Sonic and Tails are about to take a holiday when Tails notices an advertisement for a "World Grand Prix". While not initially interested, Sonic notices that the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik is also participating in the race, which persuades him to change his mind and participate. It is revealed that Dr. Robotnik has recently learned of the whereabouts of the rare and powerful Chaos Emeralds, with which he aspires to enslave the world, and the World Grand Prix is actually a trap used to distract Sonic. Sonic and Tails, as well as Knuckles and Amy (who overheard of the race and plan and decided to participate) must balance both winning races and obtaining the Chaos Emeralds to keep them out of Dr. Robotnik's reach.