Access Plus Racing to debut 2023-spec Ducati Panigale V4 in bid for PSBK hat trick | Motourismo

Access Plus Racing, the most dominant team in recent Philippine Superbike Championship (PSBK) history confirms a 2-bike entry in the series for this year. And their goal for the new season is to score a title hat trick using the lighter, smarter, and faster 2023-spec Ducati Panigale V4.

Timothy Joseph “TJ” Alberto will be chasing after a third consecutive Overall and Expert Class PSBK title on board a brand new Panigale V4 R. Ducati further enhanced its flagship superbike, making this iteration the closest ever production model to a competition WorldSBK bike. The most prominent change is the new 998 cc Desmosedici Stradale R that, when fitted with an Akrapovič exhaust and use a new performance oil developed by Shell, delivers a maximum 240.5 horsepower.

Revised gear ratios, a new dry clutch, and an updated Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO 2 likewise aid its usability on track. There are also new suspension components and aerodynamic package that allows the 2023-spec Panigale V4 R to take on corners with even greater confidence.

With a new #77 machine underneath him, Alberto is looking to beat his previous best of winning 10 out of the 12 races which he achieved in 2021. He will also attempt to take back the Clark Internatonal Speedway (CIS) track record that was only broken by  Lorenzo Zanetti (Ducati) late last year.

His teammate will be Lawrence Macalinao who has been called up to race for Access Plus Racing again after an impressive debut season with the team. He claimed five wins and six podium finishes in total to end up 2nd in the Intermediate Class championship in 2022. This year, he will also get a brand new #26 Ducat Panigale V4 S for his class title bid.

The 2023-spec Panigale V4 S features the most significant evolution since the year of its launch with improvements that affects every aspect of the bike in terms of aerodynamics, engine, chassis, and electronics. Changes were also made to improve cooling and refine the Ducat Traction Control (DTC) and Ride by Wire systems.

Philippine Superbike Championship 2023 Calendar:

Round 1 | May 6-7 (Batangas Racing Circuit)

Round 2 | June 3-4 (Batangas Racing Circuit)

Round 3 | July 1-2 (Clark Internatonal Speedway)

Round 4 | August 5-6 (Clark Internatonal Speedway)

Round 5 | September 2-3 (Batangas Racing Circuit)

Round 6 | October 14-15 (Clark Internatonal Speedway)

The six-round calendar kicks off on the 6th of May at the Batangas Racing Circuit. It will then shuffle to-and-from the Clark International Speedway until the season finale on the 14th of October 2023.

TJ Alberto, #77 says, “Looking forward to my third season in PSBK with Access Plus Racing and Ducati Philippines. Like last year, the goal is to defend the title and win it for a third year in a row. It's been an amazing ride so far. I'm really happy with the team's performance since we returned to the series in 2021. We're also looking forward to racing the new 2023 Panigale V4 R and make the most out of the upgrades from Ducati. Access Plus Racing has some new partners this year and I'm excited to show them what the team is all about and make them proud. Our focus is always to improve on our own performance, chase after race wins, and hopefully get another great year in 2023.”

Lawrence Macalinao, #26 reveals, “I'm grateful for this opportunity to race again with Access Plus Racing. We enjoyed good results last year and I believe that we can improve on them even further in 2023. It was only in the later part of last season where I truly began to understand the Panigale V4 S and we should be able to maximize its full potential in the new championship. My goal is to improve my performance and deliver strong results enough to capture the Intermediate Class title. It's also my personal goal to get close to the Expert Class riders and match their pace. Really thankful to the people behind Access Plus Racing, Ducati Philippines, and the Alberto family.”

“It's going to be a very exciting season in PSBK. Access Plus Racing is happy to have TJ and Lawrence back in the team after a successful tandem last year. We're going for a hat-trick in the Overall and Expert Class championship with TJ and aiming to claim the Intermediate Class title with Lawrence," said Ducati Philippines president, Toti Alberto. "The team is also happy to get our hands on the latest 2023-spec Panigale V4 R and V4 S, which will greatly boost our performance on track. The formula we've been using in the last few years has been successful and we'll just build upon on that. Thanking God for making all of this possible and hope to have another great year in 2023,” Alberto added.

Access Plus Racing is sponsored by Ducati Philippines, Angkas, Shell Advance Motorcycle Oils, Frontrow, Makati Diamond Residences, Katinko Oil and Ointment, Macbeth, Aella, LV8 Elevate, Extreme Components, STM, and Öhlins Racing.

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

www.facebook.com/TjAlberto7 on Facebook.