Session of Incident (Official Sessions for Round 5: Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2, Race): Race
Lap AND MPR timecode of incident (or session time or UTC Time of Day): GT2 Start, Lap 1
Car(s) involved: 54, 77
Location of Incident (Track Map Here): SC1 last turn
Brief Description of Incident: 54 pushes 77 out of the track. This made 77 loose many positions and a lot of time and almost caused a huge crash.
I'm not sure if JP is already planning to look at this again or what, but I thought I'd just put my opinion on here as I was the one that investigated it initially. (You do of course have a right to appeal and I/we will look it again for you if you so wish)
I've now downloaded the server-side replay to look at it again (to reduce effects of any lag from my end or anything). Firstly my apologies I did word that quite badly - I mean it is a yellow flag zone but you are indeed right in saying there's a massive GREEN FLAG message across your screen at the time of the incident. I should have worded it different and probably omitted the yellow flag reference.
Having re-looked at the replay I can't say I disagree with myself now - if I go on-board you, I can see the initial contact at Race Time 3:35.00 and 52 bolting left, then at about 3:35.50 I can see 69 bolting right, which instantly says to me, seeing as it's the start of the race, "woah there's going to be a big crash here. I should slow down". Your contact with Car 55 isn't until 3:37.00 (i.e. at least 1.5 seconds later), and in that whole time you're still full throttle, until the point of contact. If you take car 56 as an example, he's got a much worse view than you of the incident, (and doesn't even see the incident until 3:35.50 at which point he is much closer to the incident than you were when you could see it), yet he managed to slow down from 130mph and almost avoid everyone until he hits you at 60mph. So in short summary, my logic behind the penalty was the fact that, especially on the start and in such an enclosed area of the track, I felt you had plenty of time to see the incident occurring right in front of you and to provide some sort of "damage limitation action" (slowing down and/or steering) - 1.5 seconds is a pretty long time considering normal human reaction time is around 0.3 seconds. I think I was also quite surprised that people weren't being more careful on the start anyway.... So yeah there's my logic behind giving those penalties out, as you can see you weren't the only one!
Car 54 - 24 second time penalty (DT equivalent) - Causing an avoidable incident
The interpretation of the yellow flag rule by Mr Atkinson and the other stewards is accurate towards the spirit and desired interpretation of the rule. While the regulation specifically states "A driver who ignores yellow flags while arriving upon an accident scene, and hits a car behaving properly while in or recovering from an incident shall be at fault." Car 55 is caught by the ricocheting Car 69, then Car 55 in turn catches 73. While it is logical to presume that the contacts would have happened in spite of any actions by 55 and 73, the chance to react and avoid would be increased by reacting to the spin ahead. While you may not have seen a yellow flag message, you are expected to react to a visible spinning car as if there was a yellow flag displayed to you. The rule does not specify this as clear as it can, but it is interpreted in this way.
The Race Start incident you refer to was Car 69 squeezing out Car 52 which had earned the right to be there - 52 was over halfway alongside before the kink in the main straight, and was entitled to that racing room. Car 52 could not possibly have moved further left; Car 53 was holding a steady line to Car 69's right, leaving 69 ample room to leave 52 ample room. A quick look left before the kink could have prevented this incident. The fault for the incident rests entirely on the outside car in this specific case. If the roles had been reversed, the penalty would have gone to the 52 for squeezing out the 69.
The incident with Car 53 and Car 69 at Race Part 2, 7h53m40s is a racing incident. Both cars were taking their desired lines, Car 53 is going for a wide entry and later apex, Car 69 is going for a slightly shallower entry. The contact is a result of a convergence of lines based on momentum under braking. Car 53 is holding a straight line before corner entry, Car 69 is already angling for the corner at braking. In theory, the contact should not have resulted in the reaction it did, but a slight bit of lag aided the 69 car heading into the gravel. Racing incident is a correct decision in this case - neither party had significant fault.
So yeah there's my logic behind giving those penalties out, as you can see you weren't the only one! 
