Elfyn Evans continued his impressive form on the back of his Rally Sweden victory as he set the pace during Thursday’s shakedown in Mexico.
The Toyota driver put in the benchmark time of 3:41.8s despite his early running position on the gravel 5.51lm Llano Grande stage during his fourth and final run.
The Welshman ended up quickest, 0.6 seconds clear of nearest championship rival Thierry Neuville in the Hyundai i20.
Five-time Rally Mexico winner Sebastien Ogier was third, a tenth of a second further back in his Yaris after three runs.
Finn Teemu Suninen was fastest through the opening run of the gravel road test in his Ford Fiesta, before Tänak moved to the top of the rankings after the second pass. The Estonian earlier clipped a small tree stump, which threw his i20 into a half-spin. He ended up fourth-fastest, half a second adrift of Ogier.
Kalle Rovanperä, driving a third Yaris, was fourth, 1.2s adrift of Evans. Tanak and team-mate Sordo completed the top six.
Gus Greensmith stalled his Fiesta at the start of the first run and the young Briton also clipped a roadside barrier in his next attempt.
| # | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota Yaris | 3min41.8sec |
| 2. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai i20 Coupe | +0.6sec |
| 3. | Sébastien Ogier | Toyota Yaris | +0.7sec |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai i20 Coupe | +1.2sec |
| 5. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota Yaris | +1.2sec |
| 6. | Dani Sordo | Hyundai i20 Coupe | +2.6sec |
| 7. | Teemu Suninen | Ford Fiesta | +3.4sec |
| 8. | Esapekka Lappi | Ford Fiesta | +4.2sec |
| 9. | Gus Greensmith | Ford Fiesta | +4.8sec |
| 10. | Oliver Solberg | Volkswagen Polo GTI | +13.7sec |
