^1 – Ryan Wood and Macauley Jones had their fastest times deleted for improving under yellow flag conditions.[3]
Race 1
Broc Feeney overhauled new Triple Eight team-mate Will Brown to win the opening race of the season. A safety car was called on the opening lap when rookie Ryan Wood found the sand at the first corner. Brown led in the first stint, but an error in his first pit-stop allowed Feeney to take the lead. Cameron Hill qualified a career-best fourth and briefly led in the first round of stops, but a mistake at Hell Corner dropped him down the order. Cam Waters struggled for pace outside the top 20 before losing a wheel late in the race at Griffins' Bend, causing a full course yellow. Aaron Love crashed at the Cutting twice in his first solo main game event, losing three laps to replace a broken toe-link after the first and causing a race-ending safety car after the second occurred with three laps to go.[4]
Feeney qualified on pole but made a slow start, allowing Mostert and James Golding to pass. Ryan Wood, Richie Stanaway and Cameron Hill collided in the midfield, resulting in a half-spin and damage to the front-left corner for Hill. Wood later retired from the race as a result of the damage caused, having only completed 7 racing laps all weekend. At the end of the opening lap, Feeney made a dive on Golding at the Chase but pushed the PremiAir driver off the road – giving the Race 1 winner a pit-stop penalty. Having crashed twice in Race 1, Aaron Love crashed again in Race 2 – this time at Reid Park, delaying him in the pits for three laps to repair the damage. Having led for the opening two stints, Mostert relinquished the lead to Brown in the last pit cycle having suffered from a sticking wheel-nut. The same drivers finished on the podium in Race 2 as in Race 1, but in a different order as Brown led Mostert and Feeney over the line.[7]
