Alberto best in Superbikes Series

MANILA, Philippines – TJ Alberto sizzled in the rain-drenched final race, beating his more experienced rivals to post a second straight win in the Superbikes Open class of the Pirelli Superbikes Series at the Batangas Racing Circuit recently.

The Team Ducati Philippines mainstay posted the day’s second fastest laptime of 1:43.990 in the eighth lap en route to a 17-minute, 39.691-second effort over the 10-lap Final race of the series’ second leg.

He nipped Marvin Mangulabnan of BMW Racing Team, who submitted the day’s fastest time at 1:43.767, by 0.304 seconds.

Top guns Dashi Watanabe and defending champion Raniel Resuello of RGUTZ-Wheeltek Racing Team struggled in wet condition and wound up third and fourth, respectively, with Paul Mark Doblada placing fifth in the event which served as part of the Eneos Philippine Motorsports Championship season sanctioned by the Superbikes Racing Association (SBRA) and sponsored by Pirelli and Eneos with media partners Inside Racing Magazine, Torque Magazine, Motorcycle World Magazine, Motorsiklo Xklusibo @ dzME 1530, Ride and Drive Philippines, Motorsiklo News Magazine and BMW Motorad as official safety car.

Resuello was actually disqualified for using a wrong set of tires in the pre-final race that could stymie his bid for back-to-back titles. 

But RGUTZ-Wheeltek Racing team manager actor Richard Gutierrez claimed otherwise and has elevated the case to the Superbikes Racing Association (SBRA).

Clerk-of-Course Elson Carpio, however, said they came out with a circular to all riders stressing the same types of dry and wet tires used in the kickoff leg remain the official tires for the series and not the new Pirelli Intermediate tires that gives riders better traction under light drizzle.