British motorsport competitor Ollie Millroy has described his survival as a “miracle” after fellow driver Loek Hartog rescued him from a burning vehicle during a race in China. The incident occurred 11 days ago at the Shanghai International Circuit during a China GT Championship event.
Millroy, 36, was struck by two other cars, causing his Ferrari to immediately catch fire before it slammed into the safety barriers. For more than a minute, the British driver remained trapped and barely conscious inside the blaze until Dutch competitor Hartog stopped his own vehicle and pulled him from the wreckage.
Speaking from his hospital bed in China, Millroy praised Hartog’s instantaneous response. “He acted instantly and he did everything right,” Millroy told BBC Sport. “Watching the video back, it looks like you’re watching a movie and everything’s rehearsed.”
Millroy recounted that Hartog first assessed the severity of the fire, retrieved an extinguisher to suppress the flames, and then entered the car to extract him. “Every single step was perfectly executed,” Millroy said. “The fact I’ve got out without life-changing burns or even the fact I’m alive – it’s a miracle.”
The crash left Millroy with several fractures and a punctured lung. He has no memory of the accident or the hour following it, a gap that is causing psychological distress as he attempts to process the event. He described experiencing nighttime disturbances where his brain tries to reconcile the physical trauma he sustained.
Hartog, 23, who competes in various GT racing teams driving a Porsche, said he had no hesitation in helping. “There was no reasoning,” Hartog explained. “I don’t know why I went there; why I chose to help him. There was no reasoning, and I explain to myself that it was how I have been taught.”
Hartog noted that 59 seconds passed between him coming to a stop and Millroy exiting the vehicle. “I wish it were sooner,” he admitted. “I saw I needed to free the space around him to get out.” When asked if he would repeat his actions, Hartog stated he would do so “a thousand times again.”
Millroy’s wife, Fern, has remained at his side since the crash, while their three children are being cared for by Fern’s sister. She expressed deep gratitude toward Hartog, describing the bond forming between their families as immediate and profound.
“It’s incredible how you can instantly love someone you’ve never met before,” Fern said. “To love someone who has just taken care of my soulmate and father of our three children, it’s incredibly significant.”
The two drivers are set to reunite this week when Hartog travels back to China. Both men emphasized that the incident has highlighted critical safety deficiencies within the sport and intend to collaborate on improving protocols moving forward.
Hartog pointed out that while he happened to be the one present to assist, the outcome could have been drastically different without his intervention. Millroy added that he never anticipated needing a “highly trained and expert fire crew” to be down a corner in case of such an emergency.
Millroy expressed hope to return to racing eventually but noted he first needs time to recover and see his family. “I must have said ‘thank you’ a thousand times and I’d say it another thousand times that I’m so unbelievably grateful,” he said. “There was a very good chance that wasn’t going to happen if it wasn’t for Loek.”
I bet Millroy says thanks every single day now. A proper legend moment right there on the track.
The fact that he has no memory of the accident is heartbreaking. Missing the entire hour is going to be really hard to process.
Wait, the fire crew wasn’t close enough? That seems like a major safety gap for a professional championship event.
Loek’s quick thinking is absolutely heroic. One minute he’s racing, next he’s a lifeline. Truly inspiring story.