On Location: 2018 US Rotax MAX Grand Nationals

Now in the books is the 2018 US Rotax MAX Grand Nationals, held at one of the finer facilities in the country, New Jersey Motorsports Park last weekend -- July 6-8. Here are 26 images that represent the competition and atmosphere from the The Garden State.

John Bonanno thus far has had a poised and controlled weekend, and would end it leading the Masters field to turn one. Antonio Pizzonia would be besides him on outside pole with Adam Pettit in third and Pedro Cabrera in fourth.

DD2 Master was a calmly paced, yet tough battle between Derek Wang and Scott Howard. Scott Howard controlled the race, as Wang continued his steady pace to keep within the draft. With absolutely nothing between the two, Wang would go just .04 faster than Howard, which in time paid off. Wang began catching Howard as the race unfolded, looking for his opportunity to make the pass. It looked as if Howard had secured the deal, as Wang could not find a way by until the front straight on the last lap.

DD2 got underway with Danny Formal on pole with Juan Diego Villacis on outside as the 10-kart DD2 field made their way to green. Jac Preston would apply heavy pressure, however it was Villacis that made the move on Formal for the lead. Davide Greco was on the hunt to make up time and positions as he hunted down the lead group, lap by lap. Setting the second fastest lap time of the race, he showed the pace to make his mark on the lead group.

Thomas Nepveu and Justin White have highlighted the Junior Max category so far, and with the two of them leading the field to green, it was going to be a proper battle for victory. Matheus Morgatto in third was certainly keen on making his intentions clear with Jaiden Pope in fourth.

Brent Crews and Diego Laroque would lead the 29 kart Mini MAX field to green with Laroque on outside pole getting the jump into turn two. Battle commenced earlier as Crews was eager to inherit back the lead as the following four corners the two exchanged position three times, on the opening lap.

After rigorous battling all weekend, the Senior Max category got underway with Mathias Ramirez leading the field to turn one alongside Hannah Greenemeier. Ramirez got away cleanly, with a strong jump over Greenemeier, as Samuel Lupien influenced the more than healthy start giving Ramirez a great push.

Saturday's racing was nothing short of exciting, as the program jam-packed with the remaining two heats and pre-finals unfolded at the ROTAX US Grand Nationals / US Open 2018. The popular New Jersey Motorsports Park provided the ideal venue to turn on some fantastic battles for positions and show just how close the competition is this year.

Today saw the official start to the event program at the highly anticipated ROTAX US Grand Nationals / US Open 2018 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, where day 1 of the racing definitely delivered. Sporting an entry list of 120 drivers across the ROTAX Max categories, the overall expectations of the newly introduced lottery engine format provided some excellent close competition in each of the contested classes Friday.