Hello and welcome mate!
Please take some time to read around on the forum to get some basic info.
Also, here are some setups that is fast:
http://setupfield.teaminferno.hu/
Please note that the setups found on the page above can be a little hard to drive with, so your best choise is maybe to get setups from other racers.
If you chose to download the setups from the link above they should be extracted to lfs/data/settings
Also, if you got a wheel, make sure to have the latest installed drivers, so the ForceFeedback (FF) works well aswell as other wheel functions.
If you want to get the game to look even better, search for the topics created by "lynce" . His packs does increase the resolution of some of the textures in the game.
I and others could go on to tomorrow writing usefull stuff, but the best way is to learn-by-doing, and ask us on the way when your stucked.
Also, please remember some basic driving rules to avoid beeing flamed or banned from online servers:
* Blue flag does not mean you have to move off the road for faster cars, but please make sure to give sufficiant room and do not battle with cars one lap ahead of you.
* If yellow flags, please take it a little easy. If you just go full trottle into the yellow flag zone, you might end up causing an even bigger wreck for everyone else.
* The race is not won in turn 1, please be carefull. A second or two lost here can easly be gained through the race.
* Experience is everything. Even with the same setups as the faster drivers, it doesn't automatically make you fast. Take your time to learn the tracks and cars.
Best regards from Norway!