Here is a stat that tells you everything about how time moves in this championship. When Turismo Carretera last visited the autódromo in Rosario back in the 2019 season, Matías Rossi took a brilliant victory driving a Ford, with Gabriel Ponce de León and Christian Ledesma completing the podium behind him. Now, the category is finally returning to the Rosario venue for the weekend of October 25 to fulfill the thirteenth commitment of the year.
That makes this upcoming race a fascinating test of experience versus fresh blood, especially when you look at the 16 drivers currently fighting in the Copa de Oro. Out of those 16 contenders, a striking seven men were simply not part of that 2019 grid.
Take Julián Santero, for instance. Back in 2019, he only contested a single race in the entire category. As for the rest of the absent seven—Ignacio Fain, Facundo Chapur, Otto Fritzler, Marco Dianda, Hernán Palazzo, and Marcos Landa—they were not even in Turismo Carretera at the time.
That leaves nine drivers in the current Copa de Oro who actually survived that 2019 Rosario weekend, and their previous results paint a very clear picture of who knows the way around. Matías Rossi naturally leads that group with his 1st place win, followed by Christian Ledesma in 3rd, and Agustín Canapino taking 7th.
Further down that previous classification, José M. Urcera finished 10th, Mauricio Lambiris claimed 12th, and Mariano Werner brought his machine home in 15th. Rounding out the survivors from the 2019 field are Josito Di Palma down in 23rd, Jonatan Castellano in 25th, and Juan P. Gianini slotting into 32nd.
So, as the championship rolls into Rosario for this crucial thirteenth round of the season, the veterans carry the muscle memory of past battles, while the newcomers face a steep learning curve. It is going to be wild watching them sort it out.
