My advice would be to get the jetting and suspension dialled up front. IMO the less skills you have to work around running and handling issues, the more benefit you will reap from a friendly setup. Pro riders seem to be able to do everything well, on just about anything.
As others have said, start easy with small challenges. Focus on just enjoying the ride and mastering techniques. If you can do this the pace will follow naturally. Pushing to try and keep up with others, or trying to go fast and riding on th edge is usually when bad things happen. Safety gear is worth its weight in gold. Bare minimum, boots and helmet, with knees and elbows following closely behind.
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