The Alberto name will again make waves in the global motorcycle road racing scene in 2022. But it’s not TJ as you might suspect. This time it’s his younger brother Troy Alberto who has been called up to compete in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship by Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki.
Troy has had his fair share of races outside the country in the past. He entered the Honda Thailand Talent Cup for 2 seasons, Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup in ’18, and Asia Road Racing Championship with a 9th best place in SS600. Although he has previous experience competing in Europe, as a wildcard entry in the FIM CEV European Talent Cup, this will be his very first full season in a world championship.
When the season kicks off at MotorLand Aragon in April, Troy will become the very first rider in the Philippines to compete in WorldSSP300. 30 riders have been confirmed so far and should be a good opportunity for the 20-year-old to show what Filipino riders can do. It’s good to know that he 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. Surely, there’s also much to learn from his teammate Dirk Geiger. The German rider claimed both the ADAC German Cup and ADAC Northern European Cup Moto3 titles before making his official Moto3 debut at the ’19 German Grand Prix. Last season, he competed in the German Supersport 300 Championship to claim 4 wins and 4th in the standings.
The 2022 calendar will run alongside the World Superbike Championship and take Troy to legendary circuits such as Estoril, Magny Cours, Catalunya, Algarve, and Philip Island just to name a few. But due of the busy schedule, he’ll have to stay in Europe for most of the year and away from his family, which he admits will be difficult getting used to.
2022 World Supersport 300 Race Calendar
Round 1 | April 8-10 (MotorLand Aragon, Spain)
Round 2 | April 22-24 (TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands)
Round 3 | May 20-22 (Circuito do Estoril, Portugal)
Round 4 | June 10-12 (Misano World Circuit, Italy)
Round 5 | July 15-17 (Donington Park, United Kingdom)
Round 6 | July 29-31 (Autodrom Most, Czech Republic)
Round 7 | September 9-11 (Circuit de Nevers Magny Cours, France)
Round 8 | September 23-25 (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain)
Round 9 | October 7-9 (Algarve International Circuit, Portugal)
Round 10 | October 21-23 (Circuito San Juan Villicum, Argentina)
Round 11 | November 11-13 (Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia)
Round 12 | TBA (Philip Island GP Circuit, Australia)
Another challenge is learning the team’s Kawasaki Ninja 400. Troy expects it to feel close to a Moto3 bike, which has ridden before, but there’s definitely going to be a steep learning curve finding the limits of the new machine. As a newcomer to WorldSSP300, his first goal would be to finish in the points then in the top 10. While it would be a dream to finish on the podium, Troy’s main focus is to give it his best and see how the season goes.
Troy Alberto: “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. I’m thankful for my parents and family for supporting me and guiding me to become a better racer. It’s going to be an interesting year and my first in a world championship. I hope to achieve the maximum with the team. This means I will no longer be continuing with Honda Philippines. I’ve been with Honda since 2017 and I want to thank them for all the support they have given me these past few years. Thank you also to Access Plus Racing for supporting me all my career, as well as my sponsors Okada Manila, MotoWorld, Angkas, MacBeth, and TeaGUMPs. Lastly. Thank you also to God for blessing me with this opportunity.”
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