Chrysler Team ORECA is playing the waiting game in a chaotic 69th edition of the Le Mans 24 hours. Three heavy rain showers have made the race a lottery and each resulted in a safety car period as the circuit was deemed too wet.

Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Yannick Dalmas are the leading Chrysler in fifth position overall at the four hour mark. Monegasque Olivier Beretta, with Karl Wendlinger and Pedro Lamy lies ninth overall after suffering a minor problem with a wheel nut. Ni Amorim, Seiji Ara and Masahiko Kondo are 14th overall.

"I think that on this circuit the weather can make a big, big change to the race," said ORECA Director Hugues de Chaunac. "Our target for the three cars is to keep going and the drivers are under strict instructions not to go too quickly. For now, we have to keep our three cars on the road and see where we are at 8:00am tomorrow before we decide what to do. For now the message is clear, we have to be safe."

Yannick Dalmas started the number 15 Chrysler LMP on slick tyres, and commented after his stint: "The track was incredibly slippery in the wet and very difficult to drive on it. I started the race on slicks, as did 95 per cent of the field but soon the rain came and the track became difficult.

"I came in to put fuel in and take on wet tyres because half the track was wet, half dry. I tried to get the most out of them but eventually we had to stop two laps early for slicks. Franck took over on slick tyres, but then it became wet again. Our chassis is very, very good, but the changing conditions make it so difficult."

The first heavy rain shower, just 20 minutes into the race, saw two Chrysler Vipers crash heavily. David Terrien crashed the FFSA Viper and the 24-year-old Frenchman eventually returned to the pits, but was retired when it was found to have a damaged tub. The Larbre Chrysler Viper of Christophe Bouchut, Jean-Philippe Belloc and Tiago Monteiro also had severe frontal damage after a heavy impact. It was repaired and sent out again, but is currently 44th overall, fifth in class.