What fictional international racing competition is held in Cars 2?

The fictional international racing competition in Cars 2 is the World Grand Prix.

Sir Miles Axlerod creates the World Grand Prix to promote Allinol, an alternative fuel. The competition takes Lightning McQueen and his team to races in Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom, expanding the Cars universe far beyond Radiator Springs.

The event also drives the film’s spy plot. British agent Finn McMissile suspects that the races are connected to a conspiracy involving the fuel and a device that can remotely affect cars using Allinol. Mater becomes involved after Finn and Holley Shiftwell mistake him for an undercover operative.

The World Grand Prix is not the same championship as the Piston Cup. The Piston Cup is the domestic stock-car competition central to Lightning’s career in the first and third films, while the World Grand Prix is an international event created specifically for Cars 2.