Urban downhill isn’t a completely new idea, with Red Bull’s famous Lisbon Downtown event having been running for a fair few years now. But what is new is an official DH street race in the UK.

The event is called the 24Seven Downtown Street Race – if you look carefully at the name you can probably discern the title sponsor. Rather than the more traditional dirt and trees, the course will feature the narrow streets and flights of stone steps in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Getting this together sounds like a fairly mammoth task – five roads in the town centre will be closed to allow the course to run from the “high town” right down to a finish by the river.

Confirmed riders include Dan and Gee Atherton, Scott Beaumont, Rob Warner, Neil Donoghue and Martin Ogden, and the organisers are hoping for appearances from World Cup Champion Steve Peat and National Champion Marc Beaumont.

It’s an open event, so if you fancy your chances get an entry in – there’s £1,000 of prize money for the taking. The format is practice followed by a single timed run.

The Lisbon Downtown, along with the various urban slopestyle events, have been very successful in showing mountain biking to a wider public than usual simply by virtue of being held where people tend to be rather than on windswept hillsides out in the middle of nowhere. There’ll be a pit area and trade stands in the town car park, so it should have all the feel of a big event.

The date is Sunday 15 October and you can get more details (and on-line entry) at www.nps4x.com.