British racing driver Ollie Millroy has paid tribute to the rival who abandoned his own race to pull him from the burning wreckage of his Ferrari following a terrifying crash in China.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 36-year-old was caught up in a multi-car accident on lap seven of a China GT Championship race in Shanghai on Saturday, leaving his car engulfed in flames, per Sky News.
Millroy suffered five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, as well as a bruised lung.
But despite the extensive list of injuries, he knows the outcome could have been considerably worse.
And he credits fellow driver Loek Hartog with making sure it wasn’t.
Footage of the incident shows a huge plume of smoke rising from the Ferrari before Hartog runs towards the burning vehicle.
The 23-year-old Dutch racer can then be seen appearing to pull off a door, using a fire extinguisher to tackle the flames and eventually helping Millroy out of the wreckage.
Writing on Instagram on Sunday, Millroy said he was alive “entirely thanks to one man”, revealing Hartog had “stopped instantly” and “risked his own life to get me out of the car”.
Millroy said he would remember his rival’s “incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life”.
He added: “Thank you, Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.”
Hartog, who races for Phantom Global Racing, said there had been little time to think about what he was doing after seeing the severity of the accident ahead of him.
He explained: “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make.
“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.”
Reflecting on his escape, Millroy admitted he was “counting my lucky stars tonight, that’s for sure”.
He also thanked his Ferrari team “for building a car capable of taking that impact”, while apologising for destroying it.
His focus will now turn towards recovering from his injuries, with Millroy saying the plan is to “rebuild, recover and then back on the horse”.
However, the fallout from the accident will extend beyond the two drivers.
Organisers said the incident will be investigated to establish whether it exposed shortcomings surrounding competition management, emergency response, rescue operations and medical support.
Millroy’s AAI Motorsport team has also criticised how the accident was handled and announced it will no longer compete in China GT events.
The championship consists of five races this year, with the final round scheduled to take place in Sepang, Malaysia, in November.
GT cars can reach speeds ranging from around 155mph (250kph) to 186mph (300kph), underlining the extraordinary danger Hartog faced when he chose to stop racing and run towards the flames.
Featured image credit: Ollie Milroy / Instagram
