You are correct, doesn't matter where you finish at first just try to stay clean especially at the start of the race as many of those first turns are mass caos. I also make sure I run all of the practice sessions and do all of the mini games associated with practice, fuel usage, tire wear and track awareness and then you will start to upgrade your car and its parts and that is when you should start to be more competitive. Most of the guys on this forum do 50% or 100% laps, 50 is good for me. You can start out at 50% AI if you want and raise or lower it from there if things get too easy or too hard. There is a lot to take in with this sport so just go slow and at a pace where you fell comfortable. Good luck!