- Published
British racing driver Ollie Millroy says it is a "miracle I'm alive" after fellow driver Loek Hartog saved him from his car when it was engulfed in flames.
Millroy, 36, was hit by two other cars during the China GT Championship race at the Shanghai International Circuit 11 days ago, with his Ferrari immediately catching fire before hitting the safety barriers.
A barely conscious Millroy was stuck in his car for over a minute before he was pulled from the burning wreckage by Dutchman Hartog after he immediately stopped his car to help him.
"He acted instantly and he did everything right," a recovering Millroy told BBC Sport from his hospital bed in China.
"Watching the video back, it looks like you're watching a movie and everything's rehearsed.
"He ran around to check on me and realised the fire was too bad, and went round to the passenger side and realised he wasn't going to get me out of there; got an extinguisher, kept the fire off me for long enough to get inside the car and get me out of it.
"Every single step was perfectly executed. If you look at the photos and videos of the car, the fact I've got out without life-changing burns or even the fact I'm alive - it's a miracle.
"It was as though it was meant to be," added Millroy. "I'm not religious in any way, but it was as though someone had pre-programmed him to get me out of that car.
"It's created this really strong bond between us. I didn't have any memory of the crash, the first time anyone talked me through it was Loek in the hospital and the two of us were just in floods of tears when he was telling me what happened and what [he] did and how different the result could have been for me."
Organisers said in a statement after the race they "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".
Millroy, who suffered several fractures and a punctured lung in the impact, says he has no memory of just before and for about an hour after the accident, which is affecting him psychologically as he tries to piece together what happened.
"It's a strange feeling - I'm still not coming to terms with it because I don't remember any of it. I was sort of conscious; I was talking to Loek and I took my helmet off because I had run out of oxygen and I was struggling to breathe.
"But I wasn't getting myself out of the car. My body had gone into some sort of survival mode because of the amount of the injuries I'd sustained.
"Watching the video is like I'm watching something else. I keep waking up at night where my brain is trying to piece together what happened to my body - that frustration seems to be building more and more."
Millroy and Hartog set for a reunion
Millroy eventually intends to continue racing, but first he is set to be reunited with Hartog, 23, as the Dutchman flies back to China this week so the pair can meet for the first time since the day of the crash.
"I remember being scared very briefly," says Hartog, who races a Porsche for various different teams across GT racing.
"I tried to run to the car and I was seeing if he was making an effort himself and quickly realised it was a one-sided quest. I saw I needed to free the space around him to get out [of the car]."
By the time he saw the scene Millroy's car was already stationary, and Hartog recalled that it was another 59 seconds from when he stopped his car to Millroy exiting his burning vehicle.
"I wish it were sooner," Hartog said. "There's a human element to that. I don't know why I went there; why I chose [to help him]. There was no reasoning, and I explain to myself that it was how I have been taught - how I grew up in some way."
Millroy's wife Fern has been by her husband's side since hours after the crash, with the couple's three children being looked after by Fern's sister.
"It's so emotional. I feel like I need that closure to give [Hartog] a great big hug," she said.
"It's incredible how you can instantly love someone you've never met before - we've probably been around the same paddocks over the years, but to love someone who has just taken care of my soulmate and father of our three children, it's incredibly significant."
Millroy joked: "I'm just sorry I can't take him out anywhere nicer for dinner [when they meet] but I'm tied to machines in the hospital bed.
"We've got to know Loek's parents and you can see how he's come from the most wonderful, amazing family, and that you don't have to be a bad guy to be a great sportsman; you can be a really nice guy and really good sportsman.
"He made a decision that day he was going to prioritise something else other than sport, and that's what saved my life."
A better focus on safety
While Hartog wants to "close their chapter" by revisiting Millroy in China, the pair expect to work closely together in the future - in particular on matters of safety.
"There'll always be an element of risk," says Millroy. "But we always take that for granted.
"I never got in that car on that day and thought: 'I really hope there's a highly trained and expert fire crew down that corner in case something happens.'
