Sound words there mate. I tend to spend a lot of time concentrating on getting round slower but steadier. I think that way your laps will speed up as the meeting moves along, grip levels increase (indoors mainly) and you catch the flow of each track you race. My better meetings have come from focusing on clean steady driving (with an aim to avoid the need for a marshal) rather than attempting to break the land speed record
Hitting apexes is of course the fastest way around all tracks...although I wish my club would paint them bright pink, I may hit them more then