The following is an overview of the events of 1989 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.
The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles.
| Date | Event | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 25 December-13 January | 11th Dakar Rally | [1] |
| 4–5 February | 27th 24 Hours of Daytona | [2] |
| 19 February | 31st Daytona 500 | [3] |
| 7 May | 47th Monaco Grand Prix | [4] |
| 28 May | 73rd Indianapolis 500 | [5] |
| 29 May-9 June | 72nd Isle of Man TT | [6] |
| 10–11 June | 57th 24 Hours of Le Mans | [7] |
| 17–18 June | 17th 24 Hours of Nurburgring | [8] |
| 22–23 July | 41st 24 Hours of Spa | [9] |
| 30 July | 12th Suzuka 8 Hours | [10] |
| 1 October | 30th Tooheys 1000 | [11] |
| 26 November | 36th Macau Grand Prix | [12] |
| 2–3 December | 2nd Race of Champions | [13] |
| Date | Month | Name | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July | Daniel Ricciardo | Australian | Racing driver | Formula One driver at McLaren. 8 wins, including the 2018 Monaco GP | |
| 3 | August | Jules Bianchi | French | Racing driver | 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series champion. Formula One driver. | [14] |
| 10 | November | Brendon Hartley | New Zealand | Racing driver | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (2017). FIA World Endurance champion (2015, 2017). | [15] |
| Date | Month | Name | Age | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | June | Chico Landi | 81 | Brazilian | Racing driver | The first Brazilian Formula One driver. | [16] |
| 20 | September | Richie Ginther | 59 | American | Racing driver | 1965 Mexican Grand Prix winner. | [17] |