Championship leader Sebastien Ogier emerged winner of the opening stage of the Safari Rally Kenya in Nairobi which took place on Thursday.
On the 4.84-kilometer super special stage course, the seven-time champion set the fastest time of three minutes, 21.5 seconds.
Elfyn Evans completed an all-Toyota Gazoo Racing top three, with the team-mates separated by less than a second. Kalle Rovanpera finished second, 0.3 of a second behind Ogier.
Ott Tanak and Thierry Neuville of Hyundai were fourth and fifth fastest, respectively, with Takamoto Katsuta rounding out the top six.
Since 2002, the Safari Rally Kenya has featured on the World Rally Championship calendar for the first time.
On Thursday afternoon, Sébastien Ogier established a blistering early pace at Safari Rally Kenya, with the top three drivers separated by less than a second in a thrilling start in Nairobi.
The series leader was 0.3sec faster than Toyota Yaris teammate Kalle Rovanperä in the curtain-raising 4.84km Super Special Kasarani on the outskirts of the capital as the FIA World Rally Championship returned to Africa for the first time in 19 years.
Elfyn Evans finished third, completing a Toyota Gazoo Racing clean sweep of the top three. The Welshman was 0.4sec behind the leaders.
“Tomorrow is going to be the real start. It has been amazing to see so much crowd. Tomorrow some tough stuff is coming,” warned the Frenchman at the stage finish as he eyed the punishing rocky roads to come.
Rovanperä was a convincing winner over Hyundai’s Dani Sordo, whose father, Harri, finished second on the grueling Safari twice. Thierry Neuville, who conceded a few seconds after running his i20 wide, was defeated by Evans.
Tänak finished fourth, with Neuville 5.0 seconds behind him in fifth and Takamoto Katsuta rounding out the top six. The Japanese driver was a further 0.6sec back, despite a briefly stalling his Yaris’ engine.
The stage followed a colourful opening ceremony in central Nairobi, with competitors flagged away by Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and the cabinet secretary for sports, culture and heritage, Amina Mohamed.