- Ollie Millroy’s Ferrari caught fire after a multi-car crash in Shanghai.
- Loek Hartog stopped his Porsche, grabbed an extinguisher, and pulled Millroy free.
- Millroy suffered multiple fractures, while AAI criticized the emergency response.
Racing is one of the most expensive sports on the globe. From the cars to the insurance, to the cash poured into drivers and tech, it’s the antithesis of affordable. Understandably, then, performing well in a race is of utmost importance. Sometimes, though, there are moments when the race itself becomes absolutely irrelevant.
Loek Hartog encountered one of them during a China GT race in Shanghai when he saw a rival’s Ferrari engulfed in flames ahead of him. Rather than simply driving past the wreck, Hartog stopped his Porsche, jumped out, and ran toward the fire. What followed may have saved Ollie Millroy’s life.
The frightening accident happened around 20 minutes into Saturday’s opening China GT race at the Shanghai International Circuit. According to Motorsport.com, Neil Verhagen was battling David Chen approaching Turn 14 when Verhagen’s No. 33 610Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo went partly onto the damp grass during a passing attempt.
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Verhagen lost control and made contact with Chen’s No. 37 Harmony Racing Ferrari. Both cars then slid toward the hairpin, where Millroy’s FIST Team AAI Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo was struck heavily from the side. It immediately caught fire. Onboard footage from Hartog’s Phantom Global Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo shows just how quickly the situation developed. Hartog stopped near the wreck, climbed out, and sprinted toward Millroy’s burning Ferrari.
He initially attempted to reach Millroy from the driver’s side before going around the car. There, he literally ripped the door off the car and continued to work to free Millroy. A marshal arrived shortly thereafter, handed over a fire extinguisher, and that gave Hartog the ability to reach and retrieve Millroy. Less than a minute passed between Hartog getting out and freeing his fellow driver.
“When I saw a car engulfed in a huge ball of fire in front of me, there wasn’t really a decision to be made,” Hartog later explained. He said he assumed the driver couldn’t escape without help, so he stopped. Millroy has no memory of his rescue. In fact, he says he can’t remember anything from roughly 30 seconds before the crash until about an hour afterward.
What he does know is who came to get him. “I’m still alive tonight, solely thanks to one man, Loek Hartog,” Millroy wrote afterward, adding that Hartog stopped when there were no marshals or firefighters immediately at the car. Millroy suffered five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung. He was scheduled to undergo surgery before beginning his recovery.
Hartog, for his part, has played down the hero label, saying he believes many people would have done exactly what he did.
