Multiple Joystick Config - PSP core

I have a arcade-style board with two joysticks + buttons, so not a typical controller configuration.

For arcade games and older systems (Atari, NES, Genesis, etc), I have configured the controls to work as two separate controllers for two separate players. No problem there, and I don’t want to lose that configuration for all games.

When playing PSP games, I notice that there’s both a D-pad and a joystick. What I want to do, use the Player 1 stick and buttons for the joystick and controls, and then use the SECOND joystick for the D-pad (usually menu controls).

I can easily make the changes in the menu and play the game. However, I’m learning that when I step out of the menu “User 1 Binds” under “Input”, it resets back to my “standard two-player” layout. I do NOT want to permanently change the controller binds and screw up all the other games I’ve set up. I only want to change the controls for PSP ONLY.

I thought “saving core overrides” would save the new controller layout, but it does not. Also “user 1 save autoconfig” doesn’t work while a game is running, and as I said I do NOT want to make a change that will change the layout of all the other games I’ve set up.

Bottom line - is there a way to use the controls from what is basically a two-controller setup for a single player control binding for only a single core, while leaving the other core setups alone?

In the controller options, there is a “save core remap” and a “save GAME remap” options.

I mean, in the core options menu (f1)