Honda Philippines-Okada Manila-Access Plus Racing completed a successful ARRC debut in Malaysia over the weekend, delivering two Top 10 finishes in SS600 with Troy Alberto onboard a CBR600RR.
The Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI) Racing Team rider took full advantage of the pre-season test earlier in the week to adapt his riding style to the new machine. Over the course of several days, the young Filipino managed to shave nearly two full seconds off his lap around the Sepang International Circuit. This allowed him to Qualify on the fifth row on the grid for both races from March 7-8.
Powered by Shell V Power, Alberto would get a clean start in Race 1 on Saturday and neatly tucked behind the lead pack. He then found his way past several riders to slot into P10 before making a move on the very last lap to take 9th at the chequered flag.
The SS600 Race 2 on Sunday saw a repeat performance from the 18-year-old. After escaping the opening lap chaos that caused a restart, Alberto kept his head down and focused on making it to the finish line. A clean run rewarded him and Honda Philippines-Okada Manila-Access Plus Racing with 10th place to wrap up a productive race weekend.
The team now has a two month break before the ARRC resumes at The Bend Motorsports Park in Australia on May 7-10.
HPI’s entry in the ARRC is in line with Honda’s ONE DREAM campaign, which aims to make Honda Motorcycles serve as tools in achieving Filipino’s dreams.
Troy Alberto, #69 Honda: “I’m quite happy with my and the team’s progress throughout testing and the race weekend. Our lap times were close to the front during the pre-season testing and made consistent progress to develop the Honda CBR600RR. Glad to have finished in the top 10 in both races and we’re confident that we can improve further in the succeeding rounds. Our focus is now on Australia where we aim to get more out of the bike and try to close the gap to the front.”
Toti Alberto, Team Principal: “This was a first for both Troy and the team to enter SS600, so we’re relieved to have delivered such good results on our debut. The pre-season test really helped us a lot in learning the CBR600RR’s characteristics, which allowed Troy to effectively race it to a top 10 finish over the weekend. Thrilled to be closely working with Honda Philippines Inc. in the ARRC and hope we can do even better when we visit Australia in May.”
Honda Philippines-Okada Manila-Access Plus Racing is sponsored by Honda Philippines Inc., Okada Manila, Macbeth, Öhlins Philippines, AELLA, Lv8, Standard Insurance, and Shell V Power.
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