Driver Loek Hartog rescues rival Ollie Millroy from burning car in China GT

British racing driver Ollie Millroy told Loek Hartog he owes him his life after his quick-thinking rival pulled him from a burning car after a huge crash in the first race of the China GT on Saturday.

The incident happened 20 minutes into the Shanghai race when his Ferrari was struck heavily from the side after a collision between two other cars causing it to burst into flames.

The race was red-flagged but, with no safety marshalls having been able to immediately respond, Dutch driver Hartog stopped his car and made an attempt to rescue Millroy from the driver’s side. Having hauled off part of a door, he grabbed a fire extinguisher from a nearby official, doused the flames as best he could and then courageously pulled his stricken rival from the opposite side of the wreck.

Millroy was helped to the side of the track before being taken to hospital, where he is receiving treatment for multiple fractures and a bruised lung. “I owe my life to you,” the 35-year-old Millroy wrote on Instagram. “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 1 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. I’m laying here tonight with 5 broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken hand and finger and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse. Thank you Loek.”

Hartog said he did not for one minute question his choice to run towwards the burning car and help Millroy. “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make,” the 23-year-old posted on social media. “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.

“It was terrifying, and there were moments when I didn’t know if I’d ever manage to get Ollie out. But it’s not about what I did; I’m sure many people in my position would have reacted exactly the same way.

The race did not resume after the crash and Millroy’s team, FIST Auto, has said it will not participate in future China GT races until discussing safety concerns with organisers. “It is particularly distressing that during the live broadcast, the organizers did not verify the situation on the scene, and hastily said the drivers left the cars on their own,” it said in a statement. “The actual situation is: our driver was rescued from the burning car by Loek Hartog, regardless of his own safety. We pay our highest respect to Loek for his heroic act of giving himself up to save others.”

The organisers of the China GT admitted “shortcoming” in a statement released after the abandoned race. “We will further review and investigate the accident and formulate more comprehensive plans to address shortcomings in competition organization, support, emergency response, rescue and medical services,” it said.