In a summer starved of live motorcycle events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this weekend’s Malle Mile provided a welcome return to some kind of normality for thousands of British motorcyclists, and Zero Motorcycles was out in force at this gloriously eccentric British race meeting.
Held at the beautiful Kevington Hall, on the outskirts of London, the Malle Mile bills itself as ‘a celebration of the British summertime and motorcycle culture’ focussed around a series of ‘inappropriate, run what you brung’ races on courses laid out around the country house’s spacious grounds.
Last year Zero dealer English Electric Motor Company (EEMC) entered a Zero SR/F fitted with off-road tyres and was promptly banned from competing against the petrol-powered bikes due to the ‘unfair’ advantage gained by its 190Nm of torque and instantaneous power delivery from the twist and go transmission.
This year the Californian company returned, backing the high energy Midnight Mile sprint races for electric motorcycles on both the Friday and Saturday night. Fittingly EEMC employee Simon Crack won both finals on board a lightly modified Zero FXS, which can be ridden on an A1 licence. On Friday he took the honours over EEMC’s mighty Zero SR/F, while on Sunday the lightweight Supermoto machine saw off competition from TV adventurer Charley Boorman, who was riding an electric machine from an American legacy manufacturer.
Speaking about the event, Dale Robinson, Zero Motorcycles’ UK Country Manager said: “It was great to be part of the Malle Mile this year and winning the Midnight Mile was a real cherry on the cake. It’s been a really fun event with pretty much every kind of custom bike you can imagine taking place in the races. As well as all the racing going on through the day, we had a small stand in the Metropolis area and saw a lot of interest in our bikes. After a summer without any events, it was fantastic to finally get out and enjoy our bikes. I’m already looking forward to next year and coming back to defend our title!”
The Malle Mile kicks off a busy four week period for Zero Motorcycles in the UK, with its annual ‘Bums on Seats’ tour kicking off later this week. The popular tour gives motorcyclists an opportunity to try out an all-electric Zero motorcycle on a short guided ride and takes place at 16 venues throughout Great Britain over the next three weeks.
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2020 Zero Motorcycles UK demo tour dates
| 27th August | Classic Motorcycles, Northwich |
| 29th August | Pidcocks, Nottingham |
| 1st September | The Bikers Cove, South Queensferry, Scotland |
| 2nd September | J&S Accessories, Metro Centre, Newcastle |
| 3rd September | Streetbike, Halesowen |
| 4th September | Motorcycles UK, Swindon |
| 5th September | Cannon Motorcycles, Witham |
| 6th September | Steve Bateman Superbikes, Ringwood |
| 8th September | Not Your Average Bikes, Ossett |
| 9th September | Davant Bikes, Torquay |
| 10th September | English Electric Motor Company, Diss |
| 11th September | Wheels, Peterborough |
| 15th September | Spark Moto, Addlestone |
| 16th September | 21st Moto, Swanley |
| 17th September | On the Wheel, Brighton |
| 18th September | Amped, Newport |
Riders attending demo days will be required to show their driving licence, with suitable entitlement for the model they wish to ride (A for SR/F and SR/S and A2 for other models). Attendees are required to provide their own helmet and protective motorcycle clothing and are asked to comply to social distancing measures on the day.
Robinson added: “In past years we have had a very informal system where riders can simply turn up with their licence and riding gear but this year we are advising people to contact us in advance and pre-book a slot, as the Covid-19 protocols mean that places will be more limited, although we will still do our best to accommodate everyone within the social distancing guidelines we have in place.”
To find out more about the 2020 Zero demo tour, please visit: https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/en-gb/events
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