TJ and Troy Alberto continued its winning form in Round 5 of the 2026 Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) on October 3/4 at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). Racing the lightweight Ducati Panigale V2 S in both PSBK and Supersport 600 (SS600), TJ and Troy Alberto claimed three victories and helped Ducati secure every available podium position.
Despite competing against larger 1,000cc superbikes in PSBK, the Panigale V2 S proved well suited to BRC’s tight and technical layout.
TJ secured pole position with a 1:37.353 lap, just 0.196 secs ahead of Troy. Josh Tan qualified 3rd aboard the Petronas Sprinta Racing Team Ducati Panigale V4, completing an all-Ducati front row.
TJ converted pole into victory in Race 1, followed by Troy in 2nd and Tan in 3rd. However, a sudden downpour forced officials to cancel Race 2, which will instead be added to the season finale at Clark International Speedway (CIS) next month.
In SS600, the roles were reversed as Troy led the way aboard the same Panigale V2 S. He won both races ahead of TJ, with Enzo Rivero finishing 3rd twice to complete two more all-Ducati podiums.
Troy also recorded a personal best lap of 1:36.9 during the weekend, potentially one of the quickest laps achieved by a Supersport machine at BRC.
It was a fitting result for PSBK’s final visit to BRC in 2026. The circuit is reportedly scheduled for a complete resurfacing in 2027, making this potentially the riders’ last opportunity to set personal benchmarks on its familiar, bumpy layout.
Access Plus Racing finished the weekend with three victories and six podium finishes, while Ducati riders occupied all nine available podium positions across PSBK and SS600.
With one round remaining, TJ and Troy have one hand on the PSBK and SS600 titles, respectively. Both are looking forward to renewed battles with their Japanese rivals at CIS, where three PSBK races are now scheduled. Access Plus Racing also plans to return to its more powerful 7th-generation Ducati Panigale V4, better suited to Clark’s long straights.
TJ Alberto, #77: “It was a solid weekend for us, and I’m happy to come away with another win. Josh also did a great job securing another strong result for Ducati. I’m looking forward to the finale next month and hopefully battling with Japanese riders Akito Haga and Ren Okabe again.”
Troy Alberto, #69: “We knew we had to keep improving after seeing how close the competition was getting in the previous round. Setting a personal best of 1:36.9 on the Panigale V2 was a great achievement, especially at a circuit like BRC. It was also nice to achieve some personal bests on what could be our last time riding BRC in its current form. It’s a track we’ve all come to know and love, bumps and all.”
Toti Alberto (Team Principal): “Of course, we would have liked a closer fight and more competitors pushing TJ and Troy. But at the end of the day, we’re still very happy to take three wins and another strong result for the team. What’s also encouraging is that it wasn’t only Access Plus Racing putting Ducati on the podium. We saw other Ducati riders achieving strong results across the different classes, and a large part of the PSBK and SS600 grids are now racing Ducatis.”
Access Plus Racing is sponsored by Ducati Philippines, Shell Advance, Brembo, Öhlins Racing, Sprint Filter, DID Chains, Aella, Motoworld, Capit Performance, LV8 – Elevate, Extreme Components, and Safety Jogger.
