What racing competition is introduced in Pixar's Cars 2?

Pixar's Cars 2 introduces the World Grand Prix, an international racing competition organized by Sir Miles Axlerod.

The event is designed to promote Allinol, a new alternative fuel. Lightning McQueen enters the races, while Mater becomes involved in an international espionage story after being mistaken for an undercover agent. The World Grand Prix takes the characters to Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The competition is different from the Piston Cup, the American stock-car championship central to the first Cars film. The World Grand Prix uses multiple international circuits and highlights sports cars and racing styles from different countries.

Cars 2 was released in 2011 and directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis. Its broader global setting and spy-film structure distinguish it from the small-town road story of the original movie.