The 17th edition of the 2017 Motegi Enjoy Endurance Race "Joy Tai". Twin Ring Motegi will also celebrate its 20th anniversary on August 1st, and a special prize will be set up to commemorate the anniversary. The vehicle that finishes in 20th place overall will receive a prize of 200,000 yen, the same amount as the overall winner. It will be interesting to see which team will finish in 20th place along with the overall winner.

On Saturday, the official qualifying was held and it was rainy, and although it rained until the morning on Sunday, it stopped during the grid walk and the strong sunlight poured in from between the clouds, making it suddenly hot and humid. The opening declaration by Twin Ring Motegi Angel and the greeting by Director Saito to all the entrants were made at the opening ceremony, and as the start progressed while introducing the grid, the formation lap began.

The 17th "JOY TAI" started at 9:59:50, 10 seconds earlier than the scheduled time, with a rolling start. Starting from pole position, [#9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK] was the first to enter the first corner, followed by [#18 Asano Automobile Prelude], [#260 Honda Challenge FK2], [#58 Kobayashi Automobile W Max ☆ Wako's], [#75 ACELINES 137EG6], and [#27 Chichi Roadster] standing up the second corner. The car that returned to the top on the opening lap was [#260 Honda Challenge FK2]. Following this, [#9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK] and [#51 Braille Battery Mars EK9] rose to third place. Behind them, [#246 GARAGEPIERCEDC5] came out from the inside of [#18 Asano Automobile Prelude]. [#246 GARAGEPIERCEDC5] quickly marked a fastest lap of 2 minutes 16.397 seconds on the second lap and moved up in position.

Afterwards, #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK takes the lead again, but the position changes during the pit stop timing. Last year's champion, #53 Any House SPM Fukuda So FK, takes the lead by utilizing their fuel efficiency and makes their first gasoline refill after 1 hour and 36 minutes. #62 Snoco SSR wmG/M FIT, who was in second place, also refuels at the same timing.

At the 2-hour mark, #27 Chitchi Roadster was in the lead with 47 laps. In second place was #77 WINIX ★EG6★, followed by #19 Shioka SP Snoco ACRE Levin in third, #75 ACELINES137EG6 in fourth, and #108 BRIG Target Levin in fifth. By the 4-hour mark, #75 ACELINES137EG6 and #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK were in the lead with 89 laps, but the decisive moment came as the race entered its final hour.

Around 5 hours and 50 minutes into the race, #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK and #75 ACELINES137EG6 will make their final pit stops, allowing #53 Any House SPM Fukuda So FK to take the lead. #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK will then catch up and engage in a fierce battle for the lead with their contrasting garage FK teammates. In third place is #813 J-WAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS, followed by #27 Chitchi Roadster in fourth place.

And at the 6 hour and 21 minute mark, [#53 Enihaus SPM Fukuda So FK] pitted for the final driver change. This puts [#9 FSNS Potenza SPM WMFK] in the lead. Behind them, [#813 J-Wave Kanto Mazda RSBS] is being chased by [#27 Chitchi Roadster], and on lap 139 with only 30 minutes remaining, [#27 Chitchi Roadster] takes the lead and continues to chase after [#53 Enihaus SPM Fukuda So FK]. [#53 Enihaus SPM Fukuda So FK] also sets a personal best and desperately tries to escape, but with only 20 minutes remaining, they pit due to running out of gas. It was a disappointing end. With [#53 Enihaus SPM Fukuda So FK] out, [#813 J-Wave Kanto Mazda RSBS] moves up to 3rd place, but their pace is not enough and with only a few laps remaining, [#75 Ace Lines 137 EG6] takes the lead.

The #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK, which ran at the top, showed a calm run and ran 154 laps to the checker. After two years, he stood at the top of "JOY TAI".
"When I was in my first stint, I jumped out at the S-curve and the car was damaged. As a result, the water temperature rose and it was in an overheated state, so the engine didn't run as I wanted and I was always running with the water temperature in mind. I'm sorry for causing trouble to everyone, but I'm really glad I was able to win," said Hishito Goto, the player.

The second place overall was taken by the #27 Chitchi Roadster for the second consecutive year. In third place, the #75 ACELINES137EG6 made a dramatic comeback and won first place in Class 5. The #813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS took first place in Class 3, while the #63 MV☆SEEKER☆K+UP☆ won the FIT 1.5 class. The highly anticipated 20th anniversary award went to #747 TEAM HIT FIT, who placed 20th.

Following last year, the 2017 "JOY TAI" also had a 7-hour race without a safety car. Last year, the #53 Eni House SPM Fukuda So FK, which won with 155 laps, suffered from differences in fuel efficiency due to the heat. This year, the same team's #9 FSNS Potenza SPM WM FK won for the first time in 2 years with 154 laps. The "fun" of balancing speed and fuel efficiency will continue to be one of the themes of "JOY TAI" in the future. Which team will take the initiative next year?