The #22 United Oreca 07-Gibson shared by Owen and his full-time FIA World Endurance Championship teammates Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson ended up in the gravel at the first corner after a three-way collision involving the WRT machines of Rene Rast and Ferdinand Habsburg.
Second-place starter Owen was positioned to the outside of poleman Rast, with Habsburg even further to the outside, when Rast chopped across to the left, making contact with Owen, who subsequently hit Habsburg.
