It’s a gloomy, rain threatening Saturday morning in July. Hidden away in the grounds of a private country house in Kent, the team at Malle are kicking off their fifth annual ‘Malle Mile’. Self described as the ‘inappropriate motorcycle race’, it’s kicked up a load of fuss (and dust) in it’s five years of fuel-filled fun. What started as a group of friends hooning around in a field, has grown by the thousands into a celebration of everything motorcycle. Think Coachella, actually no, think the complete opposite of Coachella and add two spoons of British ridiculousness. I pitched up with the Malle crew to have a snoop around and get amongst it at Mile No.5.
Founded in 2012 by cousins Robert Nightingale & Jonny Cazzola, Malle London wants to equip motorbikers and adventurers with better quality outdoor apparel. In 2014 they created ‘The Malle Mile’, a festival celebrating motorcycle culture. Following its success they launched ‘The Great Malle Rally’ in 2017, a one thousand mile road trip across the UK.
Driving past Kevington Hall you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing was out of the ordinary, yet in the fifty meters between the main road and the event, all hell breaks loose. Health and safety is out the window as the sounds and smells of moto-culture fill the air. As the rain clouds loomed we collected our passes and headed towards the ironically small ‘Metropolis’ exhibition area. It housed new technologies from the likes of English Electric alongside tents from some of the big names in retrofit biking such as Royal Enfield and Mutt. Visitors can rip around on new models, explore an exhibition, a film screening tent and a number of food and drink options. But we’ll gloss over those offerings, as interesting as they might be, because it’s really all about the racing.
Malle’s ethos for the Mile has been clear from the off, “everyone is invited to race anything on 2+ wheels and no one is expected to win”. It’s not the GP and it’s not the TT, it’s for those after a laugh who want to tear up some british countryside on the bike they’ve probably been hiding from their other half. If you were the kid that got on a bicycle and pretended to rev the handlebars, it’s probably for you. With two main fields in front of Kevington Hall, Malle has managed to cram in a tonne of inappropriate races with everything from the classic straight line sprint to their take on five-a-side football. They call them races and technically it is a competition, but the charm 'The Mile' brings is in its unpredictability. From the garage tinkerers on modified scooters battling it out against full blown scramblers, to kids racing their parents, it all results in a mix of beautifully mismatched chaos. But as each race develops the pack is slowly whittled down, the riders better matched and the racing more enthralling. Yes it's childish, yes it's loud and yes dirt flies everywhere but that's the spirit of the event and we'll be damned if we weren't going to play ball the Malle way for a day or two.
It was the first year the course faced rain and as the dust was replaced by mud, the racing got that bit better still. Deep ruts lined the start line and wheels struggled to engage the ground as the course became more total wipeout than countryside field. Umbrellas were out in force as the twangs of two-stroke engines echoed off the trees. But no amount of rain could have distilled the energy around the grounds and as the light began to fade over the mile, Malle unveiled their ace of spades. The inaugural ‘Midnight Mile’, again ironically named, was held at 9pm and saw English Electric’s fleet of motorcycles charge up the hill climb stage. Suited in LED strewn race suits the riders climbed through illuminated smoke bombs in a scene that would have felt more at home in Blade Runner than Kent. It was an exciting insight into the future of moto as the roar of engines was replaced by the electric hum of batteries. Whether a die hard petrolhead or an electric convert you couldn’t deny the speed, nor spectacle of watching the lights streak up the hill through smoke.
As we drove away on sunday afternoon we wondered how a high-end London apparel company, who’s employees and volunteers all don racing white boiler suits throughout the weekend, had pulled off an event that embraced biking’s grassroot dirtbag scene so effectively. Maybe it was the proximity to the racing or the jovial commentary or the endless assault on the senses. Whatever it was, Malle have created a raw authenticity events often lack. They've has managed to capture the lawless thrill of racing with a perfect blend of British nostalgia. As we left, already excited for the following year, the dust settled on another year at the Mile.
A Few Q’s with Jonny Cazzola - CoFounder of Malle London
MW: What does the next couple of years at the Mile look like?
JC: The Malle Mile will always grow better, but not necessarily bigger, we always listen to any new ideas people bring to us, as well as learning from each years races and events. Next year we’d like to host more music, more talks, more art, more races, etc. More of everything inspired people to ride motorcycles 100 years ago as well as what inspires people to ride today, as well as thinking about what will encourage people to ride bikes in the future. It’s interesting to think about what that may look like and see how we can embrace and create with it. I’d love to replicate the race and rally in different landscapes/countries. We’re always looking to push the boundaries of where we can go and what we and our machines can get away with... You’ll have to watch this space!
MW: What do the Mile & Rally mean to Malle?
JC: The Malle Mile was a crazy idea, that spawned from a conversation that Robert and I had late one night in the workshop. We wanted to go back to our roots and find ways to have more fun with bikes, like we used to. After the first Malle Mile, we realised that one of the most special parts of hosting the race and exhibition were the people, the community, the machines and the spirit that each and everyone brought along. So first and foremost, being a small company, where most of the time it’s just Robert and I, it gives us something to look forward to and keeps us sane! But also enables us to learn about what our community want and how we can work to support and sustain it and how we can continue to be a part of the future of having fun and exploring with motorcycles.
MW: How did the 'Midnight Mile' come about and do you think electric will be a big part of your future events?
JC: We introduced an electric class into The Sprint Race and Hill Climb in 2018. The racing went well, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as some of the louder and more visual bike classes, so the overall atmosphere dropped off a bit. We knew we had to go back to the drawing board and create something special and completely new that integrated electric bikes into fun race in a way that had never been done before. The Midnight Mile is here to stay, there is talk of hosting a stand alone Midnight Mile somewhere else later this year ;).
