Malle Miles was a weekend of riotous motorcycle shenanigans, cooked up by our friends at London shopping center. It also turns ten this year—so to celebrate, Malle is launching the Malle Mile Custom Build Challenge.
The whole atmosphere of the Malle Mile was called “inappropriate motor racing” by organizers Robert Nightingale and Jonny Cazzola. Modern, thoroughbred racing bikes are frowned upon — instead, the Mile’s dusty tracks are filled with rare, hand-built, and downright silly vintage machines. It’s a lot of fun for both riders and spectators alike and is well worth adding to your calendar of must-attend motorcycle events.
Held at the centuries-old Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, about 100 miles from London, the Mile takes advantage of every available inch of the 6,000-acre estate. That includes not only the rolling lawns that comprise the camping and camping areas as well as the countless dirt trails but also the wide driveway leading to the main castle gate.
Here, the custom motorcycles displayed in the Mile’s ‘Art of Machine’ tent will be pitted against each other in the ‘Art of Sprint’ race. It’s a series of interesting machines and one of the rare tuning shows where the cars on display leave the stands to be driven in anger.
Custom builders have celebrated the ‘Art of the Machine’ with their presence in the past including BobC, 10 o’clock to 12 o’clock, foundry [above], deBolex, Rough craftsmanship, Bad winner [below], and more. In addition to the ‘official’ exhibition, the Mile is also a great place to spot random custom motorbikes in the wild; that’s where we found Tim Cumper’s three-wheeled BMW Boxer.
This year at Malle Mile, Malle is taking ‘Machine Art’ up a notch (or 10). They turned it into a full-blown custom motorcycle challenge and exhibition, with winners selected (and awarded) in various categories.
The overall winner will receive the grand prize of a commission paid to customize a Royal Enfield Shotgun 650, which will travel to various exhibitions before returning to the builder, in while other prizes include a place in The Great Malle Rally 2025 and a cash prize of £2,500 . On Saturday night at the Mile, following the concourse exhibition, all participants will be invited to race their custom machines on Grimsthorpe’s main drag strip.
Malle selected an esteemed jury comprised of custom builders, photographers and media. Bike EXIF is proud to be part of that jury, alongside the always dapper Paul d’Orleans from The Vintagent, deBolex Motorcycles, Ziggy Moto, Royal Enfield and leading car and motorcycle photographer, Amy Shore.
We won’t be attending the Malle Mile in person this year, but instead will be watching the action from afar — and showcasing the bikes on display right here on Bike EXIF. We will also select the ‘EXIF Bike Community Pick’ from the finalists, which we will choose by gauging audience reaction to the final customs selection, both here and on our social media channels.
The competition is open to any type of motorcycle considered custom, handmade, rare or classic. And, as is Malle Mile custom, the wilder and more inappropriate the bike, the better.
To enter, go forward Malle London website and fill in your details, along with a photo of your camera (if it’s not finished, a photo in progress or a concept sketch will be taken). Malle will select the finalists, who will then exhibit and race their motorbikes at the Malle Mile, from 18 to 21 July 2024.
Only one month left, fighting!
Malle Mile Construction Challenge | London shopping center | Image by Wes Reyneke
