The 13th "JOY TAI" has arrived. On July 6th (Sat), the rainy season in the Kanto and Koshin regions was announced, and the temperature rose rapidly. The highest temperature reached about 35 degrees, and it was truly taking on the appearance of a midsummer endurance race.
From 8am, the special sports driving session for Group A was held, and the final setup was done for the official qualifying. After the pre-qualifying briefing, the official qualifying finally began. First, the session started with the A drivers (Class 2-4, 1.5CC), and Class 4's [#104 I Love S2000] driver Masatoshi Nishiyama marked the top time with 2 minutes and 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 Group A's B Driver session, Shinya Nakamura from #28 Sunspot Dog Marine MR2 marked a time of 2 minutes 23.163 seconds, surpassing the A Driver's time and setting a team best. In Group B's B Driver session, Yuya Nakajima from #18 Asano Automobile Prelude recorded a good time of 2 minutes 16.517 seconds, but was unable to surpass the time of A Driver Asano. Meanwhile, Yoshinori Nakajima from #9 Fukuda Solar.NS.WM.REV.EK, who finished second in the session, 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?