Last Saturday, September 5, Dutch racer Loek Hartog saved British driver Ollie Millroy from a Ferrari engulfed in flames at the Shanghai International Circuit during the China GT Championship. Millroy suffered multiple fractures and lung injuries in a multi-car collision but expressed gratitude to Hartog for risking his life to pull him from the car.
After the accident, Hartog stopped his Porsche race car and rushed towards the flaming Ferrari. He first attempted to approach the cockpit from the driver’s side, then switched to the other side, took a fire extinguisher from an on-site staff member, put out the flames and rescued Millroy from the car.
Publicly available onboard footage showed that it took Hartog about 49 seconds from leaving his race car to rescuing Millroy.
36-year-old Millroy was driving the #91 Ferrari of AAI Motorsports and was involved in a three-car collision near Turn 14 around 20 minutes into the race, on the seventh lap.
Prior to the incident, Neil Verhagen driving the #33 BMW was vying for position with David Chen in the #37 Harmony Racing Ferrari. Verhagen lost control while attempting to overtake, skidded onto the wet grass, collided with Chen’s car, and both cars slid into the hairpin where Chen’s Ferrari hit the side of Millroy’s #91 Ferrari, causing it to catch fire.
The race was immediately red-flagged, and eventually abandoned. Verhagen was initially held responsible for the accident, receiving a one-minute time penalty, starting 10 grid positions back at the next China GT event, and a three-point behavior warning.
On Sunday, Millroy revealed on Instagram that due to a severe concussion, he had no recollection of about 30 seconds before the impact up to an hour after the accident. He disclosed having five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, hand and finger fractures, as well as lung injuries, expressing that without Hartog’s intervention, the outcome could have been worse.
He wrote, “I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one person: Loek Hartog. He immediately stopped, with no track workers or firefighters around at the time, risked his life to pull me out of the car.”
Millroy vowed to always remember Hartog’s heroic act and expressed gratitude to Ferrari for building a car capable of withstanding severe impacts. He apologized to the team for wrecking the car but stated intentions to rebuild it, recover physically, and return to the track.
Millroy’s wife, Fern Millroy, reported on Monday that Ollie underwent a four-hour surgery the previous day to stabilize the fractured areas and insert a drain tube in his abdomen.
Fern mentioned that the impact was so significant that it shattered Millroy’s helmet visor and broke the HANS system (head and neck support system).
23-year-old Hartog, a member of the Phantom Global Racing team, described the rescue as instinctual, stating that when he saw the fireball in the distance, he had no time to think about anything.
“Based on what I saw at the time, I naturally assumed the driver might not be able to get out on his own. So, I stopped, got out, and headed to the car. I didn’t hesitate,” Hartog said.
Hartog stated that the rescue was “terrifying,” and at times, he doubted if he could save Millroy. However, he refused to take all the credit and believed many others would have acted the same in that situation. He emphasized the importance of Millroy’s safety above all.
The onboard footage of Hartog’s rescue sparked discussions on the emergency response speed at the scene. AAI Motorsports, to which Millroy’s FIST Team AAI belongs, criticized the inadequate emergency and medical support by the race organizers.
Millroy’s teammate and co-driver, Taiwanese female racer Chen Ying-Yu, expressed gratitude to Hartog for his timely rescue. “I have to thank everything Loek Hartog did today. At the moment when Millroy needed help the most, he didn’t hesitate to stop and come to the rescue,” Chen said.
AAI stated that while motorsport inherently carries risks, the handling of the incident was unacceptable. Chen Ying-Yu asserted the priority should always be on the safety of drivers and team personnel, criticizing the incidents and their handling.
AAI has decided to withdraw from the remaining China GT Championship races until further communication with the organizers regarding the incident response, safety measures, and medical readiness. Another involved team, 610 Racing, also confirmed their withdrawal from the remaining season races.
The China GT Championship reported that a preliminary investigation revealed overall event arrangements complied with national standards; however, there is room for improvement in detail management. The organizers will conduct a comprehensive review of the accident to assess event organization, safety measures, emergency responses, rescue, and medical support.
The 2026 China GT Championship season comprises five rounds, with Shanghai being the fourth round, and the final round is scheduled for November 6-8 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Hong Kong actor and race car driver Daniel Wu criticized the event control center for delaying the issuance of the red flag signal after the accident, taking about 30 seconds, and the lack of direction for track personnel and the prolonged arrival time of the fire truck. He also condemned China GT organizers for releasing a statement on the incident after a 36-hour delay, deeming it unacceptable.
Wu emphasized that while drivers understand the risks involved, they hope for a certain level of safety measures in such situations. “Clearly, the entire system failed in this incident,” Wu said.
On September 5 at the CHINA GT China Super Sports Car Championship (GTS category), Daniel Wu drove the #86 car. He encountered two intense collisions during the heated competition, resulting in smoke from the front and burst tires, ultimately leading to his retirement from the race, fortunately without major injuries.