Ollie Millroy recovering after serious crash in China GT Championship
British racing driver Ollie Millroy is recovering in a Shanghai hospital after a terrifying multi-car crash during Saturday’s China GT Championship race left him with devastating injuries, reports BritPanorama.
The 36-year-old from Windsor sustained six broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a partially collapsed lung, according to his wife Fern. Millroy’s survival is attributed to the bravery of Dutch competitor Loek Hartog, 23, who abandoned his own race to drag the injured Briton from his flaming Ferrari before any emergency crews arrived.
The incident occurred on the seventh lap of the opening race at the Shanghai International Circuit when Millroy’s car collided with two others, resulting in a catastrophic fire. The race was immediately red-flagged and not resumed.
In the aftermath, Millroy’s team, AAI Motorsport, announced a complete withdrawal from future China GT events, citing serious safety failings at the track.
Footage of the incident captures Millroy’s Ferrari spinning off the circuit, engulfed in flames and thick smoke. Hartog, upon seeing the car engulfed, stopped, unbuckled his harness, and leaped from his vehicle — forsaking his own chance for a result.
Hartog’s onboard camera recorded his frantic attempts to remove parts of the Ferrari’s bodywork in a desperate bid to free Millroy. When his efforts initially failed, he secured a fire extinguisher from a nearby official and was able to put out the flames before pulling the racer to safety through the opposite side of the car.
Millroy later shared an emotional tribute on Instagram from his hospital bed, stating, “I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man,” crediting Hartog for risking his life. He revealed that he has no memory of the crash, stating, “I don’t remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and one hour after it.” He expressed his intention to share this story with his children, highlighting the heroic act as a pivotal moment in their lives.
Hartog responded humbly, stating, “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make,” reflecting on the instinctual nature of his actions. He expressed hope for improvements to safety regulations in the sport to prevent future incidents.
AAI Motorsport provided a scathing assessment of safety at the event, noting that Millroy’s Ferrari burned for more than a minute without intervention. They questioned: “What might have happened if that driver hadn’t stepped up today?” The team remarked on their incredulity that the situation was not addressed sooner, emphasizing their unwillingness to tolerate avoidable danger.
Following the incident, China GT organisers acknowledged the shortcomings and have promised a comprehensive review, calling for enhanced plans to address safety protocols and emergency responses in the future.
This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks in motorsports, and the need for rigorous safety standards to protect drivers from unnecessary harm. In a world where bravery can come in the form of a split-second decision, the actions of Hartog have underlined the extraordinary lengths to which racers will go for one another, even as the debate around safety continues to resound within the sport.
