If you follow this advice, your 2400's should easily make the race (and so will your car).
Gear down, on purpose, to make your car a little slower. You're not going to win your first race out, and you're probably going to do your fair share of crashing and bumping. It's OK... we all started out at our first club race that way. If your car is a little slower, that will be a good thing - you'll have more control over it.
Speaking of which, you may also wish to "limit" your steering throw a little. Most cars have more steering capability than they can legitimately use; too much steering is a bad thing, as it causes you to oversteer and "push" around the corners, which is a subtle "out of control" maneuver. Probably the most common rookie mistake is oversteering - going lock to lock around every corner. Look at the fast guys at your track - there steering is very smoooooooth.
Speaking of the fast guys, try to hook up with one or more of them (as long as they are A: Friendly and B: Not busy.) They can help you make your car handle better and get the right setup for the track conditions. Many of the nicer ones will also help you out if you break something or need suggestions for tires/motors, etc.
Go out and practice - but if your car is handling poorly (pushing, understeering, oversteering, etc.) or if it handles differently in one direction than the other (is "tweaked") - stop driving, get off the stand, and get someone to help you figure it out. Don't fight the car.
Anyway, best of luck with the first race. Enjoy, and remember that we're all just playing with toy cars out there.
