Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila stretches championship lead ahead of PSBK 2021 season finale

By motoph admin on December 14, 2021

Post Views: 689

Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila already has one hand on the Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) title after a flawless performance from Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto during the penultimate round of 2021. His younger brother Troy also helped secure a 1-3 finish, demonstrating the team’s dominance in the series.

TJ began his title defense by qualifying on pole position on Friday and was over a second quicker than the entire field. He then converted this into a win come Saturday morning. But more impressively he shattered the Clark International Speedway (CIS) lap record once again, this time with a 1:49.850 lap on board the #77 Ducati Panigale V4R. Troy was not so far behind. Holding onto P3 for most of the race, he slipped back to 4th on only the very last lap and missed out on a podium finish. Their father Toti Alberto, on the other hand, sided with caution as not to take any risks and ensure his lead in the Masters Class standings. He crossed the line 11th overall and 2nd in class to pick up valuable points.

Race 2 in the afternoon saw TJ repeat his lights-to-flag victory, making it his 9th race win of the season. More importantly, it further increases his points lead to now 42 points. Meanwhile, Troy enjoyed a better run on the Okada Manila-liveried Honda CBR1000RR to secure a 3rd place finish when the chequered flag dropped and joined his older brother on the podium. It was another strategic run for Toti, ending up 9th overall but with another crucial 2nd place in class.

TJ now heads to the season finale on December 12 with a 42 points lead in the championship. Mathematically, he can secure the Rider of the Year and Expert Class crowns if he wins Race 1 with a race to spare. Likewise, Toti Alberto is on route to taking the Masters Class title on Sunday.

TJ Alberto: “Quite surprised that we set a new lap record in Race 1, even quicker than my time in Qualifying. But what’s important is that we came home with 2 race wins and increase our lead in the championship. So we head to the final round with a 42 lead ahead of Dashi who’s 2nd in the standings. There’s a chance to take the title with a race to spare and hoping that all goes well tomorrow.”

Troy Alberto: “We had a good day today. We finished 4th in Race 1 after holding 3rd until the last lap while in Race 2 we ended in 3rd. With only 2 races left in the championship I’m still looking to finish in 2nd or get a win if possible. We’re a only a little bit off the pace of TJ and I feel I’m able to keep close with the other title contenders. It’s been difficult at first but we’re slowly making progress with our bike. Let’s see how tomorrow goes and I’ll be doing my best to round off the season on a high.”

Toti Alberto: “The team is really happy to see TJ and Troy on the podium today. Glad all our hard work paid off. But the weekend is not over yet. We still have 2 races tomorrow where we hope to take the championship for TJ and myself. Everyone at Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila will be putting all our efforts to make sure we end the 2021 season on a high.”

Access Plus Racing-Okada Manila is sponsored by Okada Manila, Essenza, Macbeth, Öhlins Philippines, AELLA, Lv8, and Ducati Philippines.