Matosinhos, Portugal (AFP) — Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota) claimed an early advantage in Rally Portugal, edging Sebastien Ogier and Ott Tanak in Thursday's opening special stage.

The Welshman, who has already won in Sweden and Kenya to hold a 43-point lead over teammate Kalle Rovanpera in the standings, was 0.2sec ahead of both Ogier (Toyota) and Tanak (Hyundai) at the end of the 2.94km race.

None of the leaders made a mistake on the short opener, with Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai), reigning Belgian world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), and Rovanpera (Toyota) completing the Top 6.

Ten special stages covering a total of 146.48 kilometers will be on the program on Friday around Matosinhos, near Porto.

Rally Portugal is the fifth of 14 rallies to be held this season.