With boarders now starting to open up, Access Plus Racing is now all set to go back to racing overseas as the team reveal bold plans for 2022. The reigning Philippine Superbike Champion, TJ Alberto, is confirmed to enter the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) with Ducati Philippines after the series was shelved for 2 years due to the pandemic. His younger brother Troy, on the other hand, is set to compete full-time in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship with Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki.
The Philippine-based team made their ARRC debut back in 2019 where they finished 7th overall in the Team’s Championship in the top-tier ASB1000 class with TJ delivering a best 7th place finish in Malaysia. They came back with a stronger lineup in 2020 in hopes closing the gap to the front runners ’til the season was shelved due to the pandemic.
Access Plus Racing opted to race in the local national superbike series instead in 2021 to continue the development of their team, bike, and riders. This allowed them to extract every bit of performance from their Ducati Panigale V4R while TJ further improved on his riding and fitness. After winning the title, plus with the things learned over the past season, the team now has full confidence heading into 2022.
The ARRC season is set to begin with the official test followed by the season opener at the Chang International Circuit, Thailand in March. It’ll then visit renowned tracks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, China, until the season finale back in Thailand. TJ is the team’s sole entry for 2022 and will again the be lone Filipino on the ASB1000 grid.
2022 Asia Road Racing Championship Race Calendar
Round 1 | March 25-27 (Chang International Circuit, Thailand)
Round 2 | May 27-29 (Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia)
Round 3 | July 1-3 (Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia)
Round 4 | August 12-14 (Sportsland Sugo International Circuit, Japan)
Round 5 | September 9-11 (Zhuhai International Circuit, China)
Round 6 | November 18-20 (Chang International Circuit, Thailand)
As announced last year, Troy Alberto will be on his first full year competing in a world championship. When the season kicks off at MotorLand Aragon in April, he will become the very first rider from the Philippines to compete in WorldSSP300. It should be a good opportunity for the 21-year-old to show what Filipino riders can do. It’s also good to know that the Access Plus Racing rider has a strong team behind him. Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki is a consistent front-runner in WorldSSP300 and finished 2nd in the championship last year.
WorldSSP300 is a stepping stone for riders who aim to make it to the premier production motorcycle racing series – the World Superbike Championship (WSBK). The 2022 calendar will run alongside WSBK and take Troy to legendary circuits such as Estoril, Magny Cours, Catalunya, Algarve, and Philip Island just to name a few. The season kicks off in April at MotorLand Aragon in Spain and wrap up at Philip Island in Australia later in the year.
TJ Alberto, ARRC ASB1000: “I’m really excited to back in the Asia Road Racing Championship after two years of being away due to the pandemic. I feel quite confident coming into 2022 as we made big improvements on our Panigale V4R during our season in the national championship. After taking the overall title racing the Philippines in 2021, I feel more confident to perform at this high level competing against the best riders in the region. Really looking forward to racing with Access Plus Racing and Ducati Philippines once again and aiming for good results this year.”
Troy Alberto, WSSP300: “I’m so happy to have been given this opportunity by the Fusport – RT-Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki team to race in the Supersport 300 World Championship. The team is definitely one of the best out there and it will be exciting to be with them in 2022. It’s going to be an interesting year and my first in a world championship. I hope to achieve the maximum with the team.”
Toti Alberto, Team Principal: “2022 will be a banner year for Access Plus Racing with TJ and Troy racing in different championships. Good to be back in the ARRC after two years away due to the pandemic. We’re coming in with full confidence after TJ won the national championship in 2021 with Ducati. It’s also a great opportunity for Troy to race in Europe with the official Kawasaki Team. This is his chance to shine on an international level and will be the first Filipino rider in the championship. The team will be working hard to support both efforts and we’re praying for good results.”
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.
For more info and the latest updates about the team, follow www.facebook.com/AccessPlusRacingPH/ and riders www.facebook.com/TjAlberto7 and www.facebook.com/TroyAlberto9Official on Facebook.
