In honor of the 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, the michelinracingusa.com staff offers 24 bits of Le Mans history, factoids and trivia. See www.michelinracingusa.com for updates, features and the complete list, plus Rick Dole photos.

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Fans and drivers alike at the drivers parade comprise a truly international event. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Note 18 of 24: True Colors

The paddock, spectator areas and campgrounds of Le Mans are a colorful field of flags as fans from dozens of countries fly, carry, or even wear their national colors. No less than 26 countries are represented in the Prototype and GT entry lists.

A quick look at just the Prototype entry list shows drivers from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Monaco, Australia, Czech Republic, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Portugal.

On the GT side, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, The Netherlands, Japan, Finland, Belgium, USA, Monaco, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, and Spain are all in the mix.

There are two American Prototype entries; Michael Lewis/Autocon in LMP1 and Duncan Dayton’s Highcroft Racing in LMP2.

The GT2 class has four American entrants representing six cars. Corvette Racing and Risi Competizione each have a pair of cars, while Flying Lizard Porsche and RSR Jaguar each feature a single entry.

Once the race starts, there is only one flag that counts. The question is, when the race ends whose flags will wave.