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Turismo Carretera Prepares for Wildcard Cutoff
Turismo Carretera will contest the penultimate round of its 2026 season on November 15 at Río Cuarto, where the final three transfer berths for the Copa de Oro championship playoff will be determined. Known under category regulations as the '3 de último minuto', these wildcard entries will expand the title-eligible field to 16 competitors ahead of the season finale at La Plata. With 47 points available across the weekend in Córdoba, nine drivers remain mathematically eligible to claim the remaining playoff places. To decide these final three spots, series officials evaluate the highest-scoring drivers outside the initial postseason group who failed to qualify at the conclusion of the 10-round Regular Stage in Paraná. In an unprecedented scenario for the championship, 13 drivers initially gained entry to the 2026 Copa de Oro after Juan Pablo Gianini earned an automatic place by winning the Torneo de Carreras Especiales.
Santero Leads Current Transfer Positions
Heading into the Río Cuarto round, Julián Santero, Marco Dianda, and Luis José Di Palma currently occupy the three provisional transfer places in the standings. Santero leads the battle from 12th in the overall championship on 292 points at the wheel of a BMW. Dianda trails him by 28 points from 14th position in his Dodge Challenger, while Di Palma holds the third cutoff place in 15th overall with a 38-point deficit to Santero aboard a Toyota Camry. Sitting between them in 13th is Hernán Palazzo, who has already qualified for the Copa. Once the Río Cuarto race concludes, points accumulated across the four Copa rounds by the three advancing drivers will be credited to their playoff totals. Under that scoring rule, Santero would currently assume the virtual championship lead with 116.5 points.
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Immediate Contenders Chasing the Playoff Cutoff
The closest challenger to the transfer boundary is Diego Azar, who holds 16th in the general classification on 250 points, trailing Di Palma by just four units. The Del Viso competitor enters the event following consecutive top-six finishes—taking fifth at San Nicolás and sixth at Rosario—as he aims to qualify all three Mercedes-Benz entries run by the debutant Prestige Auto Racing Team into the title fight. Directly behind him, Valentín Aguirre occupies 17th with 248.5 points, sitting 5.5 points away from the cutoff mark. Although Aguirre lost ground during the opening three playoff events, the Arrecifes racer retains a decisive advantage: he already secured the mandatory victory required by regulation after winning the Carrera de los Millones at Rafaela, and carries 57.5 virtual points for the championship decider.
Outside Challengers Facing Deficits in Córdoba
Further down the standings, Elio Craparo ranks 18th with 227.5 points, facing a 26.5-point gap to Di Palma's cutoff position after finishing ninth in Rosario aboard his Ford Mustang. Juan Tomás Catalán Magni sits 19th on 223 points, 31 adrift of qualification. The Arrecifes driver narrowly missed direct entry during the Regular Stage finale in Paraná following on-track contact before enduring difficult subsequent outings. Catalán Magni started the season driving a Toyota Camry for Azar Motorsport before returning to his family squad ahead of round nine in San Juan, taking over the Chevrolet Camaro vacated by Matías Canapino upon moving to Torino. The steepest climbs belong to Germán Todino and Emiliano Spataro. Todino holds 20th with 216.5 points, 37.5 behind Di Palma in his Ford Mustang. Spataro completes the eligible contenders in 21st on 213 points, trailing by 41 points with only 47 remaining. The championship will conclude on December 6 at La Plata, where the finale awards 1.5 times standard points, providing 70.5 points to the 16 contenders eligible to compete for the crown.
