The Motegi Enjoy Endurance Race "Joy TAI" started with the aim of being the most enjoyable endurance race in Japan, and this year marks its 18th edition. A total of 11 classes have been set up to allow various vehicles to participate. In addition, in order to make it possible for any displacement vehicle to aim for the overall victory, a minimum stay time at the pit stop has been set for each class, and consideration has been given to make the conditions as equal as possible even if the participating vehicles are different, which has received overwhelming support since its first year of hosting.

The official qualifying on June 30th (Sat) was held in a climate that felt like midsummer, with clear blue skies and scorching sun, as the rainy season was declared earlier than usual. The following day, July 1st (Sun), was also blessed with good weather, and participants preparing for the final race and spectators who came to support them crowded the paddock at Twin Ring Motegi from the morning. A large number of people gathered for the grid walk that started after 9 am, and the excitement of those who were looking forward to the 7-hour long race filled the air.

The final race started exactly at 10:00 am. The total of 78 entrants were divided into two groups, Group 1 and Group 2, and the 18th "JOY TAI" began with a rolling start. The first to dive into the first corner was the #1 MP Racing NilsR, starting from pole position. Following closely behind were the #246 Yuki & Obocchama Z DC5 and the #260 Honda Challenge FK2, and they continued to fiercely compete for the top spot from the second corner onwards. The #246 Yuki & Obocchama Z DC5 took the lead in the opening lap. Following behind were the #1 MP Racing NilsR, #260 Honda Challenge FK2, #20 M-Racing S2000, #84 SEV・ADVAN・2-11, and #57 Toyo Intec Racing DC5.

The #246 Yuki & Obocchama Z DC5 recorded a 2:16.911 on the 2nd lap and tried to pull away, but the #57 Towa Intec Racing DC5 chasing from behind gradually closed the gap. While attention was focused on the battle between these two cars, the first major move came from the #246 Yuki & Obocchama Z DC5. On the 5th lap, 12 minutes after the start, they pitted early for refueling. As a result, the #57 Towa Intec Racing DC5 smoothly took the lead, but they were forced to make an emergency pit stop on the 7th lap due to trouble.
After that, #1 MP Racing NilsR regained the lead but headed for refueling on the 12th lap. The lead changed hands repeatedly as each team made pit stops: #864 PULSESTAR’S DC5 led until the 15th lap, and #84 SEV・ADVAN・2-11 until the 22nd lap. At the 25th lap, marking one hour into the race, #87 Sunspot Racing Civic was leading the pack. Ultimately, the team that made the latest pit stop among the frontrunners was #7 FUCHSwm Versus FIT, which had been racing for 1 hour and 44 minutes since the start.

At the 2-hour mark, #90 K2 Garage Civic was in the lead with 45 laps. In second place was #6 versus racing Brain Express, followed by #9 Fukuso NS Potenza WMSPMFK in third, #19 Shioka SP Snoco ACRE Levin in fourth, and #77 WINIX★CIVIC in fifth, all running on the same lap. At the 4-hour mark, the top two cars, #9 Fukuso NS Potenza WMSPMFK and #75 ACELINES137EG6, had completed 89 laps. In third place and beyond were #250 Nikko Endless FIT, #63 MVSEEKERK+UPFIT, #26 Endless Advan Trust Vi, and #62 G/M☆SSR☆WM☆FIT, all running on the same lap of 88 laps.

At the 5 hours and 56 minutes mark, with only 1 hour left until the checker, the #7 FUCHSwm Versus FIT, which has completed 3 refueling operations, and the #6 versus racing Brain Express, which has completed 4 refueling operations, were both in a one-two position. The difference in refueling strategies greatly affected the lap times in the final stages of the race, with the #7 FUCHSwm Versus FIT being forced to achieve a fuel economy of 2 minutes and 30 seconds per lap, while the #6 versus racing Brain Express continued to run at a time approximately 3 seconds faster. All eyes were on the battle between these two teams with different refueling strategies.

After that, the big move came at the 90-degree corner on the 134th lap, which had passed 6 hours and 10 minutes. Here, finally, #6 versus racing BrainExpress rose to the top and continued to lap in the 2 minutes 27 seconds range. In second place was #37 FUCHSwm Versus FIT. In third place was #813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS, which rose to third place on the 133rd lap. In fourth place was #9 Fukuso NS Potenza WMSPMFK. In fifth place was #75 ACELINES 137EG6, the only one among the top runners to continue running in the 2 minutes 23 seconds range. This set the stage for an exciting finish that could only be seen in the "JOY TAI".

With 45 minutes left until the finish line, 【#6 versus racing BrainExpress】, followed by 【#813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS】 and 【#75 ACELINES 137EG6】, were all completing laps with their final drivers still to come. In fact, 【#75 ACELINES 137EG6】 was completing laps at a faster pace than the other teams, recording the team's best lap time of 2 minutes and 21.935 seconds towards the end. As a result, the first team to make a move for a driver change among the top teams was 【#6 versus racing BrainExpress】. With 25 minutes left, on the 144th lap, they entered the pit, followed by 【#813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS】 on the same lap. While 【#6 versus racing BrainExpress】 returned to the track in the lead, 【#75 ACELINES 137EG6】 finally rose to the top on the 146th lap, widening the time gap and keeping their hopes for victory alive. They then entered the pit on the 149th lap for their final driver change.

#6 versus racing Brain Express, which reclaimed the top position, continued to lap around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Meanwhile, #75 ACELINES137EG6 was desperately chasing, but no matter how much they reduced the time gap each lap, a dramatic comeback within the limited 7-hour timeframe was impossible. As a result, #6 versus racing Brain Express completed 154 laps and won the 18th "JOY TAI".
Tetsuo Sano, who served as the checkered flag driver, commented, "This was my fifth challenge with the FIT. In the past, I had twice achieved a third-place podium finish, but I had a strong desire to win. We took on different strategies within the same team, with three refuelings and four refuelings, but since we wanted to focus on speed and aim for victory, we decided to race with four refuelings. This result is the fruit of the efforts of the three drivers and all the team staff. Next year, as the defending champions, we want to aim for consecutive victories!"

Second place overall was achieved by #75 ACELINES137EG, who provided a tense and exciting race until the very end, also winning Class 5. In third place was #9 Fukuso NS Potenza WMSPMFK, who also made it to the podium.

In the end, it was a clean 7-hour race without any safety car interventions for the third consecutive year in 2016 and 2017. This achievement in the "JOY TAI" event, where both beginners and top drivers can participate, is a testament to the rules, manners, and skills of all participants. Moreover, it has been proven without a doubt that the difficulty of balancing speed and fuel efficiency is what makes the 7-hour endurance race enjoyable until the very end. It is certain that those who have been captivated by the charm of "JOY TAI" will continue to liven up this event next year.