Supercharged Tommy Bridewell for the BSB win
Our sponsored racer Tommy Bridewell continues to perform at the British Superbike Championships 2019, with his sights set firmly on a podium position.
Working with Tommy’s new team Oxford Racing Ducati has given him a new energy and enthusiasm for the sport, and a newfound freedom to be the best he can be. This season he has connected with his new steed, a new Ducati V4R F, a rare bike which matches Tommy’s unique abilities and love of speed.
The Ducati V4R F
The Ducati V4R F was released early in 2019. Compared to the older V twin Ducati this bike has had a complete overhaul. In principle it is the same as a V twin but now has a V4 engine which means four pistons instead of two, allowing much more RPM. Whereas the older Ducati’s RPM limit was around 12,800, the new bike can handle up to 16,000.
It also has new aero wings on the fearing which creates downforce and better handling. The new bike doesn’t come cheap though, without even considering the electronics and exhaust the bike costs £110,000, and the team have invested in two spare engines at £25,000 each.
Season hopes
Tommy and Oxford Racing Ducati mean business this year and are putting all they have into this British Superbike’s Season to give Tommy the chance he deserves to top that podium.
As sponsors of Tommy Bridewell, Traction Direct are very proud of his achievements to date. As part of our sponsorship Tommy uses the MPL10 Battery Charger, which offers Tommy and the team the best battery charging support possible and makes up an essential part of his race mechanical strategy.
“To save performance on the bike we have a very lightweight battery that doesn’t hold much charge so we need to charge the bikes battery between every test” Tommy explains. “This means as soon as the bike’s back in the workshop we hook it up to the Traction Directgets. This is also our time to hook the bike up to the race diagnostics to work out what worked and what could be better, and the MPL10 gives us the constant voltage we need so we don’t loose any valuable data during this period.
He continues “It’s also great to know that the battery will also switch automatically over to conditioning once it’s fully charged so there is minimal downtime and we can spend our time concentrating on what matters”.
The MPL10A
The MPL10A has a patented sulphation recovery programme which automatically switches to conditioning mode when it’s finished charging, so the team get the absolute maximum out of the battery’s ability.
When not on the track, Tommy uses the MPL10 in his Dad’s Wayside Garage in Devizes, Wilts.
“We use our Traction Direct in the workshop at home when not on the track. It’s so versatile that it works for both everyday use and for and for the highest performance you can get, on a Superbike – it’s capable of managing both. It’s a great piece of kit.”
The MPL10 also has features such as reverse polarity protection, short circuit shutdown without blowing a fuse, soft start current control, fast constant current bulk charge, Cl-CV float charging and proportional timing, to name a few. It is fully flexible to match almost any battery specification. Plus, the battery charger is OEM approved (by Jaguar, Landrover and Nissan) giving the team reassurance that they’re using the best bit of kit available.
The winning combo
To win it’s all about incremental improvements which add up to great performances and we are proud to be doing our small part towards helping Tommy win that elusive podium place.
The MPL is suitable for use on AGM, GEL, Calcium and Lead Acid battery types. Although featuring sophisticated charging methods, it is very simple and safe to use. Batteries can be left connected indefinitely at the end of charging. All Traction MPL chargers are sourced and manufactured in the UK, ensuring exceptional quality in every unit. They can be purchased online here.
This full article can be read in September’s edition of Professional Motor Mechanic.