In regard to looking ahead, I am coming from a background in sportbike racing, but the concepts carry over.

On the straight, I would be looking at the corner entry, once I entered the corner I was focused on the apex, then the corner exit, then the entry for the next turn. Keeping your point of focus as far forward as possibly really helps slow everything down and helps you get set up. This is not to say I wasn't paying attention to brake markers, traffic, surface features, etc. with my periphery, but my focus was always very far ahead.

Have fun! I'm jealous...weather hasn't warmed up enough for anything here yet...I have to live through you guys