BIG NEWS for the people of Central Manchester! Plans are currently underway to construct a ‘Ray’s style’ Indoor MTB & BMX Centre which should be opening up as soon as NEXT WINTER according to Daniel Makin, the man behind the proposed Dirt Factory project.

Here’s a rather informative video from the guys at Dirt Factory. Also be sure to check out the statement/interview from Daniel for BikeBiz.com below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4loUij2VJs8
“Dirt Factory will accommodate all types of mountain bike and bmx, aimed at all abilities. The key is to make it fun but also progressive and non-intimidating. We will have indoor flow trails, jumps, foam pits and many other features,” says Makin.

Having been in discussions with the property agents of a 86,000 square foot facility in recent months, Makin and his team has spent the past four years developing the idea and are now focusing on building a funding pot.

With a goal of £500,000, Makin is now launching a funding syndicate to raise the remaining funds needed.

Makin told BikeBiz: “We believe a funding syndicate is the way forward, i.e. a collective group of people and/or organisations. This could be mostly equity investment and then part sponsorship and crowd funded, also we have £25k of our own money committed to the project, along with three years research and development work, an earmarked premise, 50,000 tonnes of dirt and 2,600 Facebook followers so far.”

The proposed location also has outdoor space that will see the creation of a cross country loop linked indoor and outdoor, dirt jumps and pump tracks. Shipping containers will also be used in order to ensure there’s a good amount of elevation gain in the building, which has a 10 metre high roof.

I’m sure a lot of people will agree that there aren’t many indoor dirt parks in the UK. You could probably count them on one hand to be honest, but it’s definitely looking better for the people of Manchester if they want to hit up some trails or ride a huge park which will have plenty to offer no-doubt! – We’ll keep you guys updated on this as times goes by so keep your eyes peeled.