Cool report, I can most definitly say some of those tips are good, smoothness and consistency being some of the best things you can have, also the driving with the gas pedal with that thing you can make the car handle much better, I know your wieghs a lot more then mine but the gas pedal will allow you to change what its doing.
Your comment on watching the guys in your mirror you cant do that, sure know they are there but dont try to drive faster because your just going to start driving poorly, concentrate on your line not theirs and just let them by at your 1st chance.
I notice in your pics that you are lined up really close to each other, my instructors have always told me to keep enough space to go around someone if for some reason they aren't ready to roll that way you can just pop out infront of them.
Sounds like you had fun and want to do it again, look out you will be getting addicted to it.