The 13th "JOY TAI" has arrived. On July 6 (Sat), the end of the rainy season in the Kanto-Koshin region was announced, and the temperature rose sharply. The maximum temperature reached about 35 degrees, presenting the appearance of a midsummer endurance race.
From 8 AM, special sports driving for Group A took place, allowing for the final setup before the official qualifying. After the pre-qualifying briefing, the official qualifying finally began. The session started with Group A (Class 2-4, 1.5CC) A drivers, and Masatoshi Nishiyama in Class 4's 【#104 I Love S2000】 marked a top time of 2 minutes 18.632.

In the following B group (Class 5-8) A driver session, Manabu Ohsawa from #57 Towa Intec Racing DC5 marked a good time of 2 minutes 16.011 seconds, jumping to the top overall. In second place, last year's pole sitter, Takeo Asano from #18 Asano Automobile Prelude, marked 2 minutes 16.083 seconds. He updated the Class 8 course record but fell just short, finishing in second place. In third place, Dr. Takamori from #49 DIJON Endless Wako's DC5 followed with a time of 2 minutes 16.755 seconds, with the top three all marking times in the 2 minute 16 second range.

In Group A, Driver B's session, Shinya Nakamura from #28 Sunsport 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, Driver B's 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.

Overall, the #57 Towa Intec Racing DC5 achieved the top time and secured pole position. "The track temperature rose too much, and the machine setup was not suitable, and the tires only lasted for two laps. Despite that, I think I was able to put together a decent performance without any mistakes. In the final, I hope we can all enjoy driving together without being too focused on winning. Of course, if we can finish the race and get good results, that would make me even happier," said 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, qualifying is judged solely on speed. The average time of all drivers and the fuel efficiency of the machines are important factors. Just being fast is not enough to win in "JOY TAI". Which team will be the first to receive the checkered flag for the 13th time!?