The first day of racing was full of action for Academy drivers Jarrod Hughes and Jobe Stewart, who finished Race 1 in 6^th and 15^th respectively.

A combined qualifying session with Super3 saw Jarrod secure 6^th and Jobe start 17^th.

Both drivers remained out of trouble into turn 1 of Race 1, before a collision between Murray and Vaughan saw the safety car brought out on the opening lap.

Jarrod dropped down to 7^th as he navigated the crash, with Jobe moving up into 11^th despite sustaining some damage to the front right.

The field remained under safety car until the beginning of Lap 6, with both drivers staying clear of trouble at the restart.

Lap 7 saw Bates drop down the field, opening the door to Jarrod and Jobe who both gained a place. Now in 6^th and 10^th, Jarrod put pressure on cars ahead with Jobe nursing the damage and defending well from Morse.

Lap 14 saw Allen move past Jarrod dropping him into 7^th, with Jobe defending hard from Morse and Gillis before dropping in 12^th and later into 14^th.

Jarrod moved closer to Crick and Allen as they battled it out on Lap 17 before moving past Crick to take 6^th with 7 minutes to go. The damage to Car 99 created further challenges for Jobe moving him back into 16^th.

A late crash from Fiore, saw the Safety Car deployed until the end of the race, with Jobe moving up into 15^thand Jarrod taking home 6^th.

The academy drivers now look ahead to tomorrow for the final day of racing here in Townsville.