All these scary Cobra Stories....

[DonC]

There's no replacement for seat time. Get as much as you can under as many different conditions as you can.
Can't recommend track days highly enough. The nice thing about track days is that you can gradually bring speeds up to figure out what the car is going to do at different speeds.
Autocross the car to refine your go pedal modulation. Really helps in low speed high power applications and finding out what the car feels like when it breaks loose.
Both of the above allow you to make mistakes without damaging anyone else, the car or yourself.
Be aware of changes in the weather. The difference is like night and day between cold and hot pavement. Ditto cold and hot tires. There's a reason for "warm up" laps and it's not just for the engine.
Back to the original - seat time. What your backside tells you can be really informative if you learn to listen to it.
Above all enjoy the car. You want to develop a working relationship with it based on respect but not fear.
Can you break the tires loose at various speeds? Most folks can. The trick is to find out where and when this will happen and when you are near that limit proceed respectfully. You and the car can build a beautiful friendship if you're willing to take a little time to develop it.
Above all, have fun. Enjoy the ride as there's very little like it around today. Get some fun cruising time where you just drive for the enjoyment. You don't have to operate at the upper limit all the time. Take it easy and just cruise.
DonC