You can race at wacky wed. at Langley if you're under 18 with a parent's signature.
I learned the hard way as well. It's really the best way to learn. Thankfully im not as rock headed as some of these other people with their -24 and shizz, mines only -2 or -3. Im done, hah.
My mom started doing the same thing for me though. She looked up auto x courses for me and offered to come watch and ride. It's really helpful having someone like that