British Superbike star has world title in his sights with help from Brighton optician

Fans were thrilled when Bradley Ray took the British Superbike title last October at Brands Hatch and in April he will travel to the Netherlands to begin competing in the European rounds of the World Championships.

Among those cheering on the 25-year-old will be the opticians at Eyesite Brighton who enabled him to follow his dream of competing professionally, despite no one else on the grid wearing glasses.

Eyesite Brighton managing director and practice manager Jim Green said: “Bradley is the only biker on the world circuit who wears eyewear while racing and we like to think of that as his superpower.

“It’s massively important that we get the right eyewear for him because he’s travelling at top speeds of 180 miles an hour and he’s almost horizontal when he’s going around the corners.

“We chose Oakley Trajectory frames for him which are designed for high-level performance across a range of sports.

“They have a super sports fitting which means they’ve got at least three points of contact on the face so they stay on when he’s going round the corners.”

Eyesite Brighton has been providing all of Bradley’s eye care since he was 14. They describe his prescription as ‘phenomenal’ and it requires elite personalised lenses which are curved to fit into his frames.

They are designed to give him 170 degrees of clear vision when he is looking forward and receive the Sapphire treatment which makes them water resistant, as well as scratch resistant, so they do not steam up and any rain or perspiration beads up and runs off them.

The team also provides him with any tests he needs for his specialist motorsport licence so it’s not surprising that Bradley has previously credited Eyesite Brighton with helping him to progress his career.

In an interview with Optometry Today, he said: “When I first put on those personalised racing specs it was almost like seeing again, everything was crystal clear.

“The first time going onto the track with them was an absolute gamechanger and allowed me to take that next big step at a crucial time.

“There was a period where I thought that I may not be able to compete professionally, as there was no-one on the grid that even wore glasses, never mind had my unique prescription.

“But since that first visit to Eyesite, I have never once thought that my glasses would stop me competing at the highest level.”

In December, Bradley delighted customers at Eyesite when he brought his British Championship trophy to its open day and spent time chatting to visitors and signing photographs.

To find out more about Eyesite Brighton, including its Sport Vision Eyewear, visit eyesite.co.uk/brighton or call 01273 724111.