In Pixar’s Cars 2, what international racing event brings the competitors together?

The World Grand Prix is the international racing event in Pixar’s Cars 2.

The race is organized by Miles Axlerod to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel. Competitors race on courses in Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London, giving the sequel a much broader setting than the first Cars film’s American road-trip story.

Lightning McQueen enters the event, while Mater becomes involved in the espionage plot after being mistaken for an undercover agent. The international race is therefore both a sporting competition and the backdrop for the film’s spy adventure.

The World Grand Prix should not be confused with the Piston Cup. The Piston Cup is the principal stock-car racing championship in the first film and the wider Cars universe, while the World Grand Prix is the globe-spanning competition created for Cars 2.