Access Plus Racing cannot afford any mistakes this weekend when the Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) returns the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC). As 1.5x points will be awarded for the final rounds of 2022, a crash, technical issue, or rider error will prove too costly as the team only holds onto a slim points lead in both the Overall and Intermediate Classes.
Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto enjoyed a clean sweep of the all the races when the PSBK visited the Clark International Speedway last month. Although he could only manage P3 in a rain-affected Qualifying session, he had no issues rocketing to the front during both Sunday races and win in dominant fashion onboard the #77 Ducati Panigale V4. This not only gave him a much-deserved confidence boost, but also extended his lead in the Overall and Expert Class standings to 19 points.
Lawrence Macalinao was also flying on his #26 Ducati and lapped a lot quicker than the other Intermediate Class riders. His pace would secure him a commanding race win, finishing 28.823 secs ahead of everyone else in his category. However, he lost control of his bike while attempting to set a personal best lap record around the 4.189 km and threw away what could have been an easy 1st place finish. This puts him on a slight back foot in the championship standings and needs a trouble-free weekend to secure the class lead.
Round 5 of the Philippine Superbike Championship takes place on October 1 and 2, with Qualifying scheduled on Saturday at 2:30 PM. Race 1 and 2 takes place on Sunday at 9:20 AM and 1:55 PM, respectively live streamed on the MoRac Facebook page.
TJ Alberto, #77: “The team had a productive test last week and the results showed a lot of promise. We’re now quite confident heading into the fifth round of the season and aim to extend our points lead. 19 points is not a lot, but the plan is to add to our tally of race wins this year. There’s also a 1.5x multiplier on points, so it’s important to be consistent and keep our focus on the championship.”
Lawrence Macalinao, #26: “We’re down to the last 2 rounds in PSBK and our sights are still on the championship. It’s going to be tough and I really need to deliver 2 solid finishes this weekend as there are 1.5x more points being awarded. Hopefully things go my way and get closer to the Intermediate Class title.”
Toti Alberto, Team Principal: “Going into the last 2 rounds of the season with a points multiplier of 1.5x, all I asked from both TJ and Lawrence is to take it easy, finish on the podium, and we’ll be ok. BRC has a habit of throwing surprises and Access Plus Racing will be ready whatever comes our way.”
Access Plus Racing is sponsored by Ducati Philippines, Angkas, Essenza, Frontrow, Katinko, Makati Diamond Residences, Italtrans, Aella, Apex, Extreme Components, Lv8, Macbeth, Ohlins, and STM, with Motoworld and Teagumps.
