The official qualifying round of "JOY TAI" will be held for the 12th time this year on July 14 (Sat).
Although there were concerns about the track conditions due to rain that started the day before, the weather improved during the pre-qualifying briefing, with the sun occasionally peeking out, and the track dried up, allowing for a time attack in safe dry conditions.

The qualifiers were divided into a total of 9 classes, split into Class 1 to 4 and Group A for the 1.5cc class, and Group B for Class 5 to 8, with sessions held separately for A drivers and B drivers.

In the qualifying Group B, Takemitsu Asano, who participated in Class 9 last year, is competing with the #18 Asano Automobile Integra in Class 7. He marked a good time of 2 minutes 13.932 seconds on the second lap. Although Keiichi Inoue from #48 Dijon Endless Wako's DC5 and Akihiro Hasegawa from #99 HR Integra were closing in, Asano managed to maintain his lead and is currently in provisional first place. In the following session for B drivers, Yuuya Nakajima from #18 Asano Automobile Integra did not start for over 5 minutes, raising concerns about potential trouble, but this was part of the strategy. Once the surrounding attacks settled down, he launched into action and marked a time of 2 minutes 14.434 on the third lap, taking the top spot in Group B.
Asano, who secured the pole position that he wanted to take if possible, commented, "I will make up for the number of pit stops with time. I enjoy racing more when I adopt an aggressive approach, so I want to drive as fast as possible," revealing his confidence and playful spirit.

In the qualifying Group A, A driver participating in Class 4, #2 C.K.Eng NB Roadster's Jun Tsuchiya set a course record of 2 minutes 19.614 seconds on the second lap. However, #2 wako'S.M-one's Kazuhiro Koizumi shortened his time by nearly 3 seconds to 2 minutes 16.737 seconds on the fifth lap, securing the top position for Class 4 A drivers. Later, in the B driver session, Tsuchiya's teammate Sō Murakami took the lead, but his time remained at 2 minutes 21.098 seconds, confirming the Class 4 top position for #2 C.K.Eng NB Roadster. In this Class 4, a high-speed battle unfolded where the top four cars updated the previous record times, but Koizumi calmly analyzed, "I just analyzed the regulations and tried to surpass the rival team, and it naturally turned out that way." Before the final, he tightened his focus, stating, "The strategy of when to attack will be important."

The final of the 2012 Motegi Enjoy endurance race "JOY TAI" will start at 10:00 on July 15 (Sun). A heated battle will unfold towards the 17:00 goal.