[Pete Parisetti]

Two cents from somebody who's certainly not old in the game. For at least a couple of months, do not race others - race yourself. Go quietly last, focus on driving clean and consistent, push yourself gently and - especially - HAVE NO ACCIDENTS. Your rating will quickly improve, even if you come in last. The respect from fellow racers will improve. Your skills will improve. Then you will see that, naturally, you won't be last any more, because many supposedly fast people cannot put three laps together without crashing, and even the mid-tier guys who race seriously are bound to have incidents. The "vulture technique" (survive and wait for opponents to go) can take you very far. Meanwhile, your skills will keep improving, and at some stage you will be able to begin racing others, in safety and with plenty respect.