Round 9 of the 1989 World Rally Championship took place in Finland accompanied by a torrential downpour of rain which added the possibility of aquaplaning to its already notorious reputation for not being one of the more popular rally courses. Recognised as a cut and thrust affair where results are often decided by seconds rather than minutes, the 1000 Lakes lived up to its reputation as a tough and demanding drive and on top of the treacherous weather conditions caused by the heavy rain, cars were decimated by mechanical failure and driver error over the 1,447 km course.