Nobre: rallying isn’t chess

Paulo Nobre says he will have no problem hitting back from the disappointment of his fourth consecutive retirement in the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia because he accepts how tough the sport can be.

Speaking following his final-day exit on Philips Rally Argentina, Brazilian Nobre insists he would switch to playing chess if he felt he couldn’t cut it in rallying’s big league.

“This is the fourth rally in a row I haven’t finished,” said Nobre, who is co-driven in the WRC by fellow countryman Edu Paula. “Of course that’s not good for our motivation but I need to realise that rally isn’t easy and that is why it means so much when you succeed. If you can’t handle it you have to change sport and play chess! Now it’s a new page for a new rally. Rally Argentina wasn’t the first bad rally of my career and it won’t be the last. My head is now on the Acropolis Rally, an event that I know a little bit because I competed there last year - I’m really hoping for a better result there.”

Nobre’s exit in Argentina compounded a frustrating end to the gravel event for WRC Team MINI Portugal after his team-mates Armindo Araujo and Miguel Ramalho retired just two kilometres after Nobre stopped with broken suspension on stage 17.

“It was a real shame as they were getting consistently good times but they suffered constantly on the stages despite their incredible control of the MINI,” said Nobre.