During Saturday’s opening China GT race in Shanghai, Loek Hartog halted his Porsche and extracted Ollie Millroy from a burning Ferrari after a serious accident.
Millroy sustained five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung in the crash. He later credited Hartog with saving his life.
The incident happened roughly 20 minutes into the race when Neil Verhagen’s No. 33 610Racing BMW and David Chen’s No. 37 Harmony Racing Ferrari were battling for position approaching Turn 14.
Verhagen drifted onto the grass while attempting to overtake, lost control of his BMW on the wet surface, and collided with Chen’s Ferrari. Both cars slid toward the hairpin, where Millroy’s AAI Motorsports Ferrari was hit on its side and ignited.
The race was promptly red‑flagged.
On‑board video from Hartog’s Phantom Global Racing Porsche later captured the Dutch driver pulling over near the wreck, exiting his car and sprinting to the scene.
Hartog first attempted to reach the cockpit from the driver’s side before switching to the opposite side. He seized a fire extinguisher from an approaching marshal, tackled the flames, and pulled Millroy from the burning vehicle.
The rescue operation lasted about 49 seconds from the instant Hartog exited his car.
“What I witnessed in Race 1 was terrifying, and I’m incredibly relieved to know that Ollie is fine,” Hartog wrote on social media after visiting Millroy in hospital.
“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. From what I could see, I naturally assumed the driver couldn’t get out on his own, so I stopped, got out and went over to the car. I never had any doubts.”
Hartog said there were moments when he was unsure whether he would be able to free Millroy, but played down his own actions.
“It was terrifying, and there were moments when I didn’t know if I’d ever manage to get Ollie out,” he said.
“But it’s not about what I did; I’m sure many people in my position would have reacted exactly the same way.
“The most important thing is that Ollie is okay. Things could have turned out very differently today, and I’m truly grateful that they didn’t.”
Millroy later thanked Hartog and said he had no memory of the period immediately surrounding the crash.
“I’m still alive tonight, solely thanks to one man, Loek Hartog, who stopped immediately – even though there were no track marshals or firefighters in sight – and risked his own life to pull me out of the car.”
“I can’t remember anything that happened between the 30 seconds before the crash and the hour afterwards, but I’ll remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life.
“Tonight I’m lying here with five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse. Thank you, Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.”
Millroy said he was due to undergo surgery before beginning his recovery.
“Now it’s time to rebuild, recover and then get back in the saddle,” he added.
AAI criticises emergency response and withdraws
Hartog’s on-board footage also prompted questions over the speed of the emergency response.
AAI Motorsports co-driver Yin Yu Chen said Millroy had been left without immediate assistance after the car caught fire and criticised what she described as an inadequate response from track personnel.
“For about a minute and a half, Ollie was left alone in the car without any immediate assistance from the fire brigade or emergency services,” Chen said.
“For this reason, I must thank Loek Hartog for everything he did today. He didn’t hesitate for a single moment to stop and come to Ollie’s aid when he needed help the most.”
Chen said the team accepted that motorsport carries inherent risks but believed the response to the accident was unacceptable.
“The safety of the drivers and team members must always come before anything else,” she said. “What happened today and the way the situation was handled are truly unacceptable.”
She also confirmed that AAI Motorsports had decided to withdraw from the remainder of the China GT championship following the incident.
“Given the way today’s incident was handled by the organisers, the team and I have decided to withdraw from the championship and will not be taking part in any further China GT events,” Chen said.
