I present for your modding pleasure, LR2DeveloperPatcher!
This allows you to run the game with your gamedata extracted, and removes the requirement for a compiled archive.
This performs the binary patch documented by JMMB
It has a built-in gamedata extractor.
This also supports Drome Racers.
REQUIRES .NET FRAMEWORK 4. Version 1.1.5082.38337 (LATEST): LINK
Past builds:
Version 1.0.5082.30975: LINK
Changelog
(2013-11-30) v1.1.5082.38337
> Added backup feature.