A British racing driver says he is alive today only because a competitor abandoned his own car, ran toward a fireball, and dragged him from the wreckage with no marshals or fire crews in sight.
Ollie Millroy, 35, was competing in the China GT Championship at Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday when a multi-car collision sent his Ferrari bursting into flames. Dutch driver Loek Hartog, 23, immediately stopped his Porsche, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and pulled Millroy free before emergency personnel arrived.
“I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man,” Millroy posted from his hospital bed. “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.”
Millroy said he remembers nothing from 30 seconds before impact until an hour afterward. He is being treated for five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung. “It could have been much worse,” he wrote. “Thank you Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.”
Hartog later described the moment as instinct, not calculation. “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make,” he said. “From what I had seen, I genuinely believed the driver might not be able to get out by himself. There was never a moment of doubt. It was scary.”
Video from the scene shows Hartog at the burning car as thick black smoke pours from the wreck. Organizers have acknowledged shortcomings in on-track emergency response and said they will review safety procedures, rescue operations, and medical support. Millroy’s team, AAI Motorsport, has criticized the handling of the incident and indicated it may not return to China GT events.
Millroy said he plans to tell his three children the story of the man who ran toward the fire. “Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.”
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