Turismo Carretera

• Category — Stock cars • Country Region — Argentina • Inaugural — 1937 • Champion Driver — Agustín Canapino • Champion Team — Canning Motorsports • Manufacturer — Chevrolet • Website — ACTC.org.ar • Current Season — Turismo Carretera

• Illustration — Ángel Lo Valvo wins the first official Turismo Carretera event – the 1937 Gran Premio Argentino de Carretera. • Illustration — Production-based coupés remained in use into the 1950s. • Illustration — Prototype cars, such as the Trueno Naranja, rose to prominence in the late-1960s. • Illustration — The series began to evolve into the current format during the 1970s. • Illustration — The Dodge brand won eight of the ten championships in the 1980s. • Illustration — Outdated Dodge and Torino models (pictured in 2006) received Jeep mechanical componentry to keep them competitive during the 1990s. • Illustration — "Gurí" Martínez won his second championship in 2015. The series was established under the Argentine Automobile Club as the "Campeonato Argentino de Velocidad" in 1937 and re-named Turismo Carretera two years later, however its roots can be traced back to the loosely organised Grands Prix de Carretera of the 1910s. Events were held on open roads, across asphalt and dirt surfaces, and were held as both circuit and rally-style stage races. Competitors used lightly modified production coupés, and employed navigators due to the nature of the races. Future Formula One World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio was among the first drivers to find success in the category, winning back-to-back titles in the early-1940s, before the brothers Gálvez (Oscar and Juan) shared fourteen out of fifteen titles in a row in the post-World War II period. The most infamous event during this time was the 1948 South American Grand Prix, a 9,500km stage race from Buenos Aires to Caracas. In the 1960s, competitors began to further experiment with modifications as the coupés gave way to prototype versions of locally made sedans; examples of such include the 1967 and 1969-winning Liebre Torinos (breaking Ford and Chevrolet's duopoly on championships) and the 1968-winning Trueno Naranja. In 1970, the championship was split into two classes – one for road races, and another for events on permanent circuits – however only for the single season. In 1973, Nasif Estéfano became the series' first and only posthumous champion having died in a crash in the third-to-last event of the season. As the decade progressed, the prototypes were abandoned in favour of regulations that brought the series closer to its production-based roots whilst retaining the domestically built cars; a spin-off series for the prototypes was created, but slowly died out and later morphed into the TC2000 Championship. Héctor Gradassi and Juan María Traverso were the first to find success in the new formula – centred around Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and IKA Torino – before a feud between the governing bodies ACA and CADAD led to the prolonging of the 1979 season and the formation of the ACTC in 1981; an independent body that runs the competition to this day. The 1980s saw the rise of Dodge through their new GTX model, claiming 8 of the 10 championships that decade – four of coming via Roberto Mouras. In 1989, Chevrolet and Ford were given concessions related to engine compression, putting them at a significant technical advantage to the Dodge and now-outdated IKA Torino models; this was only rectified in 1995, when competitor abandonment of the Dodge and Torino led to the homologation of Jeep Cherokee engines to keep them competitive. Following the deaths of Mouras and Osvaldo Morresi, road races were discontinued by the category; the last was held in Santa Teresita in 1997. Despite the category achieving relative parity, Traverso and Guillermo Ortelli entered the new millennium as the leading contenders in Chevrolets, interspersed with titles for Ford and Dodge in the mid-2000s. In 2007, the death of Guillermo Castellanos in a crash at Comodoro Rivadavia led to a ban on navigators – a practice which, by that point, had largely been kept purely on the grounds of tradition. In 2008, a NASCAR-style "Chase" championship format was introduced (see below). In 2015, the category introduced modernised multi-valve engines. In the late-2010s and early-2020s, the championship was dominated by Agustín Canapino of Chevrolet and Mariano Werner of Ford, a rivalry which was only broken by Canapino briefly moving to IndyCar and a title for José Manuel Urcera in 2022 – the first for a Torino in 51 years. That same year, Toyota entered the category with a modern Camry, leading to the introduction of new models based on American pony cars two years later. Julián Santero won his first title in TC's new era after Ford stablemate Mariano Werner's car was sabotaged by spectators ahead of the final race of the season.

