Race driver Ollie Millroy thanks rival for saving his life after fireball crash

| Senior Live News reporter Published September 8, 2026 7:17am Updated September 8, 2026 7:17am To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video British racing driver thanked his rival for pulling him out of a burning Ferrari at the China GT and saving his life. Ollie Millroy, 36, had a narrow escape from his flaming car at the China GT event at Shanghai International Circuit over the weekend. The driver was rushed into surgery after the race crash, which saw him trapped inside the car as it burst into flames. Millroy credited his survival to the quick actions of Dutch racer Loek Hartog, who ‘stopped instantly’ and ‘risked his own life to get me out of the car.’ The 23-year-old Dutch racer jumped into action and pulled injured Millroy out of the burning wreckage (Picture: Weibo/@XieAnChris66) Footage shows Millroy’s car spinning out of control with smoke shooting from it. Hartog, 23, then jumps out of his car after stopping nearby despite the race continuing. He then runs to Millroy’s car, appears to remove debris, grabs a fire extinguisher, and pulls the British driver to safety. The racer suffered six broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a broken hand and a punctured lung, but admitted that it ‘could have been much worse.’ Millroy wrote in an Instagram 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. Ollie Millroy said his rival Loek Hartog will be the ‘biggest superhero’ when his children are old enough to find out how he saved his life (Picture: DELFOSSE/DPPI/Shutterstock) Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘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.’ Hartog, who is with Phantom Global Racing, said: ‘When ⁠I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make. Loek Hartog said ‘there was never a moment of doubt’ about stopping and helping his rival (Picture: Javier Jimenez/DPPI/Shutterstock) ‘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 scary.’ Millroy’s wife, Fern, thanked everyone for support as the dad-of-three was undergoing more surgeries in hospital yesterday, helping the family to ‘keep pushing through this traumatic time of our lives.’ She wrote: ‘Despite the injuries and the challenges we are facing now, we can’t help but feel lucky he’s alive, and the overwhelming feeling that we all have is an enormous amount of gratitude and love towards Loek Hartog who saved Ollie’s life.’ AAI Motorsport, Millroy’s team, has criticised the handling of the crash and said it will no longer take part in China GT events, Sky News reports. An investigation has been launched to assess the emergency response, rescue operations and management, the organisers said. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.