It’s now mission accomplished for Access Plus Racing and Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto as they conclude the Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) as 2024 champions. Heading into the season finale with a 39-point lead, Alberto cruised to a pair of 2nd place finishes at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) to secure a 4th consecutive title on the Ducati Panigale V4.

Mathematically, they only needed one more race win to take the championship. But on the contrary, a DNF could easily throw all that away. That’s why the team sided with caution, focusing on scoring points rather than race victories. With official partner Shell Advance, Alberto’s outright pace still allowed him to set a 1:48.310 lap during Qualifying to beat his previous record and earn him P2 on the grid for the races.

With his closest title rival starting from pole position, Alberto got off to a clean start in Race 1 and trailed behind Marvin Mangulabnan as they made their way around the 4.189 km circuit. He then kept the #189 Aprilia within his sights as the laps went by – just close enough to strike in case the opportunity arises but without pushing to the limits as not take any risks. In the end, Alberto comfortably crossed the finish line in 2nd place with one hand already on the championship trophy.

Given his points lead, Alberto only had to finish Race 2 and the title was his. But that didn’t stop him from giving Mangulabnan a run for his money. The pair raced to the chequered flag for one last time in 2024 with Alberto again taking 2nd place to claim the title of Rider of the Year for the 4th time in a row.

Adding to the team’s celebrations, the 2024 season was also a fitting send out to the 6th generation Ducati Panigale. Since making its PSBK debut in 2021, it has won 35 out of 42 race starts translating to a 72% win ratio. Access Plus Racing expects to debut the new upcoming Panigale in 2025 to chase for a 5th consecutive championship.

TJ Alberto, #77:

“I’m super happy to win my 4th PSBK title. It’s really an amazing feeling and I didn’t expect to reach this level when we started. I never even expected to win 1 championship and to have 4 now is a huge blessing. It’s been an amazing team effort by Access Plus Racing and it couldn’t be done without the help of the whole team. I feel that this year we showed that we can be competitive in all situations – on both tracks, in the wet or in the dry.”