There are currently four tiers on the Turismo Carretera ladder. The top rung is Turismo Carretera itself, followed by TC Pista as the second division (established in 1995), TC Mouras as the third division (established in 2004 and named after driver Roberto Mouras) and TC Pista Mouras as the fourth division (established in 2008). Pista Mouras is considered the first step for drivers from regional race series to compete nationally. A fifth category, TC Pick Up, was introduced in 2017 as an alternative rung on the ladder whilst creating a platform for manufacturers to advertise their light commercial trucks – however, this category has resulted in the Argentine equivalent of "Buschwhacking" with Turismo Carretera regulars and former champions dominating events; in 2022, all but one of the eleven Finals were won by current or former TC drivers. • Tier — Championships • 1 — Turismo Carretera • 2 — TC Pista • 3 — TC Mouras — TC Pick Up • 4 — TC Pista Mouras — TC Pista Pick Up

Since 2008, Turismo Carretera has held a NASCAR-style "playoff" format alongside its regular championship to decide the champion. Called the Copa de Oro ("Gold Cup"), the playoffs are typically held over the final five events of a season (three in the COVID-affected 2020 season). The top twelve drivers in the championship after the final round before the playoffs make the cut. All drivers start on zero points, however the championship leader will receive a bonus 15 starting points, and every driver that won an event 'Final' (see below) will receive an additional 8 starting points per win. Ahead of the final round of the season, the top three drivers in the regular standings that did not qualify for the playoffs will be admitted along with the points they scored over the previous four rounds (two in 2020). No bonus points will be awarded to these "last chance qualifiers". Drivers that qualify for the Copa de Oro are differentiated from regular competitors by running gold numbers on the rear-passenger windows and gold paint on the front undertray.

In modern Turismo Carretera, there are "normal races" and "special races" in each season. The "normal races" have a format of one qualifying session (held on Saturday) and four races (held on Sunday) per weekend. The first three races – called Series (Heats) – split the field into three separate groups, which are formed from the results of qualifying. The fastest qualifier occupies first place in Heat 1, the second-fastest qualifier occupies first place in Heat 2, and third in Heat 3. The fourth-fastest driver in qualifying occupies second place on the grid in Heat 1, and so on until the entire field is divided into three. Each heat race is a five-lap sprint and defines the grid positions for the final race (or Final), usually held over 25 laps held in the afternoon. The winners of the three heats occupy the first three positions on the grid, in order of fastest to slowest race time. This process is then followed for the rest of the grid, with the order determined by first a drivers' heat position and then their race time. Drivers who did not finish on the lead lap in their heat race will be moved to the rear of the field for the Final, and their order will be determined by how many laps they complete in the Heats, followed by their race position and then their race time. In addition, there can be up to four "special races" (carreras especiales) held in the regular season before the playoffs. In 2023, three special races were held: one with a mandatory pitstop for refueling in La Pampa, the Carrera de los Milliones in Rafaela with a special monetary prize for the winner, and the Desafío de las Estrellas in Villicum where the grid is determined by a lottery and there are two mandatory stops to change tyres and refuel. Additionally, there is a Special Races Tournament (Torneo de Carreras Especiales) that gives the winner the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs if they have not made it through via their position the regular season standings.

Rules and flags mainly follow the same basic rules as motor racing in other parts of the world, however a distinct flag is used for safety car or caution periods – a horizontal triband of blue-white-red, similar to the former flag of Serbia and Montenegro, is used in this instance. Penalties for contact usually result in the offending driver being repositioned behind the affected driver in the final results, regardless of when the infraction occurred in the race. In the event that a driver does not finish a race due to the actions of another driver, the offender will be disqualified from the race – and if the affected driver cannot participate in any further sessions that weekend due to the damage sustained, the offending driver is excluded from the remainder of the event.

The circuits in 2025: • Autódromo Ciudad de Viedma • Autódromo Enrique Freile • Autódromo Parque Provincia del Neuquén • Autódromo Provincia de La Pampa • Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo • Autódromo Oscar Cabalén • Autódromo Rosamonte • Autódromo de Concepción del Uruguay • Circuito San Juan Villicum • Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez • Autódromo Rosendo Hernández • Autódromo Juan María Traverso • Autódromo Ciudad de Paraná • Autódromo Roberto Mouras

Turismo Carretera cars are built by individual teams and constructors to a set of regulations designed to create parity between the various manufacturers involved. Since the 1970s, four manufacturers have been concurrently represented in Turismo Carretera using Argentine-built models – Chevrolet with the Nova, Dodge with the GTX, Ford with the Falcon, and Industrias Kaiser Argentina with the Torino; Toyota joined in 2022 with the Camry XV70. The Dodge GTX and IKA Torino were originally equipped with Slant Six and Tornado engines respectively, but both moved to Chrysler Cherokee engines in the mid-1990s – the Toyota has exclusively run with a Cherokee engine since its original homologation in 2022. In 2024, the vehicles were upgraded to their modern counterparts with a focus on retaining OEM styling; the previous cars had all evolved to look very similar. Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford switched to American pony cars in the form of the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang respectively, whilst Toyota retained the still-new Camry but redesigned the front end; a concept Torino was created as IKA went out of business in 1975. From 2026, Mercedes-Benz and BMW will enter the championship with models based on the CLE 53 and M4 respectively.

