Redout 2 - Dragon's Gates (F)

What do I even begin to say about this lap? Dragon's Gates has historically been a track that has befuddled me. With so many straightaways and very few corners breaking them up, it's been very hard to figure out where is the best place to regenerate health before getting ready for the next hyperboost. A few months ago, fellow speed freak Zorinar found a boost pattern that was unconventional, but in racing terms, provided a gigantic time save (at least a second or so). The boost pattern here roughly follows that original discovery of his, but...
Well, it finally happened. I did a cut. With over 200 removed with the latest patch, the community has decided that whatever's left is fair game... and to be fair, with this one, the time difference is at most a few tenths, far more in-line with Redout 1's shortcuts than the egregious ones we had previously. Even better, it seems that high-stability ships might be worse with the cut than without it, so for the moment, it's still anyone's game for taking the leaderboard here.
With the cut, you want to get as close to the apex of the crest as possible - something about it results in more consistent landings, a higher chance to carry your speed through.
Back to the boost pattern, because this is about the tightest I've ever had on any track. Adjusting the start of your boost by a matter of frames can yield a gain down the road of about a tenth or more, but then that leaves precious little room (hull) for error (not blowing up). Even the geometry of the track was taken into heavy consideration. I boost before the slight incline after the first corner just so gravity can give me that slight leg up, as a singular example. Meanwhile, the classic Redout adage of 'strafe more, steer less' came back to haunt me here - I've never feathered the steering more than here. Missing one boost pad, double or not on the first half of the lap means a restart.
The descent down the castle would suggest you want to hyperboost IMMEDIATELY, but due to the timing of everything it's more beneficial to have a longer hyperboost beforehand... plus, delaying the hyperboost after the jump down the castle is better because you're far more likely to keep the boost all the way through the loop and beyond, which is really where the difference came on this lap.
So that's Dragon's Gates - enigmatic and ruthless. Enjoy.