Dutch racer Loek Hartog rescues fellow driver Ollie Millroy from burning car in China GT race

In short:

Dutch racing driver Loek Hartog has been hailed as a hero for stopping on the racing track and helping fellow racer Ollie Millroy out of a flaming wreck in China.

Hartog tried to get Millroy out of the driver's side door, then doused the inferno with an extinguisher before freeing his rival from the other side of the car.

What's next?

Organisers of the China GT Championship say they will review "shortcomings" after there were no safety marshals near the incident.

A young Dutch racer is being hailed as a "superhero" after stopping on a race track to help pull a fellow competitor out of his flaming car.

The incident happened on Saturday in the China GT series in Shanghai, when 36-year-old British driver Ollie Millroy was part of a multi-car crash in his Ferrari.

The car was then engulfed in flames, and the situation grew more desperate because there were no safety marshals in the area.

Dutch competitor Loek Hartog, 23, stopped, ran over to the flaming car and tried to help Millroy out of the driver's side door.

Unable to free Millroy, Hartog then grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and doused the flames enough so he could then pull his rival out of the other side of the car.

"I owe my life to you," Millroy wrote on social media.

"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."

Millroy said he broke five ribs, as well as his collarbone, hand, and finger and sustained a bruised lung from the wreck.

Hartog wrote on social media that Millroy had nothing to thank him for, saying he wished anyone else in his position had done the same.

"I wish to live in a world where this would not be considered as bravery but as instinct of others too," Hartog wrote.

"I am so thankful to have been right at the place I needed to be in space and time."

Chinese-owned news website Global Times reported that organisers of the China GT Championship would review "shortcomings" in the series' safety protocols, among other areas for improvement.

"After the race, we will further review and investigate the accident and formulate more comprehensive plans to address shortcomings in competition organisation, support, emergency response, rescue and medical services," organisers said in a statement.

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