The 13th edition of "JOY TAI" has arrived. On July 6th (Sat), the end of the rainy season was announced for the Kanto-Koshin region, and the temperature rose rapidly. The highest temperature reached about 35 degrees, truly presenting the appearance of a midsummer endurance race.
From 8 a.m., special sports driving for Group A was held, with the final setup made in preparation for the official qualifying. After the pre-qualifying briefing, the official qualifying finally began. The session started with Group A (Class 2-4, 1.5CC) A drivers, and Masatoshi Nishiyama of Class 4's [#104 I Love S2000] marked a top time of 2 minutes 18.632 seconds.

In the following session of Group B (Class 5-8) A drivers, #57 Higashiwa Intec Racing DC5's Gaku Ohsawa marked a good time of 2:16.011 and jumped to the top overall. Last year's pole sitter, #18 Asano Automobile Prelude's Takeo Asano, marked a time of 2:16.083 and took second place. He updated the Class 8 course record, but fell just short of first place. In third place, #49 Dijon Endless Wako's DC5's Dr. Takamori continued with a time of 2:16.755, making the top three all in the 2:16 range.

In the Group A B driver session, Shinya Nakamura of 【#28 Sunspot Dog Marine MR2】marked a time of 2 minutes 23.163 seconds, surpassing the A drivers' times and setting the team best. In the Group B B driver session, Yuya Nakajima of 【#18 Asano Automobile Prelude】marked a good time of 2 minutes 16.517 seconds but was unable to beat the time of A driver Asano. Meanwhile, the second fastest in the session was 【#9
Yasunori Nakajima of 【#9 Fukuda Solar.NS.WM.REV.EK】updated the team best.

In general, [#57 Touwa Intec Racing DC5] achieved the top time and pole position. "The road surface temperature was too high and the car setup didn't match, and the tires only lasted for 2 laps. In that situation, I think I was able to put together a decent run without making any mistakes. In the race, I just want to have fun with everyone, not just focus on winning. Of course, it would be even better if we could finish and get a good result," said A driver Manabu Ohsawa.

In second place is [#18 Asano Automobile Prelude], in third place is [#49 DIJON Endless Wako's DC5], in fourth place is [#9 Fukuda Solar.NS.WM.REV.EK], and in fifth place is [#67 YAMATO CIVIC]. However, the qualifying is judged solely on speed. The average time of the drivers and the fuel efficiency of the cars are important factors. Just being fast is not enough to win the "JOY TAI". Which team will be the first to receive the checkered flag for the 13th time?