Access Plus Racing continued its dominant start to the 2026 Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK), securing another pair of 1–2 finishes at Clark International Speedway (CIS). More importantly, the weekend marked the successful race debut of Ducati’s all-new 7th-generation Panigale V4, which delivered two outright victories.
Preparations for the new machine were far from ideal as heavy rain drenched the circuit throughout Thursday and Friday.
Still, the wet conditions allowed Access Plus Racing to continue evaluating the new Panigale V4. The team also introduced a revised fairing package on Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto’s bike, which was run in bare carbon fiber.
A break in the weather on Saturday finally allowed Qualifying to take place in dry conditions. Despite having completed very little dry running with the new motorcycle, the Alberto brothers once again found themselves at the front of the field. Troy Alberto secured pole position while older brother TJ qualified alongside him in P2.
Race 1 on Sunday was held under overcast skies. Troy maintained the lead heading into Turn 1 as the brothers quickly established themselves at the front of the field. The pair soon broke away from the rest of the grid, turning the race into a battle between teammates. TJ eventually found a way past on lap 3 and held position until the chequered flag dropped, finishing 4.060 secs ahead of his younger brother. Troy secured 2nd place to complete a dominant 1–2 finish for the new Panigale V4 on its PSBK debut.
Rain returned for Race 2 later in the afternoon, forcing officials to shorten the race distance by two laps. This time, TJ started from pole position and successfully held the lead into Turn 1 despite pressure from Troy alongside him. TJ maintained his advantage to the end, while Troy secured 2nd place to complete another Access Plus Racing 1–2 finish. Haga once again completed the podium in 3rd aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1.
The result capped off a perfect debut weekend for Ducati’s latest superbike. Despite limited preparation and challenging weather conditions throughout the weekend, the 7th-generation Panigale V4 immediately demonstrated its potential by sweeping both races on its PSBK debut.
The season now enters a lengthy two-month break before returning to CIS for Round 3 on August 1–2. The break will give Access Plus Racing valuable time to further develop the new machine.
TJ Alberto, #77: “We’re very happy with the results this weekend, especially considering it was the first race outing for the new Panigale V4. It was also great to have Akito Haga join the grid. His father, Noriyuki Haga, is a legend of the sport, so it was a privilege to race against someone carrying that name. At the same time, we know the competition will only get tougher from here as more riders join the championship, so we’ll keep working hard and continue developing the bike.”
Troy Alberto, #69: “It was a successful weekend for us. Things were a bit complicated at the start because we had very little track time on Thursday and Friday due to the heavy rain, but I was happy with the feeling I had on the bike right away. Considering how limited our running was, I think we made good progress throughout the weekend and learned a lot about both the Panigale V4 and V2. To come away with strong results in both the SBK and SSP classes was a great way to end the weekend.”
Toti Alberto (Team Principal): “Happy to come away with another pair of 1–2 finishes, especially on the debut weekend of the new Panigale V4. But we’re also realistic about where we are in the development process. The results are encouraging, but we know there’s still a lot more performance to unlock from the bike. We can’t afford to be complacent because the competition will only continue to grow as more riders join the championship. Our focus now is to keep developing the package and make sure we’re ready for the challenges ahead.”
Access Plus Racing is sponsored by Ducati Philippines, Shell Advance, Brembo, Öhlins Racing, Sprint Filter, Macbeth, DID Chains, Aella, Motoworld, Capit Performance, LV8 – Elevate, Extreme Components, and Rudy Project.
