The 1989 Lombard RAC Rally may have been without the works Lancia team and World Champion Miki Biasion, but it still boasted an incredibly strong field. For five days rallying legends including Juha Kankkunen, Kenneth Eriksson, Timo Salonen, Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikkola battled beside British heroes like Jimmy McRae, David Llewellin, Malcolm Wilson and a certain Colin McRae. The final round of the World Championship would be a battle of the Japanese giants, as Mazda and Mitsubishi challenged the mighty Toyota Celica GT-4s for victory. Toyota dominated the opening, fog-bound days, with Kankunnen and the Carlos Sainz leading, However, Group N champion Pentti Airikkala, making his Group A debut in the Mitsubishi Galant VR4 forced his way into contention as the battle raged through the forests of Wales, Scotland and the north of England. Spanish sensation Sainz looked set to take his first WRC win ahead of his illustrious Toyota teammates, but disaster struck with the end in sight, letting the hard-charging Airikkala race into the lead and take a dramatic and unexpected triumph. Dramatic footage, including plenty filmed on board, and interviews with all the stars bring you the full story of an incredible event.
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