36-year-old British driver Ollie Millroy is injured but “ok” after a huge multi-car incident which occurred this morning at the Shanghai International Circuit during the China GT Championship, involving himself, David Chen and Neil Verhagen.
The incident occurred when Chen, in the #37 Harmony Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, and Neil Verhagen, in the #33 TBC by 610Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, collided on the inside of Turn 14. The Ferrari then spun onto the racing line just as Millroy took the corner and was collected at high speed.
Millroy’s #91 FIST Team AAI Ferrari caught fire upon impact, went off track into the run-off area, colliding rear-first with the barrier.
An onboard camera on the #79 Phantom Global Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO captured an act of true humanity from Dutch driver Loek Hartog, who drove the #79 right up to the flaming Ferrari and helped the injured Millroy out of the car.
The crash occurred just 15 minutes into the 55-minute sprint race, which did not resume after the red flag.
The broadcast showed Millroy out of the car, conscious, sitting up against the barrier with his helmet removed, accompanied by Hartog and Verhagen, away from the car, just before track safety and medical crews came to their aid. All involved drivers were then taken to the medical centre for further evaluation.
Millroy has since stated on his Instagram page that: “I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. Loek Hartog.
“He stopped instantly with no flag marshals or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car. I don’t remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and 1 hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life. One day I will tell our three kids this story, and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.
“I’m lying here tonight with five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse. Thank you, Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.
“Thank you to everyone for your kind messages. I will try and get back you now that I have a few days in bed. I’m counting my lucky stars tonight, that’s for sure. Fern is on the plane out here, and I’m surrounded by my team, my Taiwanese family, Team AAI. I have a couple of operations tomorrow to put everything back where it should be, then a few weeks resting here before I can fly.
“Thank you to Ferrari for building a car capable of taking that impact, and I’m sorry for our AAI crew and my teammate that you have lost your rocket ship today. Rebuild, recover and then back on the horse.”
On Hartog’s social media following the incident, he wrote that “there wasn’t really a decision to make” when he saw the car in that state; “there was never a moment of doubt” that he should come to help his fellow driver. “I am just thankful that I happened to be in that place at that moment. Most importantly: Ollie is okay.” He added.
Yin Yu Chen, Millroy’s teammate at AAI, also posted on social media, describing the day as “heartbreaking” for the team.
“Following Ollie Millroy’s accident, our car caught on fire right after he got crashed out of the track,” Chen continued. “For about a minute and a half, Ollie was left alone in the car without immediate fire or rescue assistance. There were no marshals, no ambulance, no help at all with the fire or the driver.
“What is equally difficult to accept is hearing the broadcast casually report that the driver was “fine” and had “gotten out of the car by himself.” Given the seriousness of what was unfolding on track, such a dismissive and inaccurate portrayal of the situation is deeply concerning.
“For that, I have to thank Loek Hartog for everything he did today. He did not hesitate for a moment to stop and rescue Ollie when he needed help the most. He is a true legend.
“Ollie isn’t just a teammate but a friend of our family for 13 years. Never in my life of racing has been this traumatising.
“We fully understand that motorsport carries risks. However, the measures taken by the organisers following today’s incident, particularly the lack of an immediate and adequate emergency response, are something we cannot accept. The safety of drivers and team members must always come before anything else. What happened today and the way the situation was handled is truly unacceptable.
“Given the way today’s incident was handled by the organisers, the team and I have made the decision to withdraw from the championship and will not participate in any future China GT events.
“Thank you to everyone who stepped forward to help today, and I wish Ollie a speedy recovery.”
Everyone at DSC also wishes Ollie a speedy recovery.
