British racing driver Ollie Millroy narrowly escaped a fiery crash on Sunday at the Shanghai International Circuit during a China GT event, thanks to the quick actions of rival Loek Hartog. Millroy, 36, was racing when his Ferrari was struck by two other cars on a bend, sending his vehicle spinning off the track and erupting into flames.
Video footage captured the moment Millroy's car became engulfed in fire and smoke. Hartog, 23, a Dutch driver competing in the same event, immediately pulled his car over beside the wreckage. He unbuckled his seatbelt and exited his vehicle, sacrificing his own race to help Millroy.
Hartog was seen attempting to free Millroy, who was trapped inside the burning Ferrari. When he was unable to immediately extract Millroy, Hartog searched for a fire extinguisher to combat the blaze. Fire crews and track staff arrived shortly after, assisting Hartog and Millroy in moving away from the fire.
Millroy sustained multiple injuries in the incident, including five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung. Despite his injuries, Millroy expressed profound gratitude to Hartog via social media platform X, stating that the Dutch driver had saved his life.
"I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man," Millroy wrote from his hospital bed. "@loekhartog_ stopped instantly with no flag marshalls or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car."
Millroy recounted that he has no memory of the moments immediately before or after the crash but will forever remember Hartog's bravery. He added that he owes Hartog his life for the selfless act.
Hartog shared his perspective on the event, stating that seeing the car engulfed in flames left him with no real decision to make. He expressed concern that Millroy might not have been able to escape on his own. "There was never a moment of doubt," Hartog said. "It was scary. There were moments where I didn't know I would actually be able to get Ollie out."
Both drivers were eventually seen together by the side of the track after Millroy was safely extracted from the vehicle. The incident occurred during a race at the Shanghai International Circuit.