I found an easy way to get a 2:08.802 with no driver aids but the suggested line, AT, and ABS1. What you basically do is... well, maybe a picture can explain it best:
I call the technique "MP4-12C" and the way it works is you don't drive this awful GT-R NISMO on this track.
In all seriousness, I did a few more attempts tonight and I just couldn't take it anymore. As others have said, this just isn't fun. This car is just
so unpleasant to drive I had to hit up this track in a car I
do like. After my ever-increasing annoyance with this event, driving this track in the MP4-12C was
relaxing.
I
was, however, curious to test if the GT-R NISMO is being deliberately handicapped for this event, so I tried it out, too. I used the same SS tires, TC0, ABS1, AT, and driving line I'm using in the GTA2015 event and set the car to 100% stock. Interestingly, my lap times were actually
worse than my best lap (though no worse than the other horrible times I was getting tonight). Despite that, though, the car
felt better. After sector one, I was sucking and consistently losing time to my ghost, but for some reason I didn't want to throw my wheel at my TV while doing it.
So I've tentatively concluded that there probably is something off about the car in this event, but that whatever it is, it's not actually hurting my lap times on good laps, just making it more frustrating/annoying to achieve those lap times. Which makes no sense, but the numbers don't lie—however much better the GT-R NISMO
felt in the Arcade Mode Time Trial, it wasn't posting any faster lap times and I was losing time to my best lap from last night just as badly (after sector one, anyway).
Anyway, I think I might be done with this. It's annoying and embarrassing to get bronze on a time trial, but when I really think about the cost of getting gold on this to the benefits of it, I think I have other things I'd enjoy a lot more.
Good luck to those of you still working away of it, though!