The international race in Pixar’s Cars 2 is called the World Grand Prix.
The event is organized by Miles Axlerod and takes place across several locations, including Tokyo, Porto Corsa, and London. Its purpose is to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel that Axlerod presents as a cleaner option for racing cars.
Lightning McQueen enters the competition, while Mater becomes entangled in the espionage plot surrounding it. The World Grand Prix therefore serves both as the film’s major sporting event and as the setting for the conspiracy involving secret agents, sabotage, and remotely controlled cars.
The World Grand Prix is different from the Piston Cup, the domestic stock-car championship central to the first Cars film. It is also not a real-world racing series; the name belongs to the fictional competition created for Cars 2. The film’s international locations help distinguish its globe-spanning story from Radiator Springs’ small-town setting.