The Qatar International Rally held near the Qatari capital Doha, dates back to the 1970s and has long been one of the main events of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). 1989 was the sixth year of the MERC with Qatar marking the opening round. The reigning champion Mohammed Bin Sulayem, driving a Toyota Celica GT-Four turbo, was eager to open his season account with a win but his arch rival Saeed Al-Hajri would push him all the way to finish line in the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.