Allen took a clear lead to the first corner and was not headed again in the 40-minute encounter.

Cooper Murray finished 1.3049s behind after 36 laps in an Eggleston Motorsport one-two, with Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Zach Bates third and Brad Jones Racing rookie Cody Gillis fourth.

Brad Vaughan had qualified third but the #5 Tickford Racing S550 Mustang did not move off the grid when the rest went for their formation lap.

He was cleared in time for the rest to take up their grid positions, with Allen (#1 ZB Commodore) jumping into the lead from the outside of the front row.

His pole-sitting Eggleston team-mate Murray (#88 ZB Commodore) slotted into second and Bates (#25 ZB Commodore) passed lone Row 2 starter Gillis (#9 ZB Commodore) for third into the first corner.

Those four ran as you were for the first 10 laps although an Allen lead of 0.91s on Lap 7 had dwindled to 0.44s after three laps more, with Bates running almost another second further back and Gillis being tailed by Aaron Cameron (#27 Kelly Racing S550 Mustang).

Mason Kelly (#22 Kelly S550 Mustang) held sixth until he ran off the track on Lap 13 at Turn 1 and dropped to 22nd, as Murray crept even closer to Allen at the head of the field.

The #1 and #88 Eggleston cars were separated by 0.55s again at the end of Lap 20, and Allen’s lead was about eight tenths when a Safety Car was called on Lap 25.

The cause was a three-car incident back at Turn 1 which ultimately caused Kelly to go spinning off into the wall.

Cody Burcher (#15 MW Motorsport Altima L33) had moved down the inside of Callum Walker but when Jett Johnson (#138 AIM Motorsport S550 Mustang) also showed the nose, he made contact which caused Walker to pirouette, and Kelly could not avoid tangling with the #33 ZB Commodore.

Kelly was in fact able to drive back to the pits before the race restarted on Lap 28, with about eight minutes plus one lap remaining, at which point Allen stretched his lead to almost a full second over the next 2.42km.

Rylan Gray (#55 Tickford S550 Mustang) ran off from seventh position at Turn 1 on Lap 29 while Allen was 1.12s to the good over Murray after four laps more.

Allen continued to stretch his margin as he made it three wins from three to start the season, with Murray second from Bates, Gillis, Cameron, Jordyn Sinni (#54 Eggleston ZB Commodore), Jarrod Hughes (#118 Image Racing ZB Commodore), Cameron McLeod (#92 RM Racing Cars ZB Commodore), Cameron Crick (#38 Eggleston ZB Commodore), and Lochie Dalton (#6 Tickford S550 Mustang).

Gray ended up 20th, Johnson 22nd after serving a drive-through penalty, and Vaughan officially a DNF with 18 laps to his name after eventually making it back out of pit lane.

Qualifying for Race 2 starts tomorrow at 11:05 local time/13:05 AEST.

Results: Race 1

Series points: Super2