Tokyo Grand Prix

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Tokyo Grand Prix
Layout of the Tokyo Street Circuit
Race details
Date	July 13th, 2011
Location	Tokyo, Kantō, Japan
Course	Street circuit
Surface	67% Asphalt 33% Dirt
Distance	52 laps
Turns	34
Weather	Clear
Podium
First	Francesco Bernoulli 48:26:870
Second	Lightning McQueen 48:26:976
Third	Carla Veloso 48:28:126

The Tokyo Grand Prix (officially known as the Inaugural running of the World Grand Prix) was the first race in the World Grand Prix, which took in 2011 at the Tokyo Street Circuit in Tokyo, Japan. The circuit is a spectacular street circuit located in Tokyo. The circuit goes through the main straight, passes in front of the Imperial Palace in the park (the rally dirt track), goes through the streets, then passes on a 360° loop and then on the Rainbow Bridge, so called because it emits colorful lights. After they head back to the main straights.

The race was won by Francesco Bernoulli ahead of Lightning McQueen and Carla Veloso.

Starting grid

The starting grid was reversed, the fastest racers started from the end of the grid.

Position	Number	Name
1st	06	Raoul ÇaRoule
2nd	5	Miguel Camino
3rd	4	Max Schnell
4th	24	Jeff Gorvette
5th	9	Nigel Gearsley
6th	2	Lewis Hamilton
7th	10	Rip Clutchgoneski
8th	7	Shu Todoroki
9th	8	Carla Veloso
10th	95	Lightning McQueen
11th	1	Francesco Bernoulli

Finishing Dirt Positions

Position	Number	Name
1st	95	Lightning McQueen
2nd	06	Raoul ÇaRoule
3rd	4	Max Schnell
4th	2	Lewis Hamilton
5th	9	Nigel Gearsley
6th	24	Jeff Gorvette
7th	8	Carla Veloso
8th	7	Shu Todoroki
9th	10	Rip Clutchgoneski
10th	5	Miguel Camino
11th	1	Francesco Bernoulli

Zigzag Positions

Here are the positions of the zigzag section of the Tokyo Race.

Position	Number	Name
1st	95	Lightning McQueen
2nd	8	Carla Veloso
3rd	7	Shu Todoroki
4th	4	Max Schnell
5th	2	Lewis Hamilton
6th	1	Francesco Bernoulli
7th	10	Rip Clutchgoneski
8th	9	Nigel Gearsley
9th	06	Raoul ÇaRoule
10th	5	Miguel Camino
11th	24	Jeff Gorvette

Race

Race report

Tokyo poster

The fastest racers quickly take the first places at the end of the first straight line. Francesco Bernoulli is in first position, but has some difficulties on the dirt section. At the end of lap 1, while he had just passed three cars in the straightway, Miguel Camino (5th) had his engine explode and goes back to the pits, immediately taken care of by his team. During the rest of the race, Lightning McQueen and Bernoulli swap places, McQueen catching up on the dirt and Bernoulli in the straightaways. At the end of lap 34, Rip Clutchgoneski's (3rd) engine blew up and spun out with Carla Veloso and Max Schnell barely dodging his crash. In turn 26 (360° loop), Mater gives him a bad indication, and McQueen moves to the outside. Bernoulli takes advantage of this and passes first in the last 8 laps. In turn (33) on the last lap (52), Schnell (5th) blew his engine, causing him to spin out and crash into a tyre barrier. In the last straightaway, McQueen moves to the right and tries to overtake Bernoulli, to no avail. Bernoulli crosses the finish line 106 milliseconds before McQueen. Behind, Veloso finishes just before Shu Todoroki. Lewis Hamilton arrives alone with a comfortable advantage on the last peloton composed of Nigel Gearsley, Jeff Gorvette, and Raoul ÇaRoule, who arrives a few seconds later.

Race classification

Position	Number	Name	Laps	Time/Retired
1st	1	Francesco Bernoulli	52	48:26:870
2nd	95	Lightning McQueen	52	48:26:976
3rd	8	Carla Veloso	52	48:28:126
4th	7	Shu Todoroki	52	48:28:335
5th	2	Lewis Hamilton	52	?
6th	9	Nigel Gearsley	52	?
7th	24	Jeff Gorvette	52	?
8th	06	Raoul ÇaRoule	52	?
DNF	4	Max Schnell	52	Engine Failure
DNF	10	Rip Clutchgoneski	34	Engine Failure
DNF	5	Miguel Camino	2	Engine Failure

Max Schnell's engine overheated on the final lap of the race

Rip Clutchgoneski's engine overheated on the 34th lap of the race

Miguel Camino's engine overheated on the 2nd lap of the race

Post-race

On the podium, while Darrell Cartrip was interviewing the winner of the race, McQueen went back to his pit. After a discussion with Mater, he gave an interview later on to explain his mistake. Lewis Hamilton was apparently given a time penalty applied after the race. Although he crossed the finish line in fifth position, it is Nigel Gearsley who is ranked fifth in the World Grand Prix standings at the start of the Porto Corsa Grand Prix.

