18/10/2026
💙 A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES… 💙
Today should have been the day we came together to give Mick Nokes the tribute he deserves at our Memorial Champion of Champions meeting. Instead, we’re facing a forecast of thunderstorms and rain throughout the day, and sadly, the British weather has made the decision for us. 💔
This is heartbreaking for everyone involved, especially knowing how much work, love and dedication has gone into preparing for this special event. But please know that Mick’s meeting WILL be restaged early next year, and we’ll share updates as soon as we have a confirmed date. We will get together and give Mick the tribute he deserves. 💙
We thought it might be worth sharing a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes when a grasstrack meeting has to be cancelled. From the outside, it might seem like a simple decision, but unfortunately, it really isn’t.
Of course, the biggest disappointment is not being able to race, see everyone and enjoy a day that so many people have been looking forward to. But there is also a significant financial impact, with many costs already committed and unable to be recovered.
Just some of the expenses we’re still facing include:
🏁 Programmes – already printed and, sadly, now unable to be used for this meeting.
🪧 Road signs and flyers – printed and distributed in preparation for the event.
🚑 Medical cover – a bill of over £3,000, of which we still have a percentage to pay, despite the meeting not going ahead.
🚻 Toilets – already delivered to the track and arranged for the event.
⛽ Diesel and machinery costs – including the equipment and diggers needed to prepare the track and get everything ready for race day.
And that’s before we even begin to consider the countless hours put in by our incredible volunteers. People have given up their weekends, taken time off work, spent hours preparing the venue and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this meeting happen.
That time, effort and dedication mean the world to us, and we are so grateful to every single person who has played a part.
We’re not sharing this to moan or make anyone feel bad. We simply want to help people understand that running a meeting takes an enormous amount of planning, commitment and expense, and sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts, things are outside our control.
Safety has to come first, and with the forecast we’re facing today, we simply couldn’t put on the meeting we wanted for our riders, officials, volunteers and spectators.
Finally, we want to say a huge thank you for all the kind messages, understanding and words of sympathy we’ve received since announcing the cancellation. Your support has genuinely meant so much to us at what is already an incredibly emotional time.
We wanted today to be something really special for Mick, and that hasn’t changed. ❤️
We will be back, we will restage the meeting, and we will do everything we can to make it the tribute he deserves.
Thank you for standing by us. 💙
ASTRA Grasstrack Club 🏁
