'It's a miracle': Fireball crash victim Ollie Millroy thanks rescuer Loek Hartog

British racing driver Ollie Millroy, 36, says his survival after a fiery crash at the China GT Championship feels like a miracle. The accident happened 11 days ago at the Shanghai International Circuit, when Millroy's Ferrari was struck by two other cars, immediately caught fire and hit the safety barriers.

Left barely conscious, Millroy was trapped in the burning wreckage for over a minute. He was freed by Dutch driver Loek Hartog, 23, who stopped his own car instantly to help. Speaking to BBC Sport from his hospital bed in China, Millroy said Hartog acted perfectly at every stage — checking on him first, realising the fire was too severe to approach directly, then using a fire extinguisher to hold back the flames long enough to pull him from the car.

A bond forged in crisis

Millroy has no memory of the crash itself; Hartog was the first person to describe what happened, during an emotional conversation at the hospital. The experience has created a deep bond between the two men.

Hartog, who races a Porsche across various GT teams, recalled being briefly scared before realising Millroy could not free himself. Around 59 seconds passed between Hartog stopping his car and Millroy being pulled from the wreck. Hartog says he cannot fully explain why he acted as he did, attributing it to how he was raised.

Millroy's wife, Fern, has remained at his side since shortly after the crash, while her sister cares for the couple's three children. Hartog is flying back to China this week so the two men can meet in person for the first time since the accident.

Millroy hopes to return to racing once he feels ready, though he has not yet been home to see his children. Both drivers say they intend to work together on motorsport safety issues going forward, noting that a number of things went wrong during the incident that still need to be officially investigated.