It had been rainy until early morning with temperatures just slightly above 20 degrees, making for a chilly rainy season, but by the time the official qualifying began, the sky had brightened and the time attack was conducted under almost dry conditions. Starting this year, the grid positions are determined by the combined best times of the A driver and B driver, so the skills of both drivers are put to the test.

First, the session for Group A (Class 1-4, 1.5CC) started at 11:30 a.m., and Morio Wakabayashi of Class 4's 【#84 SEV・ADVAN・Elise】marked the top time of 2 minutes 18.511 seconds.

The session for Group B (Class 5-9) continued with a 5-minute delay for the recovery of the stopped vehicle from the previous session. First, #104 I Love S2000 took the top spot on the leaderboard with a time of 2:15.304, but #13 GALASSIA WM DC5's rider, Kyosuke Imatake, snatched the top spot with a time of 2:14.297. He then shortened it to 2:14.071. Afterwards, #57 Toyo Intech Racing DC5's rider, Manabu Osawa, marked a time of 2:14.673 and rose to second place, immediately followed by a time of 2:13.988, putting him in the 2:13 range and taking the top spot. However, with less than 3 minutes remaining, #13 GALASSIA WM DC5's rider, Imatake, once again took the top spot with a time of 2:13.620, and further shortened it to 2:13.390, showing an impressive run that broke the course record.

Returning to on-time from the Group A B-driver session, the time attack begins. The top time here was marked by Shinya Nakamura of Class 4 【#28 Sunspot Dog Marine MR2】. The time was 2 minutes 20.738 seconds.

And the grid will be determined in the session of Group B drivers. First, at around 7 minutes into the session, #14 Mason BRIDE elfEK9's Masasumi Ohashi marks a time of 2:15.378 to take the top spot, but #13 GALASSIA WM DC5's Tsubasa Amano quickly snatches the top spot with a time of 2:15.093. In second place is #9 BS Nexus EK9's Yasunori Nakajima with a time of 2:15.121. Due to trouble during the A driver's session, they will have to make their way up from the 89th grid position.

Afterwards, #13 GALASSIA WM DC5's rider Amano recorded a time of 2:14.221. He further improved his time, but #847 Dr Nomuten Hakon INTEGRA's Keiichi Inoue marked 2:13.986 and finished this session at the top.

The combined time of the A driver and B driver saw Class 7's #13 GALASSIA WM DC5 take the top spot with a time of 4 minutes 27.611 seconds, securing pole position.

"All the drivers and staff here are participating in "JOY TAI" for the first time. I happened to have a DC5, so I decided to enter "JOY TAI". For the first stint, I plan on trying to escape, but it will be difficult due to the limited pit time, so it's important to save fuel. I'm glad we were able to get pole position. I will enjoy it!" said driver Inomata.

In second place was also Class7's #847 Dr Nomuten Hakon INTEGRA with a time of 4 minutes 30.905 seconds, followed by Class9 leader #31 Hasepro Lancer EVO8 in third place with 4 minutes 31.866 seconds. The top of Class6 was #14 Mason BRIDE elfEK9 in 5th overall, the top of Class8 was #104 I Love S2000 in 6th overall, and the top of Class5 was #95 SSS Civic in 7th overall, with the class-leading teams lined up.

This time, Course Records were broken in Class 1, 7, 8, and 9. The cloudy sky kept the track temperature from rising too much, which seemed to be an advantage. With the official qualifying and free practice sessions completed, only the Sunday 7-hour "JOY TAI" endurance race remains. How to compete in "JOY TAI," where speed alone does not guarantee victory? And how to enjoy it? These are important elements in "JOY TAI." Let's all have fun aiming for the checkered flag 7 hours ahead!