Twenty-six years inside Turismo Carretera is quite literally a lifetime in motorsport. Emiliano Spataro reaches his 350th race in the category this weekend in San Nicolás, and he is doing it behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang prepped right in his own workshop in his native Lanús.
It is a remarkable longevity for a driver who first stepped into a Turismo Carretera machine back in 2002 at Mar de Ajó, driving a Ford Falcon for Satriano Sport. Over that massive span, the veteran has collected 4 victories, 10 podiums, and a single pole position. Guillermo Ortelli, now sitting on the ACTC board of directors, formally recognized Spataro's immense milestone and career.
Looking back at where it all started, Spataro fondly recalled that initial Falcon entry prepared by Emilio Satriano and engineered by Maxi Juárez—noting it was an all-blue car wrapped in very sparse sponsorships. His journey to the top step of the podium spans multiple manufacturers and iconic Argentine circuits. The first win came on June 13 in Posadas aboard a Chevrolet, followed by a triumph in 2011 at the legendary Autódromo Óscar y Juan Galvez in Buenos Aires driving a Dodge. By 2017, he conquered Posadas once more with a Torino, before securing his most recent victory that same year at the historic high-speed oval of Rafaela during the famous Carrera de los Millones, again with the Torino brand.
"I never thought I was going to reach so many races, but hey, I had a good time during almost most of those races, in some more, in others less, but I am really happy to have been in the category for so long," Spataro said.
Now sitting sixth on the all-time appearance list behind Christian Ledesma (431), Guillermo Ortelli (409), Omar Martínez (367), Norberto Fontana (354), and Roberto “Tito” Urretavizcaya (352), Spataro is closing in on Urretavizcaya's mark of 352 starts. Yet records are clearly not his primary motivation. "It is nice to be able to stay so long in a category where so many important names have passed, like Tito's and like many other drivers who have made what we have today with the great category we have," Spataro noted. "So I will try to continue many more, not to break records, but because I like to drive the race car."
True to his old-school roots, Spataro remains deeply hands-on with the mechanical and technical preparation of his machine. He spends countless hours working directly on the car and collaborating with engineers to extract performance, a rare luxury in modern elite motorsport.
Currently sitting 17th in the 2026 championship standings, Spataro arrived in San Nicolás looking to secure a spot as one of the three 'last-minute' qualifiers for the championship showdown in La Plata. He opened the weekend by qualifying 19th, sitting 8 tenths off the pace of the poleman.