"I don't want to comment too much until it's been officially investigated. There's a lot of people wanting a lot of answers."
Hartog adds: "This specific moment is something we can use to make the sport safer - there was a multitude of things that went wrong: I shouldn't have been the person to help but if it weren't for me, the outcome could have been very different."
Millroy added: "As soon as I feel ready I want to get back in the car, but I've not been home yet, not seen the kids - there's a lot of things I want to go through in my head first.
"I must have said 'thank you' a thousand times and I'd say it another thousand times that I'm so unbelievably grateful. All the emotions won't make sense until I get back home with the kids and then it'll be like: 'OK, I am actually still alive and living my life.'
"There was a very good chance that wasn't going to happen if it wasn't for Loek."
Facts Only
* Ollie Millroy was involved in a crash during the China GT Championship race at the Shanghai International Circuit 11 days prior to publication.
* Millroy's Ferrari caught fire after being hit by two other cars.
* Loek Hartog saved Millroy from the burning wreckage.
* Hartog stopped his car to assist Millroy immediately.
* Millroy was reportedly stuck in the car for over one minute before rescue.
* Millroy sustained several fractures and a punctured lung in the impact.
* Millroy experienced memory loss concerning the hour following the accident.
* Organizers stated they would review the accident and address shortcomings in organization, support, emergency response, rescue, and medical services.
* Hartog recalled seeing the scene 59 seconds after stopping his car to free Millroy.
Executive Summary
A British racing driver, Ollie Millroy, survived a severe accident where his Ferrari caught fire during the China GT Championship race at the Shanghai International Circuit. He was hit by other cars and was trapped in his burning vehicle for over a minute before being rescued by fellow driver Loek Hartog. Millroy described the rescue as a miracle, noting that Hartog acted instantly and effectively to extinguish the fire and extract him from the wreckage without life-changing burns. Millroy reported a strong bond with Hartog developed during the ordeal, recalling that Hartog’s actions were perfectly executed, which made surviving the crash feel predetermined.
The accident resulted in Millroy suffering several fractures and a punctured lung. He experienced memory loss regarding the hour immediately following the crash, which is causing him psychological distress as he attempts to process the event. Hartog recounted his decision to help, noting that it stemmed from ingrained upbringing rather than conscious reasoning at the moment. The organizers of the race committed to further review of the accident and safety procedures. Following the incident, Millroy plans to reunite with Hartog, who is returning to China, seeking closure and acknowledging the profound impact the event had on their relationship.
Full Take
The narrative relies heavily on the framing of an event as a 'miracle,' which serves to elevate the action of the rescuer while simultaneously managing the overwhelming psychological weight of the survivor's experience and memory gaps. The pattern involves shifting focus from objective forensic investigation (acknowledged by organizers) to the emotional testimony surrounding the rescue, creating a powerful relational bond between Millroy and Hartog. The account of pre-programming suggests a desire to remove personal agency from the chaotic event by assigning it a deterministic, almost supernatural quality, which mitigates the cognitive dissonance arising from incomprehensible trauma.
The dynamic between Millroy and Hartog illustrates how extreme situations can bypass standard reasoning, leading to an intense, immediate attachment rooted in shared survival rather than mutual understanding of risk or intent. The focus on Hartog's seemingly selfless decision invites scrutiny regarding the underlying social expectations that dictate altruism in high-stress scenarios, implicitly questioning whether such actions are purely reflexive or shaped by prior conditioning. Furthermore, the subsequent narrative arc—from crisis to reunion and reflection on safety protocols—demonstrates a pivot from personal trauma to systemic accountability. This trajectory suggests that while individual heroism is lauded, the real implication lies in identifying and reinforcing the systemic failures that made such an extraordinary intervention necessary in the first place.
BRIDGE QUESTIONS: What are the observable cultural or social scripts that influence decision-making during immediate life-or-death emergencies? How can the recovery process effectively integrate profound emotional experience with objective fact when memory is compromised? What responsibility do those who benefit from structured systems hold when they fail to anticipate and mitigate risks within those systems?