The Malle Mile is a weekend of riotous motorcycle shenanigans, put on by our friends at Malle London. It also turns ten this year—so, to celebrate, Malle is launching the Malle Mile Custom Build Challenge.
The Malle Mile’s whole vibe is what organizers Robert Nightingale and Jonny Cazzola refer to as “inappropriate motorcycle racing.” Modern, pure-bred race bikes are frowned upon—instead, the dusty courses of the Mile are packed to the brim with vintage, rare, hand-built, and downright silly machines. It’s a ton of fun for riders and spectators alike, and well worth adding to your calendar of must-attend moto events.
Hosted at the centuries-old Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, about 100 miles outside of London, the Mile makes use of every available inch of the 6,000-acre estate. That includes not only the sprawling lawns that host the glamping and camping areas, and the myriad dirt trails, but also the broad driveway that leads up to the main castle gate.
Here, custom motorcycles that are exhibited in the Mile’s ‘Art of Machine’ tent are pitted against each other in the ‘Art of Sprint’ race. It’s a frenetic flurry of interesting machines and one of the rare custom shows where the bikes on display leave their stands to be ridden in anger.
Custom builders that have graced the ‘Art of Machine’ with their presence in the past include BobC, 10 ’til 12, Foundry [above], deBolex, Rough Crafts, Bad Winners [below], and more. Outside of the ‘official’ exhibition, the Mile is also a great place to spot random custom motorcycles in the wild; that’s where we found Tim Cumper’s three-wheeled BMW Boxer.
This year at the Malle Mile, Malle is taking the ‘Art of Machine’ up a notch (or 10). They’ve turned it into a full-blown custom motorcycle build challenge and a concourse exhibition, with winners chosen (and prizes awarded) in various categories.
The overall winner gets the grand prize of a paid commission to customize a Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, which will travel to various shows before returning to the builder, while other prizes include a spot on The Great Malle Rally 2025 and a cash prize of £2,500. On Saturday night at the Mile, after the concourse exhibition, all entrants will be invited to race their custom machines down Grimsthorpe’s main drag.
Malle has cherry-picked an esteemed jury that includes custom builders, photographers, and media. Bike EXIF is proud to to form part of that jury, alongside the ever-dapper Paul d’Orleans from The Vintagent, deBolex Motorcycles, Ziggy Moto, Royal Enfield, and top automotive and motorcycle photographer, Amy Shore.
We won’t be attending the Malle Mile in person this year, but will instead be watching the proceedings from a distance—and featuring the bikes that are displayed right here on Bike EXIF. We’ll also be choosing a ‘Bike EXIF Community Pick’ from the finalists, which we’ll select by gauging our audience’s response to the final selection of customs, both here and on our social media channels.
The contest is open to any motorcycles that can be considered custom, handmade, rare, or classic. And, as is customary for the Malle Mile, the wilder and more inappropriate the bike is, the better.
To enter, head over to Malle London’s website and punch in your details, along with a photo of your machine (if it’s not finished yet, a work-in-progress shot or concept sketch will do). Malle will select the finalists, which will then exhibit and race their motorcycles at the Malle Mile, from the 18th to the 21st of July, 2024.
There’s just one month to go, so get wrenching!
The Malle Mile Build Challenge | Malle London | Images by Wes Reyneke
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