There was a sea of red clad riders at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) when the Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK), Pirelli Cup, and Ducati Cup all came together last July 8/9 on track. Better yet, there were 29 entries in total that took the Italian marque to victory lane be it a novice, intermediate, expert, or pro Ducatisti.
Double podiums in Philippine Superbike
The highlight of race weekend for Ducati was Access Plus Racing’s dominance in the Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK). Debuting the latest 2023-spec Panigale V4 R and V4 S, TJ Alberto and Lawrence Macalinao used their new machinery with great effect. The pair not only won both races in the Pro and Expert Classes, but they also scored a 1-3 finish overall in Race 1.
Josh Tan added to the team’s tally of wins in PSBK. He was practically unchallenged in the Intermediate and Novice Classes and won both races.
Pirelli Cup’s all-Ducati podium
Ducati also demonstrated its calibre when up against other machinery in the Pirelli Cup with the camp attaining a total podium lockout across the different classes.
Jan Timbol, Zeng Huazhong, and Justin Guce earned Ducati a dominant 1-2-3 finish in Race 2 of the Super A Class with their Panigale V4s filling up the podium. Speaking on his exceptional results, Jan shares, “I felt more confident with the bike and evidently surprised myself with my performance in Race 2. Although not perfect, it was indeed a sensational comeback for me at CIS.”
The Heavyweight B’s podium was also filled with Ducatisti. Daniel James Dale, Lester Milan, and Paolo Aguilar snagged 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, respectively in Race 1. They then repeated the performance in Race 2, but with Lester and Daniel swapping places this time around.
Subsequently in the Naked Class, Ric Cruz and Michael David crossed the finish 1-2 in their Streetfighter V4, while Pong Lacson stayed close in 3rd on his Hypermotard RVE. Rookie Class standout Jade Ragalario donned the Ducati colors for his own Panigale V4 in pursuit of his win in the Rookie Class.
Ducati Cup is back!
The emphasis of the brand’s flagship Ducati Cup has always been to help jumpstart the racing career of any rider, giving them a proper avenue to compete, build their skill, and eventually move up to the Pirelli Cup and national series. It also allows new faces to share the same track with veterans and let talent shine through. One such example is rookie Ryu Hyomin, who placed his Panigale V4 alongside more experienced riders and score a best 5th place finish on the cup’s return in 2023.
Then there are the likes of rookie Dr. Diego Mangahas and tenured racer John Defensor who had different experiences on track. Dr. Mangahas was determined to make his mark on his first Ducati Cup appearance and was pleased he performed better than he expected. As for John, he had doubts coming to the track since this was his first race in almost 3 years. Ultimately, he tallied respectable results for the event despite his age and enjoyed giving insights to new racers.
The cup was best highlighted by experts Tofu Guzman and Jan Timbol who notched a win each. Tofu, who also coaches other riders, expresses his biggest achievement in the fixture was the wins of his students, “My boys Jade Regalario, Ric Cruz, and Pong Lacson ended up being last in their classes during the qualifying. However, when the race started they showed them what we had to give and take the championship home.”
Truly it was unforgettable race weekend for Ducati Philippines and its riders. Not only did they show the brand’s abilities on track, but also proved that it can win on different categories even with a diverse group of rider skill.
Toti Alberto, Ducati Philippines President: “First of all, I’m happy and thankful to the Lord that everything went well for the race. We got a perfect score for TJ, Lawrence, and especially the Ducati racers in the Pirelli Cup, which was a really good showing for the brand. We won all the classes 1-2-3.”
