Troy Alberto shows wares at Thai Talent Cup, secures 4th place
SIXTEEN-YEAR- OLD Filipino superbike racer Troy Alberto recently competed at the Thai Talent Cup (TTC), making a good account of himself by securing a fourth-place finish.
Riding for Honda Philippines, Inc., Alberto started off with a strong fifth-place finish in the first race of the event held from June 14 to 17, before managing to improve on it with an even stronger fourthplace finish in the second race.
It marked the second time that Alberto finished fourth in the TTC, which is an international race making use of the Honda NSF250R and is geared towards offering great opportunities for young aspiring riders to compete against some of Asia’s best talents.
Falling short of a podium finish, Alberto said he is more determined than ever now to improve himself and show what he can do in the upcoming races.
The Filipino racer was just a tenth behind the third-placer.
Thailand’s Piyawat Patoomyos was first place with a total time of 18:19.920, followed by Indonesia’s Herjun Atna Firdaus at 18:19.927, and Thai Warit Thongnoppakun at 18:28.170.
Alberto’s total time was 18:40.278.
But more than just finishing on the podium, Alberto said that he hopes through his participation in events like the TTC, more attention can be given to the sport of motorcycle racing, which he said is constantly growing in the country.
“Over the past few years the motorcycle community and racing here have grown a lot. We have a lot of racers participating in the local series here. Usually in a regular race we get hundreds of riders coming there to compete or watch. Also there have been Filipino riders who have been able to compete in international competitions. It’s definitely a growing sport and it will have a lot of potential for sure,” said Alberto, whose father Toti is also a multi-awarded superbike racer, in an earlier interview with BusinessWorld.
He went on to say that he hopes more young kids get inspired of what he is doing and pick up the sport.
As for his partnership with Honda Philippines, it is something he is very grateful for and vows to repay the trust given to him by the group with podium finishes and more success. —