World Rally Championship Round 9

Asia Pacific Rally Championship Round 4

This year’s WRC saw a battle between Lancia and Toyota. with Mitsubishi starting to make inroads. Lancia came to Perth with Juha Kankkunen, who had defected from Toyota, Didier Auriol and Alessandro Fiorio. Toyota brough el Matador, Carlos Sainz and Michael Ericsson. Mitsubishi only brought Kenneth Eriksson but with backup by local hero, Ross Dunkerton, and an emerging youngster called Tommi Makinen, all in Galant VR4s. Mazda were there with 1989 winner, Ingvar Carlsson together with Gregoire de Mevius. Apart from Dunkerton, there was Ed Ordynski also in a Galant, and New Zealanders Rod Millen in a Mazda, Possum Bourne in a Subaru and a little known Neal Bates in a Celica. Also being an APRC round, the event attracted a good field of 62 cars.

Both Lancia and Toyota lost cars on the first afternoon, Auriol with engine failure and Ericsson with transmission failure. The event then became a close tussle between Kankkunen and Sainz. By the finish Kankunnen won by a minute and a half with Fiorio four minutes further back in the remaining Lancia. Possum Bourne shot to fame with an oustanding fourth place, albeit eight minutes back, but ahead of the two factory Mazdas in fifth and sixth. A little known Tommi Makinen came in seventh and first Group N.