The 17th edition of the 2017 Mote endurance race "JOY TAI". Twin Ring Motegi will celebrate its 20th anniversary on August 1, and a special prize has been established to commemorate the 20th anniversary. Remarkably, the same prize money of 200,000 yen awarded for the overall victory will also be given to the vehicle that finishes in 20th place overall, making it interesting to see which team will secure that 20th position along with the overall victory.

On Saturday, when the official qualifying took place, it was rainy, and although the rain lingered until the morning of Sunday, it stopped during the grid walk, and as intense sunlight broke through the clouds, it quickly became humid. The opening declaration was made by the Twin Ring Motegi Angel, and Manager Saito gave a greeting to all the entrants during the opening ceremony. As they introduced the grid, they proceeded to the start, and the formation lap began.

The 17th "JOY TAI" started with a rolling start at 9:59:50, 10 seconds earlier than scheduled. The car starting from pole position, #9 FSNS POTEZA SPMWMFK, entered the first corner first, followed by #18 Asano Automobile Prelude, #260 Honda Challenge FK2, #58 Kobayashi Automobile W Max☆Wako's, #75 ACELINES137EG6, and #27 Chichi Roadster as they exited the second corner. The car that returned first on the opening lap was #260 Honda Challenge FK2. Following closely was #9 FSNS POTEZA SPMWMFK, and in third place was #51 Braille Battery Mars EK9. Behind them, #246 GARAGEPIERCEDC5 moved ahead from the inside of #18 Asano Automobile Prelude. #246 GARAGEPIERCEDC5 marked the fastest lap of 2:16.397 on the second lap, improving its position.

After that, once again, #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK takes the lead, but during the pit stop timing, the positions change. Last year's champion #53 Anyhouse SPM Fukuda So FK takes advantage of good fuel efficiency to take the lead and enters for the first gasoline refueling after 1 hour and 36 minutes. At this point, #62 Sunoco SSRwmG/M FIT, which was in second place, also refueled at the same timing.

At the point of 2 hours elapsed, [#27 Chichi Roadster] was in the lead with 47 laps. In second place was [#77 WINIX ★EG6★], third was [#19 Shiooka SP Sonoko ACRE Levin], fourth was [#75 ACELINES137EG6], and fifth was [#108 BRIG Target Levin]. After 4 hours, [#75 ACELINES137EG6] and [#9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK] were leading with 89 laps, but the developments that would determine the outcome became clear as we approached the last 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 Anyhouse SPM Fukuda So FK to rise to the top. #9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK will chase after this, while the contrasting garage FK teammates will engage in a battle for the lead. In third place is #813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS, and in fourth place is #27 Chichi Roadster.

Then, after 6 hours and 21 minutes, [#53 ANYHOUSE SPM Fukuda So FK] pitted for the last driver change. This allowed [#9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK] to take the lead. Behind them, [#27 Chichi Roadster] closed in on [#813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS], and soon, on the 139th lap with 30 minutes remaining, [#27 Chichi Roadster] moved ahead and began to chase [#53 ANYHOUSE SPM Fukuda So FK]. [#53 ANYHOUSE SPM Fukuda So FK] also set a personal best and desperately tried to escape, but pitted with 20 minutes left due to an unfortunate fuel shortage. With [#53 ANYHOUSE SPM Fukuda So FK] dropping out, [#813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS] moved up to third place, but their pace did not increase, and just before the checkered flag, [#75 ACELINES 137EG6] moved ahead.

Running at the top, 【#9 FSNS PUTO SPMWMFK】 showed a calm performance, completing 154 laps and taking the checkered flag. After two years, they stood at the pinnacle of "JOY TAI" again.
"During my first stint, I went off at the S-curve and damaged the car. As a result, the water temperature rose, and we were in an overheating state, so the engine didn't perform as expected, and I was constantly worried about the water temperature. I felt really sorry for causing trouble to everyone, but I'm truly glad we could win," said driver Hitoshi Goto.

The 1st place was taken by the #27 Chichi Roadster for the second consecutive year. In 3rd place, the #75 ACELINES137EG6 made a dramatic comeback to win the class 5 championship. The #813 JWAVE Kanto Mazda RSBS in 4th place won the class 3 championship, and the #63 MV☆SEEKER☆K+UP☆ in 5th place won the FIT 1.5 class championship. The highly anticipated 20th anniversary award was given to the #747 TEAM HIT FIT, which placed 20th.

Following last year, the 2017 "JOY TAI" also had a 7-hour race without a single safety car. Last year, the team 【#53 Anyhouse SPM Fukuda So FK】 recorded 155 laps and won, but this year they faced challenges due to differences in fuel efficiency caused by the heat. This year, the same team’s 【#9 FSNS Potenza SPMWMFK】 won with 154 laps, marking their victory after two years. The balance of speed and fuel efficiency, which is the "fun" aspect, will continue to be one of the themes of "JOY TAI". I wonder which team will take the initiative next year.