No Estonian driver had taken on the biggest endurance race in the world in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans until this year. Martin Rump (age 26) became the first to do so, at the wheel of Hardpoint Motorsport's #99 Porsche 911 RSR-19 in LMGTE Am.

The native of the capital city of Tallinn shared the #99 Porsche with Andrew Haryanto and Alessio Picariello. The trio had managed to place the car in the top 3 in the class until encountering rear suspension problems. The three minutes and 30 seconds lost during repairs pushed Hardpoint Motorsport to the fifth spot, then Haryanto left the track at the Dunlop chicane just over an hour from the chequered flag. In the end, the #99 Porsche crossed the finish line in 11th place in the LMGTE Am class.

Martin Rump was on the track a total of seven hours, 45 minutes and 24 seconds, covering 114 laps and clocking a best time of 3:52.990. Martin Rump: "It was an exhilarating feeling to then be in contention for the podium for majority of the race and even take the lead at one point. Then, difficulties happened — that is to be expected in endurance racing. All in all, I’m happy for the P11. We finished, and that was the main goal. Also, we showed real strength in the 23-strong grid of top tier teams fighting for the most prestigious endurance racing trophy in the world."

For rookie drivers, the first laps at the legendary circuit are very special, an unforgettable moment in their careers. "I remember the sheer excitement of my first ever outing at the legendary Sarthe circuit for the Sunday morning test. My eyes were wide open for the whole duration, and I must’ve gripped the steering wheel pretty hard too! I basically focused on keeping it on the track, learning the track as much as possible with all its tricks, and managing the traffic well, making all my moves on the track clear for others and not getting too distracted with the Hypercars flying past. Going around Le Mans in the beautiful Porsche 911 RSR was a dream come true. At Le Mans, you need to be confident. Finding the confidence was one of my main priorities. And thanks to the team, I found it by race time. Then it grew with each stint. I loved it, I had so much fun!"

Doing the 24 Hours of Le Mans had been a childhood dream of Rump's and he has even received some recognition back in Estonia. "The attention from Estonian media and fans has been extraordinary indeed. I’m proud to have achieved this big milestone. My hope is that soon there will be more racers taking part from Estonia."

Rump is currently gearing up for the 4 Hours of Monza on 3 July, third round of the 2022 European Le Mans Series. "We need to work hard in order to earn the invitation for next year. I really hope we can come back."