British racing driver Ollie Millroy has said he owes his life to Dutch driver Loek Hartog, who pulled him from a burning Ferrari after a major crash during the opening race of the China GT championship in Shanghai on Saturday.
The incident occurred 20 minutes into the race when Millroy's Ferrari was struck heavily from the side following a collision between two other cars, causing it to burst into flames. The race was immediately red-flagged, but with no safety marshals able to respond promptly, Hartog stopped his car and attempted to rescue Millroy from the driver's side.
Hartog managed to haul off part of the door, grabbed a fire extinguisher from a nearby official, doused the flames as best he could, and then pulled Millroy from the opposite side of the wreck. Millroy was helped to the side of the track before being taken to hospital, where he is receiving treatment for multiple fractures and a bruised lung.
Millroy's gratitude and Hartog's bravery
In an Instagram post, the 35-year-old Millroy expressed his deep gratitude to Hartog. “I owe my life to you,” he wrote. “Loek Hartog stopped instantly with no flag marshals or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car. I don’t remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and 1 hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life.”
Millroy added that he would tell his three children about the incident, saying that Hartog would be “the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.” He detailed his injuries: “I’m laying here tonight with 5 broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken hand and finger and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse. Thank you Loek.”
Hartog, 23, said he never hesitated in his decision to run towards the burning car. “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make,” he posted on social media. “From what I had seen, I genuinely believed the driver might not be able to get out by himself. I stopped, got out, and went towards the car. There was never a moment of doubt.”
Team and organisers respond to safety concerns
Hartog described the ordeal as terrifying, adding, “It was terrifying, and there were moments when I didn’t know if I’d ever manage to get Ollie out. But it’s not about what I did; I’m sure many people in my position would have reacted exactly the same way.”
The race did not resume after the crash. Millroy's team, FIST Auto, announced it will not participate in future China GT races until safety concerns are discussed with organisers. In a statement, the team expressed distress that during the live broadcast, the organisers did not verify the situation on the scene and hastily said the drivers left their cars on their own. The statement clarified: “The actual situation is: our driver was rescued from the burning car by Loek Hartog, regardless of his own safety. We pay our highest respect to Loek for his heroic act of giving himself up to save others.”
The China GT organisers admitted “shortcoming” in a statement released after the abandoned race, saying, “We will further review and investigate the accident and formulate more comprehensive plans to address shortcomings in competition organization, support, emergency response, rescue and medical services.”
