[Jason Chamberlain]

Greetings! I'm a 47-year old total novice in online sim racing, who after 220 hours of hotlapping and AI races in Assetto Corsa got fed up and decided to join the SRS community.
Now I'm gathering the courage to actually join some suitable race, something where I wouldn't cause too much trouble.

Welcome!

I recommend trying one of the Mini Cooper races as there are a lot of them and at least one should work for your timezone. They're pretty easy to handle and even if you're a few seconds off the pace you probably won't get lapped. I believe the general wisdom on setup is to add 2 PSI to the tires, but that's about it. You might also move the brake balance forward a bit or reduce the brake pressure as it is easy to lock up the rears. Also, make sure that you have enough fuel for the race (I learned this the hard way in my first race). Depending on the track, you will probably need almost a full tank (Donnington Park was 37 L). 

Also, in case you don't already use it, the Crew Chief app is wonderful and it is free. I find it to be a huge help during the race.

Good Luck!