The 2026 Turismo Carretera season is hurtling toward its dramatic conclusion. With only two rounds left on the calendar, the upcoming weekend in Río Cuarto will decide the final three drivers rounding out the 16-pilot field for the Copa de Oro Río Uruguay Seguros before the ultimate showdown in La Plata, leaving 13 drivers already locked in.
As things stand right now, Julián Santero, Marco Dianda, and Luis José Di Palma occupy the provisional last-minute qualification berths. But with 47 points still up for grabs, six other contenders are hunting them down fiercely. Santero leads this virtual battle holding 116,5 points in the tournament standings, sitting 12th in the general table with 292 points. Dianda holds 14th with 264 points, and Josito Di Palma sits 15th with 254 points, positioned just behind Hernán Palazzo in 13th who is already pre-qualified. Once these final spots are secured, the points tally resets for the Copa.
Diego Azar leads the chasing pack as the fourth man in contention. Currently 16th in the general standings with 250 points, the driver from Del Viso is leaning on a strong Mercedes-Benz package and recent momentum from 5th and 6th place finishes in San Nicolás and Rosario respectively. His charge carries the weight of a specific goal for Maquin Parts: getting all three of their cars into the qualification zone. Right behind him sits Valentín Aguirre in 17th with 248,5 points, despite losing ground across the last three Copa rounds. Aguirre already holds a crucial victory in his pocket after winning the Carrera de los Millones in Rafaela, carrying 57,5 points toward the Copa and needing only a solid weekend coupled with misfortunes for his rivals to sneak through.
Further down the mathematical bubble, Elio Craparo occupies 18th place with 227,5 points, sitting 26,5 points away from Di Palma. Fresh off a 9th place finish in Rosario, Craparo needs a stellar weekend and a helping hand from trailing results ahead of him. Juan Tomás Catalan Magni finds himself 19th with 223 points, having watched a potential top-12 entry slip away due to a collision in Paraná that severely dented his Copa de Oro trajectory.
The long shots face an uphill battle. Germán Todino sits 20th with 216,5 points, trailing Josito by 37,5 points after a disastrous Rosario weekend where a promising 9th place grid spot unraveled into a 33rd place finish. Meanwhile, Emiliano Spataro anchors the mathematical possibilities in 21st with 213 units. The driver from Lanús faces a massive 41-point deficit to Di Palma, meaning he needs a miraculous alignment of chaotic results to break through.
Everything will be decided on November 15 when the 16 qualifiers are permanently etched in stone. With a point-and-a-half multiplier waiting at the final round in La Plata, the upper echelons of the table are bound for turbulence, leaving the door wide open. Todos adentro.
Turismo Carretera
