Owen was ahead in the two races when both finished behind the Safety Car after he qualified fastest. He was victorious in the first ahead of Max Geoghegan and James Lodge who then were third and second respectively in Race 2.
From the outside of the front row, it was Lodge who was the immediate leader before Owen was able to get by. That was just before the Safety Car was deployed before the first lap was completed. Harrison Blanchard tagged the wall on the outside of Turn 1 and continued into the tyre barrier at the Turn 2 escape road.
Subsequently the red flags were out, and the race stopped. At the restart Owen led as Geoghegan dived under Lodge at Turn 2. Matt Hillyer was fourth in front of Lincoln Taylor, Toyota guest driver Jayden Ojeda, Ben Gomersall, Brock Stinson and Lachlan Gibbons.
On Lap 4 Gibbons overtook Stinson before Turn 6 where his car was out of shape, had a tank slapper and speared head-on into the outside barrier. The car had significant damage and Gibbons suffered bruising to a knee and ankle.
The race had a safety car finish with Owen ahead of Geoghegan, Lodge, Hillyer, Taylor, Ojeda, Gomersall, Stinson, Hayden Hume and Ryan Tomsett.
After the start of the second encounter, Geoghegan used the outside line on Owen to take the lead at Turn 2 on the first occasion. Lodge held third in front of Ojeda who passed Hillyer at Turn 11, Taylor, Gomersall and Stinson.
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Geoghegan led through Lap 2 before he conceded the lead to Owen at Turn 11 while Hillyer regathered fourth ahead of Ojeda. Together with Taylor, the three closed on Geoghegan on Lap 7 and it was congested at Turn 10 when Ojeda clipped the curb and spun.
Behind them James Wilkins had contact with Zane Rinaldi at Turn 6 and went off into the tyre barrier. That brought out the Safety Car under which the race finished.
Owen took first and Lodge was able to relegate Geoghegan before the cautionary flags were out. Hillyer was next from Gomersall, Hume, Taylor, Clay Richards, Charlie Nash, Tomsett and Stinson.
The GR Cup has one more race to complete the first round, scheduled for 11:30am on Sunday.
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