Ducati’s Flawless Debut: Alberto Brothers Dominate PSBK

Ducati’s New Panigale V4 Crushes Competitors as Access Plus Racing Dominates the Philippine Superbike Championship with Back-to-Back Perfect Finishes

Access Plus Racing dominated Round 2 of the 2026 Philippine Superbike Championship, securing consecutive 1–2 finishes to mark a flawless debut for Ducati’s 7th-generation Panigale V4. Despite heavy rain severely limiting practice, Troy Alberto took pole position before reigning champion TJ Alberto swept both Sunday races. Under shifting track conditions, the brothers outpaced Japanese guest rider Akito Haga, who finished third. The team now heads into a two-month break focused on further developing the new superbike.

– Diana Lyn A | Traff ic Network PH

New Ducati Panigale V4 scores perfect PSBK debut with Access Plus Racing at CIS

OFFICIAL RELEASE: Acces Plus | PUBLISHER: ADVAI

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 victories despite limited preparation and challenging conditions.

Preparations for the new machine were far from ideal as heavy rain drenched the circuit throughout Thursday and Friday, significantly reducing valuable track time.

Still, the wet conditions allowed Access Plus Racing to continue evaluating the new Panigale V4. The team also introduced a revised fairing package on TJ Alberto’s bike. With time running short before the start of the weekend, the new bodywork remained in bare carbon fiber, with only sponsor decals applied before the official sessions.

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 Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto qualified alongside him in P2.

Race 1 on Sunday was held under overcast skies. Troy maintained the lead heading into Turn 1 as the Alberto 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 gradually began extending his advantage. By the chequered flag, the reigning champion had opened a comfortable 4.060 secs lead over his younger brother. Troy secured 2nd place to complete a dominant 1–2 finish for the new Panigale V4 on its PSBK debut.

Japanese guest rider Akito Haga, son of World Superbike race winner Noriyuki Haga, finished a distant 3rd aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1.

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.

With grip levels constantly changing throughout the race, conditions proved difficult for the entire field. Nevertheless, the Alberto brothers once again controlled proceedings at the front. TJ maintained his advantage to the chequered flag, 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.

For more info and the latest updates about the team, follow www.facebook.com/AccessPlusRacingPH/, www.facebook.com/TjAlberto7/, and www.facebook.com/TroyAlberto9Official.