After the retire of three cars, this has led some to suggest that Allinol, could be the cause of the accidents. Miles Axlerod gave an interview saying that Allinol did not caused these car to flame out. Two of the three accidents of the race happened on racers who had just overtaken other cars (Miguel Camino and Rip Clutchgoneski), and always at the beginning of the start-finish straightway. This will be explained later when it will be discovered that the World Grand Prix was the target of a plot to sabotage the race.

Overall rankings

World Grand Prix standings at the end of the Tokyo Grand Prix.

Position	Number	Name	Points
1st	1	Francesco Bernoulli	10
2nd	95	Lightning McQueen	8
3rd	8	Carla Veloso	6
4th	7	Shu Todoroki	5
5th	9	Nigel Gearsley	4
6th	24	Jeff Gorvette	3
7th	06	Raoul ÇaRoule	2
8th	2	Lewis Hamilton	1
DNF	4	Max Schnell	0
DNF	10	Rip Clutchgoneski	0
DNF	5	Miguel Camino	0

Circuit

Layout

The start-finish straight is in the middle of the long straightway, measuring more than 4 km (2.5 mi) in real life. After 7 sharp turns going even at 90°, they arrive in the hairpin of the Imperial Palace, and pass on the Nijubashi Bridge, and then in the dirt section, which is in the Chiyoda district. The exit from this section is on a long straightway in a tunnel. Then a new series of technical turns, sometimes very narrow, with the chicane and then the 360° loop which leads to the Rainbow Bridge. Then comes a series of short straights separated by 90° turns. After the 33rd turn, they arrive on the long straightway.

The circuit has 34 turns, of which 8 are on the dirt section and 17 considered as technical turns. The track is 33 % dirt and 67 % asphalt.

Pit lane

Position	Number and Pit Logo	Racer	Crew Chief	Main Pitty	Fuel
1st	×	Unassigned	×	×	Allinol
2nd	2	Lewis Hamilton	Bruce Boxmann	Lewis Hamilton's Pitty	Allinol
3rd	4	Max Schnell	Otto Bonn	Max Schnell's Pitty	Allinol
4th	10	Rip Clutchgoneski	Brian Gearlooski	Terrell Geartry	Allinol
5th	8	Carla Veloso	Cruz Besouro	Adam Parke	Allinol
6th	24	Jeff Gorvette	John Lassetire	Turbo Bullock	Allinol
7th	06	Raoul ÇaRoule	Bruno Motoreau	E. Manual Maniez	Allinol
8th	7	Shu Todoroki	Mach Matsuo	Kik	Allinol
9th	1	Francesco Bernoulli	Giuseppe Motorosi	Alex Machino	Allinol
10th	95	Lightning McQueen	Mater	Guido	Allinol
11th	5	Miguel Camino	Petro Cartalina	Honk Cho	Allinol
12th	9	Nigel Gearsley	Austin Littleton	Nick Pit-Tire	Allinol

Gallery

The starting grid

The first turn

The Palace's hairpin

The Imperial Palace (concept art)

The bridge

The rally track

The tunnel (Francesco's onboard camera)

The 360° loop

The Rainbow Bridge

The main straight and the pits

Trivia

The layout of the circuit on a real map, following the routes.

• Interestingly, if you had not noticed, this was actually the only race in the World Grand Prix that took place at night.
• The circuit is entirely based on real Tokyo roads, but they were never used for racing.
• All the shots of the race are inverted, which means that the circuit map has to be flipped in axial symmetry.
• The racers pass first through the Imperial Palace and then through the dirt section, which is not possible according to the race route.
• The Japanese names of the World Grand Prix (ワールドグランプリ) and Allinol (アリノール) can be seen on the edges of the circuit.
• There is also a real-life Tokyo Street Circuit used for Formula E. It opened in 2024 while this one opened in 2011, which was 13 years before the real-life track opened in Tokyo, Japan.