A racing driver abandoned his own car in the middle of a race to save a rival trapped inside a burning Ferrari after it crashed at the China GT Championship in Shanghai.
Dutch driver Loek Hartog stopped after seeing British racer Ollie Millroy’s car turn into a fireball, grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran towards the wreckage.
There were no marshals or fire crews around at the time, according to Millroy.
Hartog managed to douse the flames before pulling the injured driver from the car.
“I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man,” Millroy later wrote on Instagram.
“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.”
Millroy said he doesn’t remember the crash itself or what happened for around an hour afterwards.
He suffered five broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken hand and finger and a bruised lung.
“It could have been much worse,” he said.
Hartog later recalled seeing a car turn into a “huge fireball” ahead of him and said there wasn’t really a decision to make.
“It was scary. There were moments where I didn’t know I would actually be able to get Ollie out,” he wrote.
The crash has also raised serious questions over safety at the race.
Millroy’s AAI Motorsport team said his Ferrari continued burning for more than a minute and accused organisers of failing to provide timely firefighting and rescue.
The team has now announced it will no longer compete in races organised by China GT.
“What might have happened if that driver hadn’t stepped up today?” it said.
Organisers have promised an investigation into the crash and acknowledged shortcomings involving emergency response, rescue and medical services.
For Millroy, however, there is one thing about the crash he says he will never forget.
“One day I will tell our three kids this story and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.”
2026-09-07 23:16:00
