I don't know why it just won't go through on the first try...with a 25% success rate in theory I should be doing it every 1 in 4 runs, but after about 100 tries I never got through the first try, I did get through on the second several times though :/
Even though 1:36 is pretty good.. I am not satisfied and I am sure ya'll are not either! I am going to say 1:34 is possible for me, with perhaps 1:32-1:33 being possibilities as well, but those are definitely beyond my skill.
About skipping the first door again, I am starting to think you'd lose time, because really it only takes about 2 seconds to grab the key and throw it. you'd spend probably about that much time lining up for the side of the door(since the key platform is in the way) and then you'd be dealing with more luck and the camera...I just don't think it is going to happen.
btw FR, I just watched frame-by-frame how I did my door skip in the 1:36 run, hopefully it will help you understand how to do it exactly, there is no reason you can't have a 20-25% success rate like us.
Ok, using the floor pattern to determine how far away you should be, I started the spindash on the top line of the fifth brick, so you should be 4 whole bricks away from the door. Horizontally, I was half a brick away from the key platform, right on that line as well. I charged a fairly strong spindash, and I made the jump when I was exactly 1 and a half bricks from hitting the door. I was lined up right with the whole left grey border of the door and sonic went right through.
maybe this will help me and everybody else too, cause this is the first time I watched it in slowmotion to fully understand every detail.