Access Plus Racing kicked off their 2025 Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) campaign in dominant fashion at Clark International Speedway (CIS). Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto secured a pair of wins, while his younger brother Troy delivered double podiums to give the team an early lead in the championship standings.
Having worked extensively over the off-season, the team entered the opening round well-prepared with their Ducati Panigale V4s. This was evident as both riders showed strong pace during Free Practice on Friday. Despite being out of action for almost a year, the younger Alberto was quick to regain his rhythm and took turns topping the time sheets with his brother.
Maintaining this momentum into Saturday, TJ delivered a solid 1:48.101 lap during Qualifying. However, in an unfortunate twist, he inadvertently gave a tow to long-time rival Marvin Mangulabnan, who snatched pole position away. This left TJ to start from P2 on the grid, with Troy lining up in P3 to complete the front row.
A quick getaway in Race 1 on Sunday saw TJ take the lead into the first corner, with Troy slotting into P2. The younger Alberto was then hounded by Mangulabnan aboard the Aprilia, with the two trading positions nearly every lap. Troy reclaimed P2 with just two laps to go, but a lapped rider delayed his progress just enough for Mangulabnan to squeeze past. TJ, meanwhile, controlled the race from the front and built a commanding lead to win by 4.729 seconds. Troy crossed the line in 3rd, only 0.338 seconds behind P2.
Both Access Plus Racing riders made another strong launch in Race 2 to claim P1 and P2 going into Turn 1. Mangulabnan once again applied pressure on Troy and briefly moved into P2 before turning his attention to chasing down TJ. However, Troy fought back to retake the position on lap 3. The battle resumed lap after lap, with Troy maintaining composure under pressure. He held firm to claim 2nd place in a drag race to the finish, edging Marvin by just 0.057 seconds. TJ cruised to another dominant win, completing a perfect weekend.
Access Plus Racing now leads the championship as the Philippine Superbike Championship heads to the Batangas Racing Circuit for Round 2 on June 7–8. The team aims to return even stronger, this time targeting a clean sweep of both races.
Toti Alberto, Team Principal: “Coming into the season opener, we were confident that we had the pace to win. It was a near-perfect weekend for TJ and Troy — and if it weren’t for the incident in Race 1, we could have finished 1-2 in both races. I’m also happy that Troy is back in fighting form, and I’m sure he’ll be challenging for race wins soon, which his older brother won’t like! It was a great way to start the year, and all the team’s hard work during the off-season paid off.”
Ducati Philippines, Shell Advance, Brembo, Öhlins Racing, Sprint Filter, Macbeth, DID Chains, Aella, Motoworld, Capit Perfomrance, LV8 – Elevate, Extreme Components, and Rudy Project.
