In Pixar’s Cars 2, the first World Grand Prix race is held in Tokyo.
The Tokyo race introduces the international competition organized by Sir Miles Axlerod. Lightning McQueen enters the event, while Mater becomes entangled in the spy storyline after meeting British agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell.
Tokyo gives the film a very different setting from Radiator Springs. The racers pass illuminated city streets and elevated sections of track, and the setting emphasizes the World Grand Prix’s global scale. Lightning competes against Francesco Bernoulli, a confident Italian open-wheel racer who becomes his chief sporting rival in the film.
The remaining major World Grand Prix races take place in Porto Corsa, Italy, and London, England. These locations are sometimes recalled in the wrong order because the film moves quickly between racing and espionage scenes. Tokyo is the opening stop, followed by Porto Corsa and then the finale in London.