Loek Hartog Rescues Ollie Millroy from Burning Ferrari in Shanghai Crash
During the fourth round of the China GT Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit, 23-year-old racing driver Loek Hartog pulled fellow competitor Ollie Millroy from a burning Ferrari after a multi-car collision. Millroy suffered five fractured ribs, a broken collarbone, a damaged hand and finger, and a bruised lung, later crediting Hartog with saving his life as track safety personnel and firefighting infrastructure lagged behind the emergency.
A Fiery Collision and Delayed Response on the Shanghai Circuit
The incident unfolded during a chaotic sequence in China GT’s 2026 Shanghai weekend. Millroy was driving the No. 91 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO for FIST Team AAI alongside co-driver Chen Yin Yu.
Racing about nine positions back, Phantom Global Racing Porsche driver Loek Hartog witnessed the crash. Noting the absence of flag marshals or immediate firefighting personnel near the burning wreckage, Hartog halted his No. 79 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO—shared with co-driver Li Ning—in the active turn, secured a fire extinguisher, and ran toward the cockpit.
“Based on what I had seen, I genuinely thought the driver might not be able to get out of the car himself. I stopped, got out, and went to the car. There was no moment of hesitation.”
Critical Injuries and Team Fallout
Millroy experienced a total memory gap spanning from roughly 30 seconds before the impact until an hour afterward. Extricated from the burning cockpit by Hartog, the British driver later detailed his medical condition on Instagram: five fractured ribs, a broken collarbone, a damaged hand and finger, and a bruised lung.
Competitor Yang Baijie reported that the ambulance driver allegedly fell asleep and that it took roughly fifteen minutes for medical transport to reach the crash site, according to GPblog coverage. FIST Team AAI issued a stern public statement condemning the event’s organization for live broadcasts claiming drivers had escaped unassisted, while confirming that the team would withdraw from all future China GT races.
“It is particularly distressing that the organization during the live broadcast did not verify the situation on the spot and hastily reported that the drivers had gotten out of the cars on their own power,” FIST Team AAI wrote in their official statement, translated by GPblog. “The actual situation is that our driver was rescued from the burning car by Loek Hartog, who put his own safety at risk.”
For motorsports organizations and track facility operators managing high-speed circuits, unexpected structural fires and delayed medical dispatches present catastrophic liabilities.
A Lifetime Lesson in Circumstance
Millroy remains hospitalized in China awaiting surgeries to treat his collarbone and hand fractures, supported by his team and incoming family members before beginning a multi-week travel restriction period. He reflected on the gravity of the rescue in his public statements.
“Thanks to one individual, I find myself alive this evening,” Millroy wrote on Instagram, as detailed by Motorbiscuit. “Someday, I will share this experience with our three children, and Loek will undoubtedly be their greatest hero.”
Hartog expressed humility regarding the praise, pointing instead to the values instilled throughout his racing career. “This is what living in the moment means,” Hartog reflected. “It was beangstigend [frightening]. There were times when I didn’t know if I would actually manage to get Ollie out of the car. But this is not about what I did. I am sure many people in the same position would have reacted in exactly the same way.”