Didnk't mean to bail on ya. Got the computer "jacked" out from under me. First my wife then my son took over after convincing me to move so they could "look" for something on the desk above.
Tune the 3400 to the max. Do the tranny mods I suggested.
Now if Cote d'Azur is not your track: go to arcade mode and practice in a VW Lupo Cup Car. It's slow enough, and narrow enough to have you really learn your way around the course. You can also experiment with "E-brake" turns thru the really tight stuff.
Once you have about 25-40 laps under your belt go back to the cup race and use all you learned.