Ollie Millroy said he owes his life to Loek Hartog after Hartog dragged him from a burning Ferrari during the first race of China GT in Shanghai on Saturday. The crash came 20 minutes into the race, after Millroy’s car was struck heavily from the side in a collision between two other cars and burst into flames.
Millroy was later taken to hospital and said he was left with five broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung. He wrote on Instagram that he does not remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and an hour afterward, and that he will one day tell their three kids what happened, with Hartog as the hero of the story.
Hartog said he stopped when he saw a car turning into a huge fireball ahead and believed the driver might not be able to get out alone. He said he used a fire extinguisher from a nearby official, then hauled away part of a door before pulling Millroy from the opposite side of the wreck. He said there was never a moment of doubt, even though the fire and the smoke made the rescue terrifying.
The race was red-flagged and did not resume, and no safety marshals had been able to reach the scene immediately. That gap sharpened the dispute over what happened next: the organisers initially said the drivers had left the cars on their own, while FIST Auto said the actual situation was that Millroy was rescued from the burning car by Hartog. The team also said it was particularly distressing that the organisers had spoken on the live broadcast before verifying the scene.
FIST Auto said it will not take part in future China GT races until it has discussed safety concerns with organisers. The organisers later admitted shortcomings and said they would further review and investigate the accident, including competition organisation, support, emergency response, rescue and medical services. For Millroy, the immediate answer is already clear: he is alive because another driver stopped.
