Two hours in the Free Run and only a sub 1'53?
Yeah, you could use a bit of help.
With Tokyo, I think the key to fast lap times are staying off the wall and using the rumble strips. You would be surprised at how much time you can lose just from a seemingly minor scrape of the wall. When I first took this car to the Free Run, I too was running 1'53s. But as I began racing, I would be able to pull off a high 1'52 on one lap and have inconsistent other laps. As I did more and more racing, I began to get mid to low 1'52s. Never could quite get a 1'51 (my best was a 1'52.013). Then I began to master getting around the cars as quick as possible to get off to good starts. What was once times of 2'03 on the first lap were now becoming times of 2'02.7, then 2'02.5, and finally high 2'01s.
For the switchback following the small straight after the first turn, I would enter from the middle of the track, lightly tap the brakes, turn in and clip the inside rumble strips, then head straight towards the right side rumble strips, making sure not to scrape the wall. This turn gave me a lot of trouble in the beginning but the number of times I had to go through this section helped me to get better at it. On average I could get through here at about 89mph. But if I really nailed it, I could get through here at about 92mph. Once you are the end of the turn and you can see where the track begins to straighten, ease off the rumble strips and straighten up. Make sure you don't sharply veer off the rumble strips as it can send the car sliding, and also be careful not to hit the outside wall.
For the next right hand sweeper, I started at the outside of the track and applied the brakes for about half a second (may be different for the Supra) just before the inside rail began to turn in. Cut across the track, but don't run up on the rumble strips just yet because there seems to be a kink in the middle of this turn that makes the turn get sharper. If you run up on the rumble strips before the midway point of the turn, the kink will throw you off the rumble strips and the car will head towards the outside wall. Once past the midway point of the turn, I would run up on the rumble strips and they would hold the car's line through the turn. The RX-8 was really good at holding the line through a corner, but I don't know about the Supra so you may have to tackle the corner a bit differently. Regularly, I could keep a speed of 92mph through this turn.
Accelarate on down the short straight and move to the outside of the track. Brake down to about 87mph and cut across to the rumble strips. This part is a bit tricky because the car seems to want to head outwards towards the wall, and if you hit it here then you will lose a lot of time on the back straightaway. Ideally, you want to go through this turn at about 86-88mph.
Fly down the back straightaway and clip both aprons at the small switchback. The RX-8 could get through here without lifting and still remain on the inside of the track. However, from my experience the Supra didn't do quite as well. It may be possible to go through here with the Supra at full speed, but I wasn't able to do it. Anyway, arrive at the top of the hill and get on the brakes for about half a second before the track turns. Get back on the gas and cut across the track, clipping the apron. This part requires good precision and timing. It is imperative that you clip/run over the apron so the car won't head towards the outside wall. Ideally, you want to get through here at about 96mph, but once I was able to get through here at 99mph.
Continue to the next right (make sure you clip the apron) and head down the downhill s-curve until you get to the sharp left hander. Brake for about another half-second and turn in. This turn is probably the most forgiving turn on the track, as you can turn in too early and make a steering adjustment and still come out good. Also, hitting the wall here is not nearly as bad as it is at the other sections of the track, assumably because of the upcoming turn.
For the last turn, start at the middle of the track and slow the car to about 58mph. Turn in and accelarate. It is better to run over the rumble strips than to just clip it this time. This is key to exiting the corner fast, which is crucial because the big straight follows this turn.
Ahh well, next time eh.
