George- you can add me as well - VTEC8400. My times are pretty even with Reynard's for the most part, he is usually who I target as far as ghosts. Cam's wife is another.
As far as getting a good launch at the start, are you shifting your weight forward as you accelerate?
I wouldn't worry about getting Trials Fusion so soon if I were you, unless you really want that 4-wheeler which for me is less fun than the 2 wheelers. Fusion is a solid game, but I can't find anything in it that's any better than HD or Evolution. The tricks are a throwaway for me, and track design might even be worse. The theme song- I'd like to delete it from the Earth.