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).

1985 was the second year of the MERC with Qatar marking the first of six rounds, taking place over a total of 896km across two days. The reigning champion Saeed Al-Hajri, alongside co-driver John Spiller in the Rothmans Porsche 911, was eager to open his 1985 account with a win but his arch rival Mohammed Bin Sulayem would push him all the way to finish line in the Toyota Celica turbo.