• Chassis construction: Tubular silhouettes • Engine displacement: Inline-six, 3260 cc to 3310 cc – varies between engine manufacturers. • Aspiration: Natural • Fuel delivery: 2 dual-body Weber 48-48 IDA carburetors • Fuel capacity: 100 L • Fuel: Shell V-Power • Tires: Neumáticos de Avanzada, 16 inches • Minimum weight: 1300 kg to 1315 kg – varies between engine manufacturers. • Power output: Approximately 450 hp between 8,800 and 9,000 RPM – RPM varies between engine manufacturers. • Rear track width: 2010 mm maximum • Wheelbase: 2723 mm to 2849 mm – varies between vehicles. • Gearbox: Sáenz TT3 6-speed manual sequential + 1 reverse • Steering: Rack and pinion • Drivetrain: FR layout

• Illustration — Brothers Juan (left) and Oscar Gálvez (right) won a combined fourteen Turismo Carretera championships between 1947 and 1961. • Year — Driver — Car • Campeonato Argentino de Velocidad • 1937 — Eduardo Pedrazzini — Ford • 1938 — Ricardo Leopoldo Risatti — Ford • Turismo Carretera • 1939 — Ángel Lo Valvo — Ford • 1940 — Juan Manuel Fangio — Chevrolet • 1941 — Juan Manuel Fangio — Chevrolet • 1942 — Cancelled • 1943–1946 — Not held • 1947 — Oscar Gálvez — Ford • 1948 — Oscar Gálvez — Ford • 1949 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1950 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1951 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1952 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1953 — Oscar Gálvez — Ford • 1954 — Oscar Gálvez — Ford • 1955 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1956 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1957 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1958 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1959 — Rodolfo de Álzaga — Ford • 1960 — Juan Gálvez — Ford • 1961 — Oscar Gálvez — Ford • 1962 — Dante Emiliozzi — Ford • 1963 — Dante Emiliozzi — Ford • 1964 — Dante Emiliozzi — Ford • 1965 — Dante Emiliozzi — Ford • 1966 — Juan Manuel Bordeu — Chevrolet • 1967 — Eduardo Copello — Torino • 1968 — Carlos Pairetti — Chevrolet • 1969 — Gastón Perkins — Torino • 1970 — Rubén Luis di Palma — Torino • 1971 — Rubén Luis di Palma — Torino • 1972 — Héctor Gradassi — Ford • 1973 — Nasif Estéfano — Ford • 1974 — Héctor Gradassi — Ford • 1975 — Héctor Gradassi — Ford • 1976 — Héctor Gradassi — Ford • 1977 — Juan María Traverso — Ford • 1978 — Juan María Traverso — Ford • 1979–1980 — Francisco Espinosa — Chevrolet • 1980–1981 — Antonio Aventín — Dodge • 1981 — Roberto Mouras — Dodge • 1982 — Jorge Martínez Boero — Ford • 1983 — Roberto Mouras — Dodge • 1984 — Roberto Mouras — Dodge • 1985 — Roberto Mouras — Dodge • 1986 — Oscar Angeletti — Dodge • 1987 — Oscar Castellano — Dodge • 1988 — Oscar Castellano — Dodge • 1989 — Oscar Castellano — Ford • 1990 — Emilio Satriano — Chevrolet • 1991 — Oscar Aventín — Ford • 1992 — Oscar Aventín — Ford • 1993 — Walter Hernández — Ford • 1994 — Eduardo Ramos — Ford • 1995 — Juan María Traverso — Chevrolet • 1996 — Juan María Traverso — Chevrolet • 1997 — Juan María Traverso — Chevrolet • 1998 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 1999 — Juan María Traverso — Ford • 2000 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2001 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2002 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2003 — Ernesto Bessone — Dodge • 2004 — Omar Martínez — Ford • 2005 — Juan Manuel Silva — Ford • 2006 — Norberto Fontana — Dodge • 2007 — Christian Ledesma — Chevrolet • 2008 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2009 — Emanuel Moriatis — Ford • 2010 — Agustín Canapino — Chevrolet • 2011 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2012 — Mauro Giallombardo — Ford • 2013 — Diego Aventín — Ford • 2014 — Matías Rossi — Chevrolet • 2015 — Omar Martínez — Ford • 2016 — Guillermo Ortelli — Chevrolet • 2017 — Agustín Canapino — Chevrolet • 2018 — Agustín Canapino — Chevrolet • 2019 — Agustín Canapino — Chevrolet • 2020 — Mariano Werner — Ford • 2021 — Mariano Werner — Ford • 2022 — José Manuel Urcera — Torino • 2023 — Mariano Werner — Ford • 2024 — Julián Santero — Ford • 2025 — Agustín Canapino — Chevrolet