by Lynne Huntting

Champ Car race director Tony Cotman has hit back at series champion Sebastien Bourdais, after the Frenchman suggested that he had been unfairly penalised prior to the final round in Mexico City.

Both Bourdais and Newman/Haas/Lanigan team-mate Graham Rahal was accused of laying down rubber on their grid slots during extra standing start practice, and were docked 22 seconds of power to pass as a punishment, but the four-time champion claimed that the penalty was 'bullsh*t'.

Bourdais said that he had dropped the clutch while rolling through his grid box, but did not do a standing start as was alleged. Cotman, however, disagreed. He
had wanted to give the drivers extra standing start practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez because there is significantly less power available because of the high altitude, but the teams were specifically told not to use their grid boxes.

“I obviously didn't see it that way," he said of Bourdais' claim, "The practice is discussed in every drivers' meeting at every race, and 15 other drivers had no problem.

“We obviously had a lot of people spotting, and race officials on the wall reported it. I was looking out the window watching right in front of me, and it was on video. We also took data from the cars. In my opinion, it was a no brainer.”

Bourdais had said in an earlier press conference that the rule, as written, didn't forbid what he did, but Cotman again countered the claim.

“It is written - do not use your grid box - as discussed all years," he said, "There is no excuse. Bourdais can either take responsibility or not. The team gets penalised.

"To be quite honest, the penalty is discretionary. I could have stuck him in the back of the pack. I was ticked off and it was blatant. The team was blasé. We not only told them and warned them, but Rahal's pit board guy was told to warn the team not to light up its tyres. It was very clear to the team. I feel, honestly, that the penalty was pretty light.”