Elfyn Evans again showed his pace after overcoming an engine set-back on Rally Mexico.

The Dolgellau-born driver was hit with a five minute time penalty for an engine change in his DMACK Ford Fiesta WRC car.

The problem was discovered after the pre-event shakedown.

Evans had to start the rally in last spot which meant he was often first on the road, hitting his chances further.

But he still set three fastest times to finish the event in ninth spot as Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke won despite driving into a car park on the final stage.

Evans has now clocked six fastest stage times since his return to the World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo in January.

The 28-year-old said: “It’s been a tricky weekend with the penalty and then having to run first on the road.

“But overall I think we can be pretty happy with the weekend.

“This was our first time on gravel with these new cars and we’ve completed all of the mileage with good speed and three stage victories.

“It could have been a lot worse for sure and we’ve collected a lot of good knowledge which bodes well for the next gravel outing in Argentina.”

Evans is now eighth in the WRC standings with 20 points.