Pole-sitter Rowe was forced to work hard for the win in Race 1, with the lead changing hands almost every lap.
Isaac Demellweek and Seth Burchartz fought an intense battle with Rowe for the lead, with rookie Wickham in the mix.
Giuseppe Imbrogno had a race to forget after being spun in the opening laps at the final corner.
Brad James slowed in reaction to Imbrogno and was hit by teammate Rio Campbell.
Campbell’s car flew into the air, landing hard on the circuit and resulting in the first and only safety car period.
Imbrogno was involved in more carnage on the restart when he was involved in contact with Ryan DeBorre and William Hickey.
Wickham struck back in Race 2 to take victory after a close battle with Demellweek.
Rowe fell back as low as fourth in the opening laps but fought back to be within reach of the lead as the two ahead battled.
Formula Ford returns for a second qualifying session at 9:15am on Sunday ahead of two more races.
TFH Hire Legend Cars Australia
Teenage sensation Ruben Dan picked up exactly where he left off last season in the first two races on Friday afternoon.
Dan battled hard with Riley Skinner and CXC Racing teammate Dylan Thomas to take victory in both Race 1 and 2.
A number of competitors did not start Race 2 following incidents in the opening laps of Race 1, including Carrera Cup rookie Diesel Thomas with a gearbox issue.
A crash involving Maverick Kemenyvary and Brendon Hourigan in Race 1 took the pair out for the weekend.
Chais Tippett battled through the top five to take the victory in Race 3.
The sole safety car of the race was drawn in the opening laps after big contact between Hamish Mccluskey and John Houlder left the former stranded at turn six.
Dan fought back in the closing laps to second position before a brake failure sent him flying off the road at the penultimate corner and into the gravel trap.
A Race 4 recovery mission for Dan was over after being caught in a first lap incident involving James Brett, Tony Moloney, and Stuart Bond.
Thomas fought back to take the Race 4 victory after an enthralling battle with Dean O’Brien.
Legend Cars Australia return for the first of three more races on Sunday at 10:40am local time.
Australian IRC Racing Series
Lee Stibbs picked up where he left off towards the end of last season and dominated the 12 lap sprint for Race 1.
Stibbs got the jump over Geoff Emery at the race start and never looked back.
Axle Donaldson ran slightly wide at the final corner on Lap 1 and spun off into the infield and he was able to continue with no damage.
Stibbs repeated his lightning fast start in the 50 minute enduro Race 2, holding a steady lead into Turn 1.
Emery ran wide and through the grass at Turn 2 and spun while trying to get back on the circuit.
By Lap 5, Emery had already fought back through to the middle of the top 10.
During the pit stop cycle, Emery successfully undercut Hunter Robb and Lachy Harburg.
Emery fought his way back to the podium behind Danny Stutterd.
Stibbs again dominated to sweep the opening two races, leading lights to flag.
The Australian IRC Racing Series returns for a second 50 minute enduro on Sunday at 11:00am local time ahead of a final sprint race in the afternoon.
Formula RX8
Series rookie Cadel Ambrose led from the front all day on Friday.
After qualifying on pole position, Ambrose and Stiaan Kriel battled for the race lead throughout the entire race.
Ambrose came away with victory on debut by less than half a second over Kriel.
Kriel threw a counter punch to win Race 2, taking the lead at turn one on the opening lap and never looking back.
While Ambrose, Matthew Boylett, and Justin Lewis battled for the minors, Kriel ran away to a lead of over 2.5s.
Ambrose reeled Kriel back in over the remaining laps but could not find a way past.
Kriel took the victory by just 0.18s over Ambrose.
Despite the top 6 inversion for Race 3 putting him in the pack, Kriel had already re-taken the lead halfway through the first lap.
Kriel ran away at the front and took the Race 3 win with no contest, coming home almost six seconds ahead of Ambrose.
Formula RX8 returns on Sunday for the first of two more races at 10:15am local time.
Hankook Australian Drivers’ Championship
Reigning series champion Damon Sterling kicked off his title defence in perfect fashion in Friday afternoon’s opening race.
Harry Strik, competing in just his second race meeting, outqualified Sterling for pole position, but was muscled out of the way on the opening lap.
Strik fought back and closed ground on Sterling but was unable to take the lead, finishing just 0.25s away from his maiden race win.
Sterling made it two from two in the second race after an enthralling battle with Strik and Bradley Smith throughout the race’s entire second half.
The race winning car suffered a minor engine bay fire as he pulled into the pit lane to the podium area, but was able to take the start for Race 3.
Sterling dominated Race 3, building a 22 second lead over Smith due to extensive battles for the minor positions.
In Race 4, Sterling again got away to a comfortable lead from the start.
While looking to take four wins from four races, a mechanical issue side-lined the leader just past the halfway point, with a fire starting after the car came to a halt.
Smith inherited the lead and held it until the final lap where Jack Lewis made a play for the lead.
Lewis was spun on the final lap, allowing Smith to run away and take his first career Australian Drivers’ Championship victory.
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