British racing driver Ollie Millroy has described his survival of a catastrophic crash during the China GT Championship as a "miracle," crediting fellow competitor Loek Hartog with saving his life after his Ferrari became engulfed in flames at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The incident occurred approximately 20 minutes into the opening race at the Turn 14 hairpin when Millroy's vehicle was struck by two other cars. His Ferrari, competing for FIST Team AAI, immediately caught fire following the collision. Millroy remained trapped in the burning wreckage for over a minute before Hartog, driving a Porsche for Phantom Global Racing, pulled him from the vehicle after stopping to assist.
Millroy sustained significant injuries in the impact, including five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a broken hand, a broken finger, and a bruised lung. He underwent surgery following the crash and remains hospitalized in Shanghai as he recovers from his injuries.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Millroy reflected on Hartog's actions with profound gratitude.
"He acted instantly and he did everything right,"Millroy said.
"Watching the video back, it looks like you're watching a movie and everything's rehearsed. He ran around to check on me and realised the fire was too bad, and went round to the passenger side and realised he wasn't going to get me out of there; got an extinguisher, kept the fire off me for long enough to get inside the car and get me out of it. Every single step was perfectly executed."
Millroy emphasized the improbability of his survival given the severity of the fire.
"If you look at the photos and videos of the car, the fact I've got out without life-changing burns or even the fact I'm alive - it's a miracle. It was as though it was meant to be,"he explained.
"I'm not religious in any way, but it was as though someone had pre-programmed him to get me out of that car."
Hartog, 23, initially attempted to free Millroy from the driver's side before moving to the passenger side when he realized the fire was too severe. According to Hartog's account, 59 seconds elapsed from the moment he stopped his car until Millroy exited the burning vehicle.
"I wish it were sooner,"Hartog said.
"There's a human element to that. 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 - how I grew up in some way."
The Psychological Impact of Lost Memory
Millroy has no recollection of the crash itself or the hour immediately following the impact. This memory loss is affecting him psychologically as he attempts to reconstruct the sequence of events.
"It's a strange feeling - I'm still not coming to terms with it because I don't remember any of it. I was sort of conscious; I was talking to Loek and I took my helmet off because I had run out of oxygen and I was struggling to breathe. But I wasn't getting myself out of the car. My body had gone into some sort of survival mode because of the amount of the injuries I'd sustained."
Watching video footage of the incident has proven emotionally difficult for Millroy.
"Watching the video is like I'm watching something else. I keep waking up at night where my brain is trying to piece together what happened to my body - that frustration seems to be building more and more."
The bond formed between the two drivers has become profound. Millroy recalled his first conversation with Hartog in the hospital:
"It's created this really strong bond between us. I didn't have any memory of the crash, the first time anyone talked me through it was Loek in the hospital and the two of us were just in floods of tears when you were telling me what happened and what [he] did and how different the result could have been for me."
A Reunion and Expressions of Gratitude
Hartog is traveling back to China this week to reunite with Millroy for the first time since the crash. Millroy's wife Fern, who has remained at her husband's side since hours after the incident while their three children are cared for by her sister, expressed her emotional response to Hartog's actions.
"It's so emotional. I feel like I need that closure to give [Hartog] a great big hug,"she said.
"It's incredible how you can instantly love someone you've never met before - we've probably been around the same paddocks over the years, but to love someone who has just taken care of my soulmate and father of our three children, it's incredibly significant."
Millroy acknowledged the limitations of his current circumstances while expressing his gratitude.
"I'm just sorry I can't take him out anywhere nicer for dinner [when they meet] but I'm tied to machines in the hospital bed. We've got to know Loek's parents and you can see how he's come from the most wonderful, amazing family, and that you don't have to be a bad guy to be a great sportsman; you can be a really nice guy and really good sportsman. He made a decision that day he was going to prioritise something else other than sport, and that's what saved my life."
Hartog stated he would repeat his actions without hesitation.
"I remember being scared very briefly,"he recalled.
"I tried to run to the car and I was seeing if he was making an effort himself and quickly realised it was a one-sided quest. I saw I needed to free the space around him to get out [of the car]."When asked about his heroic intervention, Hartog said he would do the same thing
"a thousand times again."
Organizational Response and Safety Concerns
Following the incident, China GT organizers acknowledged "management shortcomings" and thanked Hartog for being first at the scene and assisting Millroy. The crash has raised questions about trackside safety protocols and emergency response procedures at the Shanghai circuit.
China GT has completed an investigation into the incident, with footage and timing analysis published after the race clarifying the response timeline for marshals and fire crews at the Turn 14 hairpin.
Both Millroy and Hartog intend to work together on safety improvements in the sport.
"There'll always be an element of risk,"Millroy said.
"But we always take that for granted. I never got in that car on that day and thought: 'I really hope there's a highly trained and expert fire crew down that corner in case something happens.' I don't want to comment too much until it's been officially investigated. There's a lot of people wanting a lot of answers."
Hartog added perspective on the broader implications of the incident.
"This specific moment is something we can use to make the sport safer - there was a multitude of things that went wrong: I shouldn't have been the person to help but if it weren't for me, the outcome could have been very different."
Looking Forward to Recovery and Racing
Millroy has expressed his intention to return to racing once he has fully recovered, though he recognizes the need to process the trauma of the incident first.
"As soon as I feel ready I want to get back in the car, but I've not been home yet, not seen the kids - there's a lot of things I want to go through in my head first."
He reiterated his gratitude to Hartog multiple times.
"I must have said 'thank you' a thousand times and I'd say it another thousand times that I'm so unbelievably grateful. All the emotions won't make sense until I get back home with the kids and then it'll be like: 'OK, I am actually still alive and living my life.' There was a very good chance that wasn't going to happen if it wasn't for Loek."
