Loek Hartog saves GT3 driver Ollie Millroy's life after scary crash in China

During the fourth round of the ChinaGT Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit, a horrific multi-car crash occurred. Millroy's #91 Ferrari was hit and spun before colliding with another car. The Ferrari immediately caught fire.

Hartog, who was about 9 positions behind the Ferrari at the time, saw what had happened and noticed that no marshals or medical staff were nearby. The 23-year-old stopped his car in the corner where the Ferrari was burning and got out without hesitation. Someone, possibly a marshal who was nearby after all, handed him a fire extinguisher.

Hartog tore open the door on the other side and looked for the quickest way to get Millroy out of the car. He extinguished the fire as much as he could before pulling Millroy from his seat. In doing so, he performed a truly heroic act, as the situation could have ended much worse had Hartog not stopped.

Millroy is doing relatively well given what has happened. He has a few broken ribs, a broken hand and collarbone, and a bruised lung.

Hartog visited him in the hospital and wrote afterward on social media: "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.

Millroy also thanked Hartog for saving his life: "I owe my life to you. You risked your own to drag me from a burning car without any delay. One day I will tell my three young kids this story and you will be their biggest superhero. Thank you.”

He then also made a longer post: "I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. 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.

After the crash, more details emerged about everything that went wrong and why the marshals did not intervene. Millroy’s team, FIST Team AAI, issued a strong statement announcing that the team would withdraw from the championship and not participate in the upcoming races.

“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. The actual situation is: our driver was rescued from the burning car by Loek Hartog, regardless of his own safety,” the team wrote.

The team is demanding a comprehensive investigation to clarify the issues surrounding circuit safety, live broadcasts, and the dissemination of official information. The team also wants the organization to formally apologize to the teams and drivers involved, as well as their families, for the inadequate rescue operation.