Smallbrook Stadium, donning our scarves, woolly hats and coats and striding for the bar.

With a drink in hand, we stood outside with a perfect view of the track. Hundreds of fans, a lot of them families, followed suit, vying for position around the track with their hooters, flags and banners - anything they could demonstrate their support with.

The announcer explained the rules of speedway and introduced the riders of the two teams, The Islanders and Reading, the guests for that evening.

With continued background music to celebrate each victory, obviously chosen from the announcer's own much treasured 45 vinyls, the atmosphere was electric.

The start of each race was indicated by the theme to The Lone Ranger while the riders revved their engines for that all-crucial front position.

Speedway bikes are powered by 500cc single cylinder engines, with no brakes, fixed gears, and acceleration to match Formula 1 race cars.

Using their body to manoeuvre the bike at right angles to the bend, these boys are definitely strong and fit. I spoke with Craig Boyce, the Australian team captain about how they train for the tough sport of speedway:

"Pre-season we do a lot of training in the gym, once the season hits in we're racing three to four times a week and then you get race fit on the bike and don't have time to hit the gym."

"We have very limited test time for the bikes. We test after the races on new engines and other equipment we want to try.

"It's a friendly family sport, most of the riders are good mates and we see each other all the time, but it's a different story when you're on the track!"

So what about the expectations for the season? "Hopefully, we can look at some silverware this year. We have a great team, a great rapport. Hopefully we can encourage more people to come over and give us more support."

After the completion of the races, among the euphoria of the crowd as the home team, The Islanders, won the evening's event, we started to make our way back home.

To find out more, check out the Islanders' website; www.wight link.co.uk/speedway where you will find all the details of speedway, or contact us here at the Southern Daily Echo and we will gladly supply details of contacts.