British driver Ollie Millroy said he is “still alive entirely thanks to one man” after rival Loek Hartog stopped and rescued him from a burning Ferrari during a motor race on Saturday.
Millroy was involved in a multi-car crash on the seventh lap of the China GT Championship race in Shanghai. He suffered six broken ribs, a broken collarbone, broken hand and finger, and a partially collapsed lung, according to his wife Fern.
Dutch racer Hartog abandoned his own race to rush to Millroy’s burning car, using a fire extinguisher to douse the flames before pulling the Briton free from the wreckage.
Millroy wrote on Instagram: “I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. 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 one hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life.
“One day I will tell our three kids this story and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.”
Millroy’s AAI Motorsport team said it would “no longer participate in any races organised by China GT” in a statement criticising the handling of the incident and standards of safety at the race.
It said “no timely and effective firefighting and rescue operations were seen”, with the car burning for “more than a minute” after the accident occurred.
The race was red-flagged but no safety marshals responded immediately to the accident, with 23-year-old Hartog grabbing the fire extinguisher from a nearby official and intervening himself.
The statement continued: “What might have happened if that driver hadn’t stepped up today?
“We accept the inherent dangers of motorsports, but we absolutely cannot accept a driver being exposed to avoidable death.”
Race organisers said they would investigate the incident and address “shortcomings” in competition management, emergency response, rescue operations and medical support.
The race did not resume after the crash occurred.
Hartog commented on Millroy’s post: “You have nothing to thank me for. I wish to live in a world where this would not be considered as bravery but as instinct of others too. I am so thankful to have been right at the place I needed to be in space and time.”
The Dutchman later wrote in a separate Instagram post: “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make.
“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. I’m sure many people in my position would have reacted exactly the same way.”
He later called for “something constructive” to come of the accident, “making sure that no two people ever have to go through the same thing again in the future”.
Additional reporting by Reuters
