A driver rescues a competitor from a car fire in the China GT race

Milroy, 36 years old, was participating in one of the rounds of the China GT Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit, when his car collided with two other cars while passing a corner.

Footage of the accident showed Milroy's car veering violently off the track and spinning before it caught fire, while the flames escalated dramatically, followed by thick smoke that covered the accident site.

Driver Luke Hartoch quickly arrived at the scene of the wreck, before quickly unfastening his seat belt and jumping out of his car, abandoning his chances of competing to win the race in order to save his rival.

A camera installed near the driving seat of Hartoch's car, 23 years old, showed him frantically trying to reach Melroy among the wreckage of the Ferrari, after the British driver was stuck inside the car in the middle of a ball of flame.

But Hartoch was initially unable to get Milroy to a safe place, so he had to quickly search for a fire extinguisher in order to control the flames.

Firefighters then arrived at the scene to deal with the flames, while Hartoch and track crew members cooperated in removing Milroy from the burning car.

At the end of the clip, Hartoch and Milroy appeared sitting at a wall next to the ring, after the British driver miraculously succeeded in getting out of the car and reaching safety.

Ollie Milroy, who was seriously injured in the accident, was keen to send a message of thanks to his competitor, Luke Hartoch, for saving his life.

Milroy posted a photo of himself from his hospital bed, and wrote: “I am still alive tonight thanks to only one man. Luke Hartoch stopped immediately, and there were no observers or firefighters at the accident site, and he risked his life in order to get me out of the car.”

He added: "I do not remember anything that happened during the 30 seconds before the accident until a full hour after it, but I will remember his amazing courage for the rest of my life."

He continued: "One day I will tell this story to our three children, and Luke will also be in their eyes the greatest superhero in history."

He added: "I lie here tonight suffering from five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung, but things could have been much worse."

He concluded his message by saying: “Thank you, Luke. I owe you my life for this action that you did today without thinking about yourself.”

For his part, Hartog spoke about the incident on his social media accounts, saying: “When I saw a car turn into a huge ball of flame at a long distance in front of me, there was no decision that had to be made in the first place.”

He explained: "From what I saw, I honestly thought the driver might not be able to get out on his own. I stopped, got out of the car and headed towards it. There was not a single moment of hesitation."

He added: "It was scary. There were moments when I didn't know if I would actually be able to get Ollie out of the car. But it's not about what I did, and I'm sure many people in the same situation would have reacted in exactly the